Ap World 7.7-7.8 Vocab

Blitzkrieg

A military strategy used by Nazi Germany during World War II, characterized by rapid, overwhelming attacks utilizing coordinated air raids, artillery, and infantry.

Vichy France

The unoccupied southern part of France during World War II that collaborated with Nazi Germany after France's defeat in 1940.

Destroyers for Bases Agreement

A 1940 agreement in which the U.S. provided old naval destroyers to the UK in exchange for military bases on British-controlled territories.

Cash and Carry

A policy adopted by the U.S. in 1939 allowing countries at war to purchase military supplies if they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.

Lend-Lease Act

A 1941 U.S. law allowing the provision of military aid to foreign nations during WWII without requiring immediate payment.

Atlantic Charter

A 1941 statement by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill outlining goals for the post-war world, including self-determination and economic cooperation.

Battle of Britain

A 1940 air battle in which the British Royal Air Force defended against Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe, preventing a German invasion.

Luftwaffe

The German air force during WWII, known for its role in Blitzkrieg campaigns and the Battle of Britain.

Churchill

the British Prime Minister during WWII, noted for his leadership and inspiring speeches.

Home Front

the people who stay in a country and work while that country's soldiers are fighting in a war in a foreign country

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural icon representing women who worked in factories during WWII, symbolizing their contributions and challenging gender roles.

European Theater

The zone of WWII where battles were fought in Europe, primarily between Axis Powers and the Allies.

Pacific Theater

The WWII zone focused on conflict between the Allies and Japan, fought across the Pacific Ocean.

El Alamein

A key 1942 battle in North Africa where Allied forces defeated Axis forces, preventing further advances into Egypt.

Erwin Rommel

A renowned German general during WWII, known for his leadership in the North African Campaign.

Stalingrad

A pivotal 1942-1943 battle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, marking a turning point in favor of the Allies.

Coral Sea

A major 1942 naval battle that was the first carrier battle in history and a strategic Allied victory.

Midway

A decisive 1942 naval battle between the U.S. and Japan, significantly weakening the Japanese fleet.

Guadalcanal

A series of 1942-1943 battles marking the first major Allied offensive against Japan in the Pacific.

MacArthur

a key leader in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

Island Hopping

A military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific, focusing on capturing strategic islands while bypassing heavily fortified ones.

Blitzkrieg

A military strategy used by Nazi Germany in WWII, marked by rapid, overwhelming attacks through coordinated air raids, artillery, and infantry.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

Battle of the Bulge

A major German offensive in December 1944, eventually repelled by the Allies, marking the last significant Nazi offensive.

Battle of Kursk

The largest tank battle in history, fought in 1943 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945, marking the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, marking Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945.

Armistice Day

November 11, commemorating the end of World War I in 1918, now celebrated as Veterans Day in the U.S.

Armenian Genocide

The mass killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923.

Influenza Epidemic

The 1918-1919 global flu pandemic that killed millions worldwide.

Pandemic

An outbreak of a disease that spreads across a large geographic area.

Lost Generation

A group of American writers and artists disillusioned by the horrors of World War I.

Holodomor

A man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932-1933 caused by Stalin’s policies.

Himmler

a leading member of the Nazi Party and architect of the Holocaust.

SS (Schutzstaffel)

A paramilitary organization responsible for many atrocities during the Holocaust.

Gestapo

The secret police of Nazi Germany, enforcing policies and persecuting opposition.

Ghettos

Enclosed districts where Jews were forced to live in overcrowded conditions before deportation.

Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish population of Europe.

Holocaust

The systematic murder of approximately six million Jews by Nazi Germany during WWII.

Rape of Nanking

A 1937 atrocity where Japanese forces committed mass killings and rapes in Nanking.

Asia for Asiatics

A Japanese imperialist slogan advocating for liberation from Western colonial powers.

Comfort Women

Women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII.

Firebombing

Bombing cities with incendiary bombs intended to start fires.

Hamburg

A German city heavily bombed by the Allies in 1943 as part of a campaign to weaken Germany.

Dresden

A German city bombed in February 1945, causing extensive destruction and civilian casualties.

Tokyo

The capital of Japan, heavily bombed by the U.S. during WWII.

Manhattan Project

A secret U.S. project during WWII that developed the first nuclear weapons.

Bosnian Genocide

The ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims during the Bosnian War (1992-1995).

Tito

leader of Yugoslavia post-WWII, known for resistance to Nazi occupation.

Yugoslavia

A country in Southeast Europe that unified post-WWII and later dissolved amid ethnic conflicts.

Milosevic

president of Serbia involved in the wars in the Balkans and charged with war crimes.

Aircraft Carrier

a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering shipborne aircraft