World Wars Study Guide

Failure of the League of Nations

An inability to prevent aggression by Axis powers, undermined by the absence of the United States and lack of enforcement power.

Rhineland

A demilitarized zone that Germany invaded in 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles.

Sudetenland

A territory in Czechoslovakia annexed by Germany in 1938, significant for its strategic resources.

Anschluss

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular group of people.

The Holocaust

The genocide of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 treaty between Germany and the USSR to neither attack each other and to divide Eastern Europe.

Invasion of Poland

Germany's invasion on September 1, 1939, marking the beginning of World War II.

Fall of France

The rapid defeat of French forces by Germany in 1940, leading to occupation.

Maginot Line

A French defensive fortification built along the German border, ultimately bypassed by German forces.

Dunkirk

A significant evacuation of Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, in May 1940.

Vichy France

The government of unoccupied France during WWII, which collaborated with Nazi Germany.

Charles de Gaulle

French military leader who led the Resistance against Nazi occupation and later became President of France.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany involving quick, coordinated strikes to achieve rapid victories.

Appeasement

A policy of conceding to aggression by a warlike nation, exemplified by the Munich Agreement.

Munich Conference

A 1938 meeting where European leaders allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in hopes of avoiding war.

Axis Powers vs Allied Powers

The Axis Powers included Germany, Italy, and Japan, while the Allied Powers included the US, UK, USSR, and others.

Hitler’s Goals

To establish German dominance in Europe, expand territory (lebensraum), and eliminate Jews and other 'undesirables'.

Lebensraum

A German term meaning 'living space,' used to justify the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany.

Operation Barbarossa

The code name for the Nazi Germany invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Nazism and Nationalism Connection

Nazism merged extreme nationalism with racial ideology, emphasizing Aryan supremacy.

Nuremberg Laws

A set of racial laws enacted in 1935 that stripped Jews of German citizenship and rights.

Wannsee Conference

A 1942 meeting where Nazi officials discussed the implementation of the 'Final Solution'.

Japan and WW2

Japan sought to expand its empire in Asia and the Pacific, leading to conflict with the US and Allies.

Nanjing

Site of a brutal Japanese massacre of Chinese civilians in 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

US Embargo on Japanese Assets

An oil embargo imposed by the US in 1941 in response to Japanese aggression in Asia, leading to increased tensions.

Island Hopping Strategic Goal

The United States' military strategy during WWII to capture strategic islands in the Pacific to reach Japan.

Atomic Bombs

Nuclear weapons developed during WWII, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Manhattan Project

A secret U.S. project aimed at developing atomic bombs during World War II.

Truman

The U.S. president who made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan to hasten the end of World War II.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Japanese cities where atomic bombs were dropped in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender.

Battle of Stalingrad

A turning point battle on the Eastern Front from 1942-1943, resulting in a decisive Soviet victory.

D-Day

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

Battle of the Bulge

The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front in late 1944 to early 1945.

Iwo Jima

A significant battle in the Pacific where U.S. forces captured the island in 1945, crucial for airfields.

Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting where Allied leaders planned the post-war order and discussed the fate of Europe.

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 conference where Allied leaders issued ultimatums to Japan and discussed post-war Europe.

Potsdam Declaration

An ultimatum issued to Japan in July 1945 calling for unconditional surrender.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials held after WWII to prosecute Nazi war criminals for crimes against humanity.

Tokyo Trials

Trials held to prosecute Japanese war criminals after WWII, similar to the Nuremberg Trials.