key figures

Benito Mussolini

Italian leader who established the fascist regime in Italy, known for his aggression in foreign policy.

Merchants of Death

A term used to describe the arms industry and its role in promoting war profits, particularly criticized during World War I.

The Manchuria Incident

A 1931 invasion by Japan of Manchuria that escalated tensions in East Asia and led to WWII in the Pacific.

The Neutrality Acts

Laws passed in the 1930s aimed at preventing U.S. involvement in foreign wars, prohibiting arms sales to belligerents.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, a central figure in instigating World War II and the Holocaust.

Smoot-Hawley Tariffs

1930 U.S. tariffs that raised duties on imports, worsening the Great Depression due to retaliation.

Nazi Party

The political party in Germany led by Adolf Hitler, promoting fascist ideologies and anti-Semitism.

The New Deal

A series of programs enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to address the Great Depression.

Destroyers for Bases Deal

A 1940 agreement where the U.S. transferred naval destroyers to Britain in exchange for military base rights.

Racial Equality Principle

A concept advocated by President Woodrow Wilson for global equality post-WWI, often contradicted by domestic policies.

Lend-Lease

A WWII program where the U.S. provided military supplies to allies, significant for aiding the war effort.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. naval base attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the U.S. entry into World War II.

The Atlantic Charter

A 1941 U.S. and UK policy statement outlining goals for the post-war world, including self-determination.

Cash-Carry

A provision from the Neutrality Acts allowing nations at war to purchase U.S. goods for cash and transport.

Tuskegee Airmen

The first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces who served during WWII.

The Double ‘V’ Campaign

A movement during WWII advocating for dual victory over fascism abroad and racial inequality at home.

Josef Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until 1953, playing a key role in WWII and communism.

Thurgood Marshall

The first African American Supreme Court Justice known for advocating civil rights and Brown v. Board.

Brown v. Board (1954)

A landmark Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Prominent leader in the American civil rights movement advocating nonviolent protest.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist known for her significant role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Independent Internationalism

A foreign policy stance emphasizing independence and international cooperation without military involvement.

Kellogg-Briande Treaty

An agreement in 1928 to renounce war as a national policy, lacking enforcement mechanisms.

All Quiet on the Western Front

A novel by Erich Maria Remarque portraying the horrors of World War I from German soldiers' perspectives.