CPA US U10

chpt 20+21

Rationing

The government-controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, and services to ensure the military had enough supplies.

Fascism

A political ideology that emphasizes nationalism, militarism, and dictatorial rule (e.g., Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy).

Cash and Carry

A policy that allowed the sale of arms to allies as long as they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.

Isolationist

The belief that the U.S. should stay out of international conflicts and focus on domestic issues.

Victory Garden

Home gardens planted to help supplement food supply during WWII.

Strategic Materials

Resources essential to war, like rubber, oil, and metal.

Interventionist

Someone who supported U.S. involvement in WWII to stop Axis aggression.

Sanctions

Economic or political penalties imposed on a country to force compliance (e.g., U.S. sanctions on Japan before Pearl Harbor).

Internment

The forced relocation and imprisonment of Japanese Americans in camps during WWII.

FDR’s Military Build-Up Before WWII

Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the U.S. military before entering the war in anticipation of future conflicts.

Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to not attack each other; secretly, they agreed to divide Poland.

Poland Divided

As part of the Non-Aggression Pact, Germany and the USSR split Poland in 1939.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to Hitler’s demands to avoid war.

Neutrality Act

Banned the sale of arms to warring nations to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts.

Nye Committee Findings

Concluded that U.S. businesses profited from WWI, increasing American opposition to future wars.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the U.S. to send weapons and supplies to allies like Britain and the USSR without immediate payment.

Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—used to justify support for the Allies.

What brought the U.S. into WWII?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?

The U.S. had imposed economic sanctions, cutting off Japan’s access to vital resources like oil and rubber.

Sunbelt

A region in the Southern and Western U.S. that saw population and industrial growth during WWII.

Double V Campaign

A movement by African Americans to fight for victory against fascism abroad and racial injustice at home.

Automobile Factories to Military Production

Car factories were repurposed to make tanks, planes, and other wartime equipment.

Korematsu v. United States

Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans as a 'military necessity.'

Doolittle Raids

A U.S. air raid on Tokyo in 1942, boosting American morale.

Battle of Iwo Jima

A major battle in which U.S. forces captured the island from Japan; famous for the flag-raising photo.

Battle of Midway

A turning point in the Pacific War, where the U.S. destroyed much of Japan’s navy.

D-Day (June 6, 1944)

The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, which began the liberation of Western Europe.

Battle of the Bulge

The last major German offensive; the Allies ultimately pushed Germany back.

Battle of Britain

Germany’s failed attempt to gain air superiority over Britain in 1940.

How U.S. Factories Helped Mobilization

Converted industries to war production, increasing military output.

Navajo Code Talkers

Native American soldiers who used their language to create an unbreakable code.

Why Japanese Americans Were Interned

The U.S. government feared they might be spies, despite no evidence.

Tehran Conference

A meeting between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin where they planned D-Day.

FDR’s Four Terms

Roosevelt was elected four times (1932, 1936, 1940, 1944); he died in office in 1945.

Island Hopping

The U.S. strategy of capturing key islands to move closer to Japan.

Manhattan Project

The secret U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb.

Why Truman Ordered the Atomic Bomb

To end the war quickly and avoid a costly invasion of Japan.

Impact of WWII on the U.S. Economy

It ended the Great Depression by creating jobs in war industries.

The 1949 MS St. Louis Incident

A ship carrying Jewish refugees was denied entry to Cuba and the U.S., forcing it to return to Nazi Germany.

Night Witches

Soviet female pilots who bombed German positions at night.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

An all-Black, all-female U.S. Army battalion that managed military mail.

General Omar Bradley

A key U.S. general who played a major role in the D-Day invasion.

Yalta Conference (1945)

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin discussed post-war Europe, agreeing to divide Germany.

Zoot Suit Riots

Clashes in Los Angeles between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youth wearing zoot suits.

Why the U.S. Built Naval Bases on Iwo Jima

To launch attacks closer to Japan and support air raids.

Japan’s Surrender Terms

They wanted to keep Emperor Hirohito, but the U.S. insisted on an unconditional surrender.