Period 7 - Inter-War Foreign Policy and WWII Mobilization Flashcards

Joseph Stalin

Dictator and leader of the Communist party in Russia (Soviet Union)

Benito Mussolini

founder of the Fascist Party and dictator of Italy

Adolf Hitler

leader of the Nazi party in Germany who seized power and attempted world domination

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

Allied Powers

Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the US, and China

Neutrality Act of 1939

a federal law that repealed the arms embargo from previous neutrality acts and established the "cash-and-carry" policy. This policy allowed nations at war to buy American arms and munitions, provided they paid in full with cash and transported the goods on their own ships

Roosevelt’s Four Freedom

freedom of speech, worship, from want, and from fear. Roosevelt argued that German and Japanese militarism threatended these freedoms

Lend-Lease Act

a program by the United States during WWII that allowed the government to supply military aid to foreign nations deemed vital to the defense of the United States. This act marked a significant shift in American foreign policy from neutrality to active support for Allied nations

Atlantic Charter

A policy statement outlining the shared goals and principles of the United States and the United Kingdom for the post-war world. It emphasized mutual cooperation, self-determination of nations, and economic security, setting the stage for future international agreements like the United Nations.

Hideki Tojo

Japanese general and prime minister (dictator) during WWII who made the decision to attack Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbour

On December 7, 1941, Japan led a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, destroying over 20 ships, 300 planes, and killing 2,400+ Americans. It directly triggered the U.S. entry into World War II, ending American isolationism and uniting public support against Japan and its Axis allies.

Baatan Death March

The brutal forced 65-mile transfer of approximately 75,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs) by the Imperial Japanese Army, resulting in widespread death, starvation, and disease.

Women’s role in mobilization

many women joined the Women’s Army Corps, Army Nurse Corps and other military auxiliaries to aid in the war effort. Additionally, many women filled in vacant industrial jobs, some taking up new jobs in wartime industry production

Home front mobilization

Many Americans took up new jobs, worked extra hours, rationed goods, bought war bonds, and more in order to aid in the war effort. Companies that once produced consumer goods began to help in the production of ships, planes, and tanks.