World War II

Dictator

a single person who possesses absolute political power within a country or territory, or a member of a small group that exercises such power

Fascism

political ideology and mass movement that believed in militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism

Benito Mussolini

was the Italian prime minister (1922–43) and the first of 20th-century Europe’s fascist dictators.

National Socialist German Workers’ Party

a political party of the mass movement known as National Socialism, and under the leadership of Adolf Hitler; Antisemitism was fundamental to the party’s ideology and led to the Holocaust

Adolf Hitler

was the leader of the Nazi Party (from 1920/21) and chancellor (Kanzler) and Führer of Germany

Mein Kampf

political manifesto written by Adolf Hitler

Hideki Tojo

was a soldier and statesman who was the prime minister of Japan (1941–44) during most of the Pacific theatre portion of World War II.

Anchluss

political union of Austria with Germany, achieved through annexation by Adolf Hitler in 1938.

Sudentenland

sections of northern and western Bohemia and northern Moravia, in the vicinity of the Sudeten mountain ranges

Appeasement

Foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved country through negotiation in order to prevent war

Blitzkrieg

military tactic calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization in enemy forces through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in matériel or firepower.

Nye Committee

chaired by Senator Gerald P. Nye, investigated whether the U.S. munitions industry and bankers influenced the nation's entry into World War I for profit.

Neutrality Act of 1935

a U.S. law passed to keep America out of foreign conflicts, specifically by banning the export of arms, ammunition, and implements of war to any foreign nation involved in a war

Neutrality Act of 1936

passed in February 1936, extended the temporary 1935 arms embargo for 14 months and prohibited American banks from extending loans or credits to belligerent nations

Neutrality Act of 1939

a U.S. law that lifted the arms embargo from previous acts and allowed for the sale of war materials to belligerent nations on a "cash-and-carry" basis

Winston Churchill

was a British statesman, orator, and author who as prime minister (1940–45, 1951–55) rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory.

Embargo

legal prohibition by a government or group of governments restricting the departure of vessels or movement of goods from some or all locations to one or more countries.

Pearl Harbor Attack

a surprise, preemptive military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, designed to disable the Pacific Fleet.

Holocaust

the systematic state-sponsored killing of six million Jewish men, women, and children and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.

Nuremberg Laws

two race-based measures depriving Jews of rights, designed by Adolf Hitler; (1. deprived Jews of German citizenship 2. forbade marriage or sexual relations between Jews and “citizens of German or kindred blood.”)

Antisemitism

hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group

Kristallnacht

, the night of November 9–10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms.

The Final Solution

Nazi plan to eliminate Europe’s Jewish population.

Concentration Camps

internment centre for political prisoners and members of national or minority groups who are confined for reasons of state security, exploitation, or punishment, usually by executive decree or military order.

Extermination Camps

Nazi German concentration camp that specialized in the mass annihilation (Vernichtung) of unwanted persons in the Third Reich and conquered territories.

Why did many American support isolationism during the 1930s?

• to avoid being drawn into another costly, destructive foreign conflict, driven by the belief that WWI involvement was a mistake

What did the Nye Committee investigate and what did it conclude about World War I?

• They investigated the financial motivations behind the U.S. entry into World War I, specifically focusing on the "merchants of death"—arms manufacturers and bankers

• They concluded that bankers and munitions makers (like J.P. Morgan and Du Pont) profited from the war, pressured Wilson to enter the conflict to protect foreign loans, and exerted excessive influence over foreign policy.

What was the purpose of the Neutrality Acts?

• to prevent the nation from becoming involved in foreign wars by avoiding the mistakes that led to WWI.

• They aimed to maintain strict isolationism by banning arms sales, prohibiting loans to belligerent nations, and forbidding U.S. citizens from traveling on belligerent ships

What did the cash-and carry policy allow countries at war to do?

• buy U.S. goods, including arms after 1939, provided they paid immediate cash and transported the supplies on their own ships. This allowed the U.S. to aid allies while maintaining official neutrality and avoiding risks to American ships

Why did the United States place an oil embargo on Japan in 1941?

• to halt Japanese military aggression in Asia, specifically the occupation of French Indochina, and to force a withdrawal from China

What was the goal of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor?

• destroy the US carrier fleet in a victory so decisive that the United States would negotiate for peace

• gain control

What did President Roosevelt mean when he called Pearl Harbor ‘a day which will live in infamy’?

• to signify that the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was an act of extreme dishonor, treachery, and cowardice

Why was the attack on Pearl Harbor important for U.S public opinion about entering the war?

• it abruptly shifted U.S. public opinion from widespread isolationism to total, unified support for entering World War II. By inflicting over 2,400 American deaths, it turned a distant European conflict into a direct, personal assault on American soil

What were victory gardens and why were Americans encouraged to grow them?

• vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted by Americans during World War I and World War II in backyards, rooftops, and public spaces to relieve food shortages.

• Encouraged by the government, they aimed to increase food supply for troops, reduce civilian reliance on commercial produce, improve morale, and support the war effort.

What was rationing, and why did the government use it during the war?

• The controlled, equal distribution of scarce essential goods—such as food, fuel, and materials—during wartime, enforced by governments using coupon books to ensure fair access for all citizens.

• It was used to prevent hoarding, ensure military supplies (meat, rubber, gasoline) were sufficient, and control rising price

What was the purpose of the War Production Board?

• transitioning the U.S. economy from peacetime to wartime production.

• It managed the conversion of industries, prioritized materials for military needs, and oversaw the production of weapons, ships, and planes, ensuring essential supplies for the Allies

How did American factories change production during World War II?

• American factories rapidly converted from consumer goods to military production, transforming into an "arsenal of democracy" that produced vast quantities of planes, tanks, and ships.

How did wartime production help end the Great Depression?

• creating massive demand for industrial goods, which eliminated unemployment and revitalized the U.S. economy

Why did the government encourage Americans to buy war bonds?

• The U.S. government encouraged Americans to buy war bonds during WWII to finance the massive, roughly billion cost of the war, prevent inflation by reducing consumer spending, and increase public involvement in the war effort.

• These bonds allowed citizens to invest in the country's defense and future, promoting a sense of unity and shared sacrifice

What role did propaganda posters and films play during the war?

• crucial tools for mobilizing the public, acting as a "hidden army" to shape behavior and opinion.

• They boosted morale, encouraged military recruitment, urged women into the workforce, promoted resource conservation (rationing), sold war bonds, and fostered hatred toward enemies

Why were many consumers goods difficult to buy during the war?

• manufacturing capacity and raw materials (such as rubber, metal, and nylon) were diverted to military production

• the government mandated rationing and restricted consumer purchasing to ensure supplies for the military, while global trade disruptions reduced available imports.

How did World War II cause any Americans to move to different cities?

• millions relocated to industrial "boom towns" for defense jobs, particularly in the West and South

• Drawn by opportunities in shipbuilding, aircraft production, and to fill roles left by soldiers, workers moved to coastal cities and emerging manufacturing hubs