Social Studies WW2

Fascism

a political system that is rooted in militarism, extreme nationalism, and blind loyalty to the state

Nazi

a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party

Scapegoat

a person or group who is made to bear the blame for others

Concentration Camp

a prison camp for civilians who are considered enemies of the state

Neutrality Acts

a series of laws passed by Congress in 1935 that banned arms sales or loans to countries at war

Good Neighbor Policy

President Franklin Roosevelt's policy intended to strengthen friendly relations with Latin America

Appeasement

the practice of giving into aggression in order to avoid war

Nazi-Soviet Pact

an agreement signed between Hitler and Stalin in 1939 in which the two dictators agreed not to attack each other

Blitzkrieg

the swift and powerful German military attacks in World War II; 'lightning war'

Axis

the World War II military alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan, and six other nations

Allies

the World War II military alliance of Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and 45 other countries

Battle of Britain

Germany's failed attempt to subdue Britain in 1940 in preparation for invasion

Lend-Lease Act

the law that allowed the United States to sell arms and equipment to Britain during World War II

Atlantic Charter

a 1941 program developed by the United States and Britain that set goals for the postwar world

War Production Board

a government agency created during World War II to help factories shift from making consumer goods to making war materials

Rationing

limiting the amount of certain goods that people can buy

Victory Garden

during World War II, a vegetable garden planted to combat food shortages in the United States

Rosie the Riveter

a fictional factory worker who became a symbol of American women's contribution to the war effort during World War II

"Double V" Campaign

An African American civil rights campaign during World War II

Tuskegee Airmen

African American fighter pilots who trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, during World War II

Compensation

the repayment for losses

Bracero Program

the recruitment of Mexican laborers to work in the United States during World War II

Battle of Midway

a 1942 battle in the Pacific during which American planes sank four Japanese aircraft carriers

Operation Overlord

the code name for the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944

Nuremberg Trials

the Nazi war crimes trials held in 1945 and 1946

Battle of the Bulge

a German counterattack in December 1944 that temporarily slowed the Allied invasion of Germany

Island-hopping

during World War II, an Allied strategy of capturing Japanese-held islands to gain control of the Pacific

Potsdam Declaration

a message sent by the Allies in July 1945 calling for Japanese surrender

Bataan Death March

the long trek across the Philippines that American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to make by the Japanese in 1942

Kamikaze

a World War II Japanese pilot trained to make a suicidal crash attack, usually upon a ship

Navajo code-talkers

during World War II, the Navajo soldiers who used their own language to radio vital messages during the island-hopping campaign

Holocaust

the slaughter of Europe's Jews by the Nazis before and during World War II

Death Camps

the camps where people were systematically murdered

D-Day

(June 6, 1944) the day of the invasion of Western Europe by Allied forces

Munich Conference

a 1938 meeting of the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany at which an agreement was signed giving part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler

Totalitarian State

a country where a single party controls the government and every aspect of people's lives

Aggression

a warlike act by one country without just cause