World War II: The Road to Conflict

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the events leading up to World War II, major ideologies, significant agreements, and the Holocaust.

Lebensraum

A German term meaning 'living space', referring to Hitler's expansionist ideology for acquiring territory for Germany.

Anschluss

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in March 1938.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany that involves coordinated attacks by air and ground forces to achieve quick victories.

Munich Pact

An agreement signed in 1938 allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion.

Anti-Comintern Pact

A 1936 agreement signed by Germany, Japan, and Italy opposing the spread of Communism.

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict, notably used by Britain with Hitler.

Guernica

A town in Spain that was bombed during the Spanish Civil War, famously depicted in the painting by Pablo Picasso to illustrate the horrors of war.

Kristallnacht

A pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938, characterized by violent attacks on Jewish business and synagogues.

Final Solution

The Nazi policy of exterminating the Jews, decided upon at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942.

Nuremberg Trials

Legal proceedings held after World War II to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, establishing standards for international law regarding war crimes.