APUSH 7.11, 7.12

Washington Conference (1921)

A conference held by major world powers aimed at preventing an arms race by limiting naval capabilities.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

An international agreement that attempted to outlaw war as a means of carrying out government strategy. It lacked enforcement mechanisms.

Dawes Plan (1924)

A set of recommendations to help Germany pay compensation to the Allies after World War I

Good Neighbor Policy

A U.S. foreign policy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at improving relations with Latin American nations by avoiding military intervention.

Japanese Aggression in Manchuria (1931)

Japan invaded Manchuria, a region in China, violating the League of Nations' rules. This marked the beginning of Japan's imperial expansion leading up to WWII.

Axis Powers

The alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Allied Powers

The alliance primarily consisting of the U.S., Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China that fought against the Axis Powers.

Benito Mussolini

The fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943, who allied with Hitler and pursued aggressive military expansion.

Fascism

A political ideology that promotes a dictatorial government, extreme nationalism, suppression of opposition, and often racism and militarism.

Nazi Party

The National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, which promoted German nationalism, anti-Semitism, and militaristic expansion.

Adolf Hitler

The leader of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, responsible for the Holocaust and instigating World War II.

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

A conflict between the Spanish Republicans, who supported democracy, and the Nationalists, led by Francisco Franco, who wanted a fascist dictatorship.

Munich Agreement (1938)

An agreement in which Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in an attempt to avoid war.

Appeasement

The policy of compromising to aggressive powers (such as Nazi Germany) to avoid conflict, most notably practiced by Britain and France before WWII.

Invasion of Poland (1939)

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, leading Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the official start of WWII.

Neutrality Acts (1935-1939)

A series of laws passed by the U.S. to avoid involvement in foreign wars by making it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms, or other war materials to nations that were at war.

Isolationism

A foreign policy approach where a country avoids alliances and involvement in international conflicts; dominant in the U.S. before WWII.

Cash and Carry

A policy allowing the U.S. to sell arms to warring nations as long as they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.

Destroyers for Bases Deal (1940)

An agreement where the U.S. traded old naval destroyers to Britain in exchange for access to military bases in British-controlled territories.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

A law that allowed the United States to provide supplies to Allied nations during World War II, effectively ending neutrality.

Atlantic Charter (1941)

A joint declaration by Roosevelt and Churchill outlining their goals for postwar peace, including self-determination and economic cooperation.

Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)

A surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii, leading to the U.S. declaring war on Japan and entering WWII.

War Production Board (WPB)

A U.S. government agency that coordinated the production of war supplies and materials to support the Allied war effort.

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

A government agency that controlled prices and rationing to prevent inflation during WWII.

Manhattan Project

The secret U.S. research project that developed the atomic bomb, leading to its use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Office of War Information (OWI)

A government agency that controlled propaganda and media to shape public perception of the war.

Double V Campaign

A movement by African Americans advocating for victory over fascism abroad and racial equality at home.

Smith v. Allwright (1944)

A Supreme Court case that ruled racial discrimination in primary elections was unconstitutional, advancing civil rights.

Braceros Program

An agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that permitted Mexican laborers to work in American agriculture during WWII.

Executive Order 9066 (1942)

A presidential order that forced Japanese Americans into interment camps, citing national security concerns after pearl harbor.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

A Supreme Court ruling that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans as constitutional during wartime.