Chapter 32

London Economic Conference

An international economic conference in 1933 aimed at addressing the global depression.

Good Neighbor policy

A U.S. policy aimed at improving relations with Latin America under Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act

A 1934 U.S. law that aimed to reduce tariffs and expand international trade.

Rome-Berlin Axis

A military and political alliance between Italy and Germany formed in the late 1930s.

Johnson Debt Default Act

A 1934 U.S. law that prohibited countries in default on debts from obtaining loans from the U.S.

Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937

A series of laws aimed at preventing U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts by imposing restrictions on arms sales and loans.

Abraham Lincoln Brigade

A group of American volunteers who fought for the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.

Quarantine Speech

A 1937 speech by President Roosevelt advocating for the quarantine of aggressor nations.

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by giving in to some demands of an aggressor.

Hitler-Stalin pact

A non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in 1939.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Legislation allowing the sale of arms to allies while maintaining U.S. neutrality.

Kristallnacht

A coordinated attack against Jews in Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938.

War Refugee Board

A U.S. agency created in 1944 to aid people threatened by the Nazis.

America First Committee

An isolationist group formed in 1940 that opposed American entry into World War II.

Lend-Lease Bill

A program initiated in 1941 that allowed the U.S. to supply military aid to foreign nations during WWII.

Atlantic Charter

A joint declaration by the U.S. and Britain in 1941 outlining post-war goals.

Pearl Harbor

The site of a surprise attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, leading the U.S. to enter WWII.

Benito Mussolini

Italian dictator and founder of Fascism who ruled from 1922 to 1943.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, responsible for the Holocaust and WWII.

Francisco Franco

The authoritarian leader of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975, who rose to power during the Spanish Civil War.

Cordell Hull

U.S. Secretary of State from 1933 to 1944, known for the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act.

Wendell L. Willkie

The Republican nominee for president in 1940 who opposed Roosevelt's policies.