WWII Study Guide

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

Allied Powers

Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States

Neutrality Act of 1935

Legislation aimed at limiting U.S. involvement in future wars.

Appeasement

Policy of making concessions to avoid conflict.

Cash Carry Policy

Allowed the sale of goods to warring nations if they paid cash and transported them.

Destroyer Deal

Agreement between the U.S. and Britain to exchange destroyers for bases.

Lend Lease Act

Program under which the U.S. supplied Allied nations with war material.

Pearl Harbor

Attack on December 7, 1941, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

Rosie the Riveter

Cultural icon representing women who worked in factories during WWII.

Women's Army Corp (WAC)

U.S. Army unit for women during WWII.

Double V campaign

Campaign for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home.

Tuskegee Airmen

Group of African American pilots who fought in WWII.

Navajo Code talkers

Native American soldiers who used their language to create unbreakable codes.

Zoot Suit Riots

Series of riots in 1943 in Los Angeles between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youths.

Bataan Death March

Forced march of American and Filipino prisoners by the Japanese army in 1942.

Douglas MacArthur

American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater.

Battle of Midway

Crucial naval battle in June 1942, turning the tide in favor of the Allies.

Island Hopping

Military strategy of capturing specific islands to use as bases.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France.

Battle of Iwo Jima

Major battle in the Pacific theater in February and March 1945.

Nuremberg Trials

Military tribunals held after WWII to prosecute Nazi war criminals.

Kamikazes

Japanese suicide pilots who targeted Allied ships.

VE Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb.

Potsdam Conference

Meeting of Allied leaders in July-August 1945 to discuss post-war order.

Arguments for dropping the atomic bomb

1. To end the war quickly. 2. To save lives by avoiding a land invasion. 3. To demonstrate power to the Soviet Union.

Arguments against dropping the atomic bomb

1. It caused massive civilian casualties. 2. It was unnecessary as Japan was close to surrender. 3. It set a dangerous precedent for future conflicts.

Howard Cwick

Military person that found a freshly abandoned concentration camp and helped get some of the people out even though they feared him at first.

Ways Americans supported the home front

-rationing

-growing victory gardens

-war bonds

-women entered war to fill in for men