Unit 3 - Interwar Foreign Policy + WW2

APUSH

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

The peace treaty that ended World War I with Germany; its harsh terms created resentment and instability that helped contribute to the rise of extremism.

League of Nations

An international organization created after World War I to promote peace and prevent future wars; it lacked the power to effectively stop aggression.

Appeasement

The policy of giving an aggressive country concessions in hopes of avoiding war; Britain and France used it toward Hitler before World War II.

Totalitarianism

A system of government in which one leader or party seeks total control over political, economic, and social life.

Axis Powers

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

Allied Powers

The countries that fought against the Axis Powers; major Allied leaders included the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Adolf Hitler

The dictator of Nazi Germany who pursued territorial expansion and racial persecution, helping cause World War II.

Benito Mussolini

The fascist dictator of Italy and an Axis leader during World War II.

Joseph Stalin

The communist dictator of the Soviet Union, which joined the Allies after Germany invaded it in 1941.

Winston Churchill

The British prime minister during most of World War II and a major Allied leader.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

The U.S. president during most of World War II; he guided the country from neutrality toward active support of the Allies and then into the war.

Isolationism

A foreign-policy approach in which a country avoids political or military involvement in conflicts overseas.

Neutrality Acts (1935, 1937, 1939)

A series of U.S. laws intended to keep the United States out of foreign wars by restricting arms sales and other forms of assistance to countries at war.

Charles Lindbergh

A prominent American aviator and leading isolationist who argued against U.S. involvement in the war.

Burton K. Wheeler

A U.S. senator and isolationist who opposed policies that moved the United States closer to war.

USS Greer Incident (1941)

An incident in which a German submarine attacked the U.S. destroyer USS Greer; FDR used the event to argue for a more active U.S. role in protecting shipping.

Four Freedoms

The freedoms FDR identified as important for people everywhere: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Arsenal of Democracy

FDR's description of the United States as a supplier of weapons and materials to countries fighting the Axis Powers.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

A law allowing the United States to lend or lease military supplies to countries whose defense was considered vital to U.S. security, especially Great Britain and later the Soviet Union.

Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)

The Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii that led the United States to declare war on Japan.

Day of Infamy Speech

FDR's December 8, 1941 address to Congress describing the attack on Pearl Harbor and asking for a declaration of war against Japan.

Just War Theory

A set of ethical principles used to evaluate whether going to war and the conduct of a war can be considered morally justified.

Just Cause

A Just War principle requiring that a war be fought for a serious and legitimate reason, such as defense against an attack.

Right Intention

A Just War principle requiring that the goal of war be to establish a just peace rather than pursue revenge or conquest.

Proper Authority

A Just War principle requiring that war be declared or conducted by a legitimate governing authority.

Last Resort

A Just War principle stating that peaceful alternatives should be attempted before using military force.

Probability of Success

A Just War principle requiring a reasonable chance of achieving the war's legitimate goals.

Proportionality

A Just War principle requiring that the expected benefits of military action outweigh the harm it causes.

Wartime Mobilization

The process of organizing a country's people, industries, and resources to support the war effort.

War Production

The conversion and expansion of industrial production to manufacture military equipment, vehicles, weapons, and supplies.

Rationing

A government system that limits the amount of certain goods people can buy so supplies are available for the military and the overall war effort.

Office of War Information (OWI)

A U.S. government agency that coordinated information and propaganda intended to build public support for the war.

Propaganda

Information or messages designed to influence people's opinions or behavior, often by appealing to emotion or presenting a one-sided view.

A. Philip Randolph

A civil rights leader who threatened a march on Washington to protest discrimination in defense industries and the armed forces.

Executive Order 8802 (1941)

FDR's order prohibiting racial discrimination in the defense industries and establishing the Fair Employment Practice Committee.

Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC)

The federal committee created to investigate discrimination in defense-industry employment.

Double V Campaign

A campaign calling for victory against fascism abroad and victory against racism at home.

Tuskegee Airmen

African American military pilots who served with distinction during World War II.

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural symbol representing women who entered industrial and defense jobs during World War II.

Women on the Homefront

Women who supported the war effort by working in factories and other jobs traditionally held by men, as well as serving in the military in various roles.

Japanese American Internment

The forced relocation and incarceration of many Japanese Americans during World War II, justified by the government on national-security grounds.

Executive Order 9066 (1942)

FDR's order authorizing military authorities to designate areas from which people could be excluded; it was used to remove Japanese Americans from the West Coast.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the wartime exclusion order used against Japanese Americans; the decision was later repudiated.

Fred Korematsu

A Japanese American who challenged the government's wartime exclusion policy and became the central figure in Korematsu v. United States.

Personal Justice Denied (1983)

A report by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians that concluded the incarceration was not justified by military necessity and resulted from race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.

Civil Liberties

Basic individual freedoms protected from unjustified government interference; Japanese American incarceration raised major questions about these rights during wartime.

D-Day (June 6, 1944)

The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, which opened a major western front against Nazi Germany.

Island-Hopping

A U.S. military strategy in the Pacific of capturing selected islands to move closer to Japan while bypassing some heavily defended locations.

Harry S. Truman

The U.S. president who took office after FDR's death in April 1945 and made the decision to use atomic bombs against Japan.

Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)

The Japanese city on which the United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare.

Nagasaki (August 9, 1945)

The Japanese city on which the United States dropped the second atomic bomb used in warfare.

Japan's Surrender (1945)

Japan announced its surrender on August 15, 1945; the formal surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, ending World War II.

Arguments for Using Atomic Bombs

Supporters argued that the bombs could force Japan to surrender quickly and avoid a costly invasion that might cause many more deaths.

Arguments Against Using Atomic Bombs

Critics argued that the bombs caused enormous civilian suffering, that Japan might have surrendered through other means, and that alternatives should have been considered.

Cold War

The prolonged political, military, and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that developed after World War II.

American and National Identity

An APUSH theme examining how ideas about citizenship, freedom, national identity, and belonging change over time.

America in the World

An APUSH theme examining U.S. interactions with other nations, including diplomacy, conflict, trade, and the country's changing global role.

Politics and Power

An APUSH theme examining how political systems, institutions, and groups gain and use power.

Work, Exchange, and Technology

An APUSH theme examining economic activity, labor, technology, and the ways people and goods are exchanged.

American and Regional Culture

An APUSH theme examining how cultural values, beliefs, and traditions develop and differ across the United States.

Migration and Settlement

An APUSH theme examining why people move, where they settle, and how migration changes communities and society.

Isolationism to Internationalism

The shift in U.S. foreign policy during World War II from avoiding direct involvement in foreign conflicts to becoming an active military power and global leader.

World War II and the Great Depression

Wartime production and mobilization helped end the Great Depression by creating jobs and greatly increasing industrial activity.

World War II and Women's Roles

The war expanded opportunities for women in industrial and defense work, challenging traditional expectations, although many women faced pressure to leave these jobs after the war.

World War II and African American Civil Rights

African Americans used wartime service and labor activism to challenge discrimination, helping build momentum for the postwar Civil Rights Movement.

World War II and Civil Liberties

Wartime fears led the U.S. government to restrict the rights of Japanese Americans, showing how national-security policies can conflict with constitutional freedoms.

United States as a Global Superpower

After World War II, the United States emerged with enormous economic and military strength and took a leading role in world affairs.