Key Terms in Totalitarianism and WWII History

Totalitarianism (Authoritarianism)

A political system in which the government has total control over the lives of individual citizens.

Nazism

German brand of fascism

Mein Kampf

'My Struggle', a book by Hitlertler, later became the basic book of nazi goals and ideology, reflected obsession

Gestapo

Hitler's secret police; operate to remove anyone deemed inferior by Hitler; above the law

Gulags

Forced labor camps, soviet prisons (prisoners worked to death)`

Weimar Republic

government in Germany created after WWI; short lived, people got upset at govt. and Hitler quickly came into power

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty created after WWI; blamed Germany for the war, and requested reparations that Gernany had to pay to the other countries involved

Hitler Youth

Germany's young men and women who joined the Nazi political party and pledged their allegiance to Germany and Adolf Hitler. The Hitler Youth organization "brainwashed" the children and convinced them of German superiority.

Brownshirts

Nazi storm troopers who destroyed all opposition to Hitler

Blackshirts

Mussolini's police force who destroyed any opposition to him

Purges

Refers to the act of forcefully removing or eliminating something, often individuals or groups, deemed undesirable or dangerous by those in power.

Appeasement

Allowing a country to invade/take over land without fighting back (ex: Czechoslovakia sharing a border w/ Germany)

The Allies

Britain, France, and the US

Axis Powers

Italy, Germany, Japan

Isolationism

a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries. (Ex: The US stayed out of the war until Pearl Harbor.)

Third Reich/Third Empire

name of Hitler's government; Relates to first pillar of fascism

Realpolitik

The practice of politics based on what can lead to the best possible outcome, not what actually aligns with one's ideals/momals (practical rather than moral ideaology)

Reichstag Fire

German democracy's building catches on fire; Hitler blames the Jews and uses it to turn ppl against the Jews

D-Day

June 6, 1944: All of the Allies (France, America, England) plan to invade and free France from Hitler's control; succeed + win the war

Battle of Britain

Big turning point in the war; ended Hitler's westland expansion

Battle of Stalingrad

Big turning point in the war; ended Hitler's eastland expansion

Battle of Midway

turning point for war; ended Japan's expansion in the Pacific

Pearl Harbor

Base in hawaii that was bombed by Japan on December 7, 1941, which eagered America to enter the war.

WWII Date

1939-1945