Expansion of Nazi Germany and Prelude to World War II

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to the expansion of Nazi Germany, major events leading up to World War II, and significant policies and agreements involved in the conflict.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws passed by the Nazi Party that stripped away civil rights from Jews.

Fuhrer

The title used by Adolf Hitler, meaning 'leader' or 'guide'.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended World War I, imposing heavy reparations and military restrictions on Germany.

Rhineland

A region of Germany that was demilitarized according to the Treaty of Versailles.

Annexation of Austria

Hitler's illegal incorporation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.

Sudetenland

A region of Czechoslovakia with ethnic Germans, targeted by Hitler for annexation.

Munich Conference

A 1938 meeting where Britain and France appeased Hitler by allowing the annexation of Sudetenland.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to aggressive demands in the hopes of maintaining peace.

Blitzkrieg

A swift, sudden military offensive, often by combined air and ground forces.

Battle of Britain

An aerial campaign waged by the German Luftwaffe against the United Kingdom in 1940.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, promising not to attack each other and dividing Poland.

Operation Barbarossa

The code name for the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Lend-Lease Act

A program under which the U.S. supplied Allied nations with vast amounts of war material during World War II.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. naval base attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading the U.S. to enter World War II.

Tripartite Pact

A military alliance between Japan, Germany, and Italy during World War II.