World War II

Allied Powers

Countries that fought against the Axis powers during World War II, including France, Great Britain, the US, China, and the Soviet Union.

Axis Powers

Countries that fought against the Allies during World War II, including Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Easter Rising

A 1916 political uprising in Ireland aiming for independence from Britain.

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

An armed organization that fought for Irish independence from Britain.

Fascism

A political philosophy that prioritizes nation and race above the individual, featuring an autocratic government and suppression of opposition.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist leader of Italy who came to power in 1922.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

An international agreement that declared war illegal but was difficult to enforce.

League of Nations

An organization founded after WWI to resolve international conflicts which ultimately failed.

Surrealism

An art movement that incorporated Freudian ideas of dream analysis, exemplified by artists like Salvador Dali.

Great Depression

An economic downturn that began with the stock market crash of 1929, affecting economies worldwide.

Battle of Britain

A significant WWII battle where the Royal Air Force defended the UK against large scale attacks by the German Luftwaffe.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

An agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union not to attack each other.

Munich Agreement

A settlement permitting Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia to maintain peace.

Blitzkrieg

A method of warfare characterized by quick, surprise attacks; used effectively by Germany during WWII.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, the largest amphibious assault in history.

Holocaust

The genocide in which six million Jews and millions of others were killed by the Nazi regime during WWII.

Final Solution

Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish people.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of military tribunals held after WWII to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.

America First Committee

An isolationist group that opposed American intervention in WWII.

Operation Barbarossa

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

Battle of El Alamein

A decisive battle in North Africa marking a major Allied victory against Axis forces.

Manhattan Project

A secret US project to develop atomic bombs during WWII.

VJ Day

Victory over Japan Day, marking Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945.

Kristallnacht

The Night of Broken Glass, a pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938.

Joseph Goebbels

Nazi Minister of Propaganda who played a key role in promoting anti-Semitic ideology.

Wannsee Conference

A meeting where Nazi officials devised the plan for the Final Solution.

Tokyo War Crimes Trials

Trials held to hold Japanese military leaders accountable for atrocities committed during WWII.