APEURO UNIT 8 World War II

Appeasement

The policy of making concessions to dictatorial powers to avoid conflict, most notably used by European leaders in the 1930s towards Adolf Hitler.

Invasion of Ethiopia

The 1935 military campaign by Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, aimed at expanding Italian territory in Africa and weakening Ethiopian sovereignty; ultimately successful

Remilitarization of the Rhineland

The 1936 process by which Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles by sending military forces into the Rhineland, thereby increasing tensions in Europe; Hitler did this as a sort of test run to see how Western Europe would react if he directly violated the Treaty of Versailles, and they did not respond

Anschluss

The German annexation of Austria in 1938, which was largely facilitated by Adolf Hitler's regime and violated the Treaty of Versailles.

Sudetenland

A region in Czechoslovakia inhabited by ethnic Germans that was annexed by Germany in 1938, leading to the Munich Agreement. This act further demonstrated Hitler's expansionist policies and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of World War II.

Munich Agreement

A settlement reached in 1938 between Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy that allowed Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia if he did not take over any farther. This agreement, which was supposed to ensure peace, is often cited as a failed act of appeasement towards Hitler.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A treaty signed in 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that promised neither would attack the other for 10 years and split Poland between the two powers

European Theater

The theater of World War II that encompassed most of Europe, where major battles and campaigns occurred between Allied and Axis powers, primarily from 1939 to 1945.

Pacific Theater

The theater of World War II that involved major battles in the Pacific Ocean, primarily between the United States and Japan, from 1941 to 1945.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany in World War II, characterized by swift and sudden attacks combining air and ground forces to quickly overwhelm the enemy.

Siege of Stalingrad

A major battle on the Eastern Front during World War II, lasting from August 1942 to February 1943, where Soviet forces encircled and defeated the German army.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister during World War II, known for his leadership and speeches that inspired Britain to resist Nazi Germany. He advocated for Allied unity and military strategy throughout the war.

Destroyers for Bases

A deal between the United States and Britain during World War II in which the U.S. exchanged naval destroyers for the right to build military bases on British territories.

Pearl Harbor

A surprise military attack by the Japanese on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, which led to the United States' entry into World War II.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944, marked by beach landings on Normandy; served as a turning point on the Eastern Front in favor of the allies

Battle of Midway

A pivotal naval battle in June 1942 during World War II, in which the United States Navy decisively defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This victory significantly weakened Japan's naval capabilities and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific.

Island-Hopping Campaign

A military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where they captured select islands, progressively moving closer to Japan while bypassing heavily fortified enemy positions.

VE Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945, marking the official surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe.

Incendiary Bombs

Explosive devices designed to start fires, used extensively by Allied forces in bombing campaigns during World War II to destroy infrastructure and demoralize enemy populations.

Atomic Bomb

A powerful nuclear weapon developed during World War II, primarily by the United States, that was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender.

VJ Day

Victory over Japan Day, celebrated on August 15, 1945, marking the official surrender of Japan and the end of World War II.

Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II.

Aryans

according to Hitler, these were the “master race” of the Earth and ought to claim its place of ascendency; he convinced himself that the most virulent threat to the flourishing of the modern master race was the Jewish population in Europe

Nuremberg Laws

Laws enacted in 1935 that stripped Jewish citizens of their German citizenship and imposed severe restrictions on their rights, serving as a legal basis for racial discrimination in Nazi Germany.

Wannsee Conference

Reinhard Heydrich, Heinrick Himmler, and Adolf Hitler articulated the Final Solution

Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish people during World War II, which led to the Holocaust.

death camps

establishing facilities designed for the mass murder of Jews and other targeted groups during the Holocaust.

Auschwitz

the largest and most notorious Nazi death camp where over a million people, primarily Jews, were exterminated during the Holocaust.

Roma

a marginalized ethnic group targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust, suffering mass extermination and persecution alongside Jewish people.

Invasion of Manchuria

a military campaign initiated by Japan in 1931, which marked the beginning of Japanese aggression in Asia and ultimately contributed to the start of World War II.

Second Sino-Japanese War

a conflict that began in 1937 between China and Japan, marked by brutal warfare and contributing to the broader theater of World War II.

lebensraum

the concept of "living space" promoted by Nazi Germany, which justified expansionist policies and territorial conquests aimed at accommodating the Aryan race.

Dunkirk Evacuation

the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, between May 26 and June 4, 1940, during World War II.

Battle of Britain

the air campaign waged by the German Luftwaffe against the United Kingdom from July to October 1940, aiming to gain air superiority and prepare for an invasion.

Ultra

the Allied codebreaking project that deciphered German communications during World War II, significantly contributing to military intelligence.

Barbarossa

the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. It aimed to defeat the USSR quickly but resulted in a prolonged and brutal conflict

The Manhattan Project

the secret U.S. research and development project during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons, leading to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Swansea Blitz

the period of heavy aerial bombardment of the city of Swansea, Wales, by the German Luftwaffe during World War II, causing significant destruction and casualties.

Bombing of Dresden

the aerial bombing raids conducted by Allied forces in February 1945, which resulted in devastating destruction and high civilian casualties in the German city of Dresden.

Bands of Brothers

the concept of soldiers not strictly motivated to fight by national sentiment, but moreso by connection with their fellow soldiers

Thomas Mann

a German novelist and Nobel laureate known for works that explore themes of culture, politics, and morality during the interwar period and World War II.

Pravda

a communist newspaper in WWII that editorialized that women should take on more roles in the workforce and contribute to the war effort, reflecting the Soviet government's views on gender equality during this time.

National Service Act

a British law enacted in 1941 that established compulsory military service for women into farming, military, or munitions jobs

Siege of Leningrad

a prolonged military blockade during World War II by Nazi Germany against Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), lasting from September 1941 to January 1944, resulting in severe hardships for the city's inhabitants.

Bengal Famine

a devastating famine that occurred in British-ruled India from 1943 to 1944, resulting in the deaths of millions due to food shortages and mismanagement during World War II.

T4 Project

a covert operation initiated by Nazi Germany during World War II that aimed to systematically exterminate individuals deemed "unfit" or "life unworthy of life," including the disabled and mentally ill.

“Jewish Mundfunk”

a Nazi propaganda radio program targeting Jewish audiences, aimed at spreading disinformation and discouragement during World War II.

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

a revolt by Jewish residents of the Warsaw Ghetto in April 1943 against Nazi deportations to concentration camps, representing a symbol of resistance during the Holocaust.

Treblinka Prisoner Uprising

a rebellion by inmates at the Treblinka extermination camp in August 1943 aimed at resisting deportation and destruction, contributing to the overall resistance movement during the Holocaust.

Katyn Massacre

the mass execution of over 20,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia by the Soviet Union in 1940, which was part of a larger campaign of political repression.