World War II Terms and Key Events

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary and concepts related to World War II.

Propaganda

Using media to spread ideas for a cause.

Dehumanization

A political or social measure intended to reduce a person or group to objects unworthy of human rights.

Aryan Race

Hitler's Master Race; characterized by blond hair and blue eyes.

Lebensraum

Living space for Hitler's Aryan Race.

Sudetenland

Mountainous region around Czechoslovakia promised to Hitler in the Munich Pact.

Appeasement

Giving in to the demands of an aggressor.

Munich Pact

An agreement signed by Chamberlain and Daladier with Hitler to appease him with the Sudetenland.

Pacifism

Belief in non-violence and not fighting.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Agreement between Germans and Soviets not to fight against each other before WWII.

Allies

The coalition of Great Britain, France, USA, and the Soviet Union.

Axis

The coalition of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Blitzkrieg

"Lightning War"; military tactic involving bombings followed by troops.

Dunkirk

Location where 300,000 troops were rescued during a military retreat.

London Blitz

57 nights of consecutive bombing by Germans aimed at breaking civilian morale.

Tripartite Pact

Agreement among Germany, Italy, and Japan to unite in warfare.

Pearl Harbor

Location attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to US involvement in WWII.

D-Day (June 6, 1944)

Allied invasion of France at Normandy, strategically chosen for weather and tides.

Stalingrad

City where fierce fighting occurred, leading to German defeat.

VE Day (May 8, 1945)

Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of WWII in Europe.

Kamikaze

Japanese pilots who commit suicide attacks by crashing into ships.

Manhattan Project

Secret project aimed at developing atomic bombs.

September 2, 1945

Official end date of World War II.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Japanese cities bombed with atomic weapons by the USA.

Nuremberg War Crime Trials

Trials for Nazis charged with crimes against humanity post-WWII.

Adolf Hitler

Fascist Dictator of Nazi Germany, whose actions led to WWII.

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of Great Britain known for inspiring his nation during the war.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President of the United States during WWII, who passed away before the war ended.