Untitled Flashcards Set

Nazi-Soviet Pact

- A shocking diplomatic non-aggression treaty signed by Nazi Germany

and Stalin’s Soviet Union. It freed Hitler to attack Poland one week

later, starting World War II.

non-aggression treaty

- A diplomatic agreement that pledges to maintain peace.

mechanized divisions

- Military units that utilize motorized vehicles, such as tanks, trucks, and

jeeps.

Blitzkrieg

- From the German term meaning “lightning war,” it refers to the German

tactic of advancing rapidly and overwhelming an enemy. It was

designed to prevent a repeat of stalemate that marked World War I.

Maginot Line

- An elaborate series of fortifications, built by the French along the

border with Germany. It was really a refined version of trenches.

Phony War

- Nickname for the period between September 1939 and May 1940,

from when the Allies declared war on Germany and the beginning of

German offensives in the West.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

- The most important Prime Minister in 20 th century British history, he

assumed power in 1940 and guided the nation through the war. He

was noted for his powerful and inspiring speeches.

Vichy France

- Following France’s surrender to Germany in June 1940, a new

collaborationist regime was established that worked with the Nazi

occupiers until the liberation in 1944.

Marshall Henri Petain

- A hero during World War I, he emerged as the leader of the Vichy

government in 1940. He believed that working with the occupation

would improve life for the French people.

Battle of Britain

- Term for the German campaign to force Britain’s surrender during

World War II. The battle was almost exclusively wage in the air.

Luftwaffe

- The formal name of the German air force.

Royal Air Force

- The formal name of the British air force.

Afrika Korps

- Famed German military unit that was sent to North Africa in 1942 to

help the faltering Italian campaign against the British. The Afrika Korps

was forced to surrender to the Allies in 1943.

Eastern Front

- Term for the fighting in Eastern Europe, mainly in the Soviet Union,

following the German invasion in June 1941. It was the site of the

greatest number of casualties.

Allies

- Term for the alliance of nations fighting against Nazi Germany. Britain,

the Soviet Union, and the United States, and China were the major

powers.

Axis

- Term for the nations battling the Allies during World War II. The major

Axis powers were Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan.

Aryan

- Racial term used by the Nazis to distinguish the Germanic peoples.

The Nazis defined the Aryans as the master race.

Casablanca Conference

- January 1943 wartime meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in

Morocco. The two leaders pledged to demand “unconditional

surrender” of Germany and Italy.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

- The longest-serving President in US history, he was first elected in

1932 during the worst years of the Depression. He went on to be

elected four times and led the US through World War II.

Stalingrad

- A large city in the southern Soviet Union, it became the site of the

largest battle of the war in the Eastern Front and is considered a

turning point in the war against the Nazis. The German defeat began

the systematic destruction of the Nazis.

Teheran Conference

- November 1943, historic first gathering of Churchill, Roosevelt, and

Stalin. The Big Three met in Iran to discuss the next steps in the war.

They agreed to plan an invasion of France in 1944 to open a second

front.

Big Three

- The nickname for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin

Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin.

D-Day

- The codename for the June 6. 1944 Allied landings on the French

coast in Normandy. It opened a second front against Nazi Germany

and sped up the end of the war.

amphibious

- A military action that involves water landings on a target.

Yalta Conference

- Epic February 1943 final meeting of the Big Three, the gathering

shaped the post-war world. The leaders agreed to divide defeated

Germany, for the Soviets to join the war against Japan, and form a

United Nations.

United Nations

- A new international organization that was designed to replace the

League of Nations, it was chartered in 1945 and is based in New York

City.

Victory-in-Europe (V-E) Day

- The nickname for May 7, 1945, the date of the German surrender.

Holocaust

- From a Greek term meaning “destruction by fire,” it refers to the

systematic effort of the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish population of

Europe. Millions of people were murdered between 1939 – 1945.

Wannsee Conference

- A notorious January 1942 meeting of Nazi officials where the

Holocaust was planned and coordinated.

Zyclon-B

- The toxic poison gas used by the Nazis to murder millions of people

during the Holocaust.

concentration camps

- Term for the large detention camps built by the Nazis to house their

victims. Some were labor camps where prisoners were forced to work;

some were death camps where prisoners were murdered.

Roma

- A unique and distinctive minority group found mainly in southern and

eastern Europe. The Roma, formerly called Gypsies, were targeted for

persecution by the Nazis.

Nuremberg Trials

- A series of legal proceedings that were held to prosecute the Nazi

leadership. Over one dozen Nazis were hanged and hundreds were

sent to prison.

“crimes against humanity”

- The most common charge against the Nazi leaders tried at

Nuremberg.

Iron Curtain

- Nickname for the border between the communist and non-communist

parts of Europe. Much of the boundary was heavily guarded.

Manhattan Project

- Codename for the massive American military and scientific effort to

produce an atomic bomb. It was inspired by the research of Albert

Einstein.