Ap World 7.7-7.8 Vocab

Blitzkrieg: A military strategy used by Nazi Germany during World War II, characterized by rapid, overwhelming attacks using coordinated air raids, artillery, and infantry to quickly overwhelm and defeat enemy forces. It translates to "lightning war."

Vichy France: The unoccupied southern part of France during World War II, which collaborated with Nazi Germany after France was defeated in 1940. Its government, led by Marshal Philippe Pétain, was based in Vichy, a city in central France.

Destroyers for Bases Agreement: A 1940 agreement between the U.S. and the UK where the U.S. provided old naval destroyers to Britain in exchange for military bases on British-controlled territories in the Western Hemisphere.

Cash and Carry: A policy adopted by the U.S. in 1939, which allowed countries at war to purchase military supplies from the U.S. as long as they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves. It was an effort to support Allies while maintaining U.S. neutrality.

Lend-Lease Act: A 1941 U.S. law that allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to foreign nations during WWII, particularly the Allies, without requiring immediate payment. It was critical in aiding countries like the UK, the Soviet Union, and China.

Atlantic Charter: A statement issued in 1941 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill outlining the goals for the post-war world, including self-determination, economic cooperation, and the establishment of a lasting peace.

Battle of Britain: A 1940 air battle between Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The British successfully defended their airspace, preventing a German invasion and marking a key turning point in WWII.

Luftwaffe: The German air force during WWII, which played a major role in the Blitzkrieg campaigns and the Battle of Britain.

Churchill: Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, known for his leadership and inspiring speeches. He was a key figure in the Allied war effort.

Home Front: The civilian activities and efforts in the U.S. and Allied nations during WWII to support the military, including war production, rationing, and recruitment.

Rosie the Riveter: A cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during WWII, symbolizing their contribution to the war effort and challenging traditional gender roles.

European Theater: The zone of WWII where battles were fought in Europe, including the Western Front, Eastern Front, and Mediterranean campaigns, primarily between the Axis Powers and the Allies.

Pacific Theater: The zone of WWII focused on the conflict between the Allies (primarily the U.S.) and Japan, fought across the Pacific Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the islands of the Pacific.

El Alamein: A key battle in North Africa in 1942, where Allied forces, led by General Bernard Montgomery, defeated the German-Italian Axis forces, preventing their advance into Egypt and the Middle East.

Erwin Rommel “The Desert Fox”: A renowned German general during WWII, known for his leadership in the North African Campaign. He was respected by both his allies and enemies for his tactical skill.

Stalingrad: A pivotal battle from 1942-1943 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad marked the turning of the tide in favor of the Allies on the Eastern Front.

Coral Sea: A major naval battle in 1942 between Japan and the U.S. and Australia. It was the first carrier battle in history and a strategic Allied victory, halting Japanese expansion in the Pacific.

Midway: A decisive naval battle in 1942 between the U.S. and Japan. The U.S. victory at Midway significantly weakened the Japanese fleet and shifted the balance of naval power in the Pacific.

Guadalcanal: A series of battles in the Pacific from 1942-1943, marking the first major Allied offensive against Japan. The victory helped secure a strategic base and marked the beginning of the U.S. "Island Hopping" campaign.

MacArthur: General Douglas MacArthur was a U.S. Army leader in the Pacific Theater during WWII, known for his role in the defeat of Japan and his leadership in the post-war occupation of Japan.

Island Hopping: A military strategy used by the Allies during WWII in the Pacific, involving bypassing heavily fortified Japanese-held islands and focusing on strategic ones to advance toward Japan.

Aircraft Carriers: A type of warship used by the U.S. and other Allied nations during WWII. Aircraft carriers became a critical element in naval warfare, allowing planes to attack far from the shore.

D-Day: The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, which began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. It was one of the largest amphibious invasions in history.

Battle of the Bulge: A major German offensive launched in December 1944 in the Ardennes region of Belgium. The Allies eventually repelled the Germans, marking the last major Nazi offensive on the Western Front.

Battle of Kursk: A major battle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1943, considered the largest tank battle in history. The Soviet victory decisively halted the German advance on the Eastern Front.

V-E Day: May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, marking the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of WWII in Europe.

V-J Day: Victory over Japan Day, marking Japan's formal surrender to the Allies on September 2, 1945, ending WWII.

Armistice Day: November 11, the day in 1918 when World War I ended with an armistice agreement between the Allies and Germany. It is now celebrated as Veterans Day in the U.S.

Armenian Genocide: The mass killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.

Influenza Epidemic: The 1918-1919 global flu pandemic, which killed millions worldwide, exacerbated by World War I. It is one of the deadliest pandemics in history.

Pandemic: An outbreak of a disease that spreads across a large geographic area, often worldwide. The 1918 influenza epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic are examples.

Lost Generation: A term used to describe a group of American writers and artists who were disillusioned by the horrors of World War I and its aftermath, including figures like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Holodomor: A man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932-1933, caused by Stalin’s policies, which led to the death of millions of Ukrainians. It is often considered a genocide.

Himmler: Heinrich Himmler was a leading member of the Nazi Party and the head of the SS (Schutzstaffel). He was one of the primary architects of the Holocaust.

SS (Schutzstaffel): A paramilitary organization that initially provided security for Nazi leaders, but later became responsible for many of the atrocities of the Holocaust, including the operation of concentration camps.

Gestapo: The secret police of Nazi Germany, responsible for the suppression of opposition and enforcement of Nazi policies, including the persecution of Jews and political dissidents.

Ghettos: Enclosed districts in cities where Jews were forced to live in overcrowded and inhumane conditions before being deported to concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Final Solution: The Nazi plan, formulated in 1942, to systematically exterminate the Jewish population of Europe, leading to the Holocaust and the deaths of six million Jews.

Holocaust: The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II.

Rape of Nanking: A 1937 atrocity in which Japanese forces captured the Chinese city of Nanking and carried out mass killings, rapes, and other war crimes against the civilian population.

Asia for Asiatics: A Japanese imperialist slogan used during WWII, advocating for the liberation of Asian countries from Western colonial powers, while Japan sought to dominate the region itself.

Comfort Women: Women, primarily from Korea, China, and other occupied territories, who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII.

Firebombing: The practice of bombing cities with incendiary bombs designed to start fires. Major examples include the firebombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Tokyo during WWII.

Hamburg: A German city heavily bombed by the Allies in 1943. The bombing resulted in massive destruction and civilian casualties, as part of a strategic campaign to weaken Germany.

Dresden: A German city bombed by the Allies in February 1945, causing extensive destruction and thousands of civilian deaths. The raid remains controversial due to its civilian casualties.

Tokyo: The capital of Japan, which was heavily bombed by the U.S. during WWII, including the firebombing raids that killed tens of thousands of civilians in 1945.

Manhattan Project: A secret U.S. project during WWII that developed the first nuclear weapons, leading to the creation of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Bosnian Genocide: The ethnic cleansing and mass killing of Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian War (1992-1995), including the Srebrenica massacre.

Tito: Josip Broz Tito was the leader of Yugoslavia from the end of WWII until his death in 1980, known for his resistance to Nazi occupation and later establishing a communist federation.

Yugoslavia: A country in Southeast Europe that was unified after WWII under Tito’s leadership. It dissolved in the 1990s following ethnic conflicts and the Bosnian Genocide.

Milosevic: Slobodan Milošević was the president of Serbia and later the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He played a key role in the wars in the Balkans and was charged with war crimes, including involvement in the Bosnian Genocide.