fmw ww2 test

Here are simple definitions for each term:

• Defiance of Treaty of Versailles – Germany violated the treaty by rebuilding its military and expanding its territory.

• Italy attacks Ethiopia – Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 to expand its empire.

• Francisco Franco – Spanish dictator who led the fascist side in the Spanish Civil War.

• Fascism – A political system that promotes dictatorship, nationalism, and suppression of opposition.

• Appeasement – Policy of giving in to aggressive demands to avoid conflict.

• Munich Conference – 1938 meeting where Britain and France allowed Germany to take Sudetenland.

• Czechoslovakia – A country invaded by Germany in 1939, breaking promises made at the Munich Conference.

• Sudetenland – A region of Czechoslovakia with many Germans that Hitler took in 1938.

• Anschluss – The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938.

• Lebensraum – Hitler’s idea that Germany needed more land for its people.

• Neville Chamberlain – British Prime Minister known for appeasing Hitler.

• Isolationism – Policy of staying out of foreign conflicts.

• Nonaggression Pact – Agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to not attack each other.

• Third Reich – Nazi Germany under Hitler’s rule (1933–1945).

• Axis Powers – Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII.

• Blitzkrieg – “Lightning war,” a fast and intense military strategy used by Germany.

• Allied Powers – The main countries fighting against the Axis: Britain, the U.S., the Soviet Union, and others.

• Lend-Lease Act – U.S. program to supply Allies with weapons before entering the war.

• Invasion of Poland – Germany’s attack in 1939 that started WWII.

• Phony War – A period of little fighting in Western Europe after Poland was invaded.

• Fall of France/Vichy Government – France was defeated in 1940, and a Nazi-controlled government was set up in Vichy.

• Dunkirk – A massive Allied evacuation from France in 1940.

• Operation Dynamo – The rescue mission that saved Allied soldiers from Dunkirk.

• Winston Churchill – British Prime Minister who led Britain during WWII.

• Charles de Gaulle – Leader of Free France who resisted Nazi occupation.

• Joseph Stalin – Leader of the Soviet Union during WWII.

• Adolf Hitler – Dictator of Nazi Germany who started WWII and the Holocaust.

• Battle of Britain – German air attacks on Britain in 1940, repelled by the RAF.

• Enigma, Radar, and Sonar – Technologies that helped the Allies detect enemy movements.

• The Blitz – German bombing of British cities, especially London, in 1940-41.

• Operation Barbarossa – Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

• Scorched Earth – Soviet tactic of destroying resources to slow Germany.

• Leningrad – Soviet city that faced a brutal German siege for 900 days.

• Impact of Nazi invasion of USSR – Millions died, and the Soviet Union joined the Allies.

• Neutrality Acts – U.S. laws aimed at keeping America out of war.

• Atlantic Charter – U.S.-British agreement on war goals and postwar peace.

• U-boats – German submarines used in naval warfare.

• Natural Resources – Essential materials (like oil and steel) for war production.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto – Japanese leader who planned the Pearl Harbor attack.

• Pearl Harbor – Japan’s surprise attack on a U.S. naval base in 1941, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

• Japanese Empire – Japan’s expansion across Asia and the Pacific during WWII.

• Bataan Death March – Forced march of U.S. and Filipino prisoners by Japan, leading to thousands of deaths.

• Aircraft Carriers – Warships that launch planes, crucial in Pacific battles.

• Doolittle Raids (Tokyo Bombings) – U.S. air raid on Japan in 1942 to boost morale.

• Coral Sea – A battle that stopped Japan’s advance toward Australia.

• Battle of Midway – A turning point where the U.S. crippled Japan’s navy.

• Island Hopping – U.S. strategy of capturing key islands to reach Japan.

• Battle of Guadalcanal – First major U.S. offensive in the Pacific.

• Douglas MacArthur – U.S. general who led the Pacific campaign.

• Manchuria – Region of China invaded by Japan in 1931.

• Nanking (Nanjing) – Site of a brutal massacre by Japanese forces in 1937.

• John Rabe – A German who helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking.

• Kamikaze – Japanese suicide pilots who attacked U.S. ships.

• Oil – A key resource that fueled war efforts.

• Joseph Goebbels – Nazi propaganda minister.

• Hermann Göring – Nazi leader in charge of the Luftwaffe (air force).

• Heinrich Himmler – Leader of the SS, responsible for the Holocaust.

• Geneva Convention (1929) – Set rules for humane treatment of prisoners of war.

• Einsatzgruppen – Nazi mobile killing squads.

• Luftwaffe – Germany’s air force.

• Panzers – German tanks used in Blitzkrieg attacks.

• Holocaust – Nazi genocide of Jews and other groups.

• Nuremberg Laws – Nazi laws that stripped Jews of rights.

• Kristallnacht – “Night of Broken Glass,” a violent Nazi attack on Jews in 1938.

• Ghettos – Isolated areas where Nazis confined Jews.

• Warsaw Ghetto – The largest Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland.

• Genocide – Mass killing of an entire ethnic or religious group.

• Roma – A group targeted by the Nazis, also known as Gypsies.

• Jewish Resistance – Acts of defiance against Nazi oppression.

• Erwin Rommel – German general, known as the “Desert Fox.”

• Operation Torch – U.S. and British invasion of North Africa in 1942.

• Two Front War – Germany fighting both the Soviets in the east and Allies in the west.

• Battle of Stalingrad – A major Soviet victory that turned the tide against Germany.

• Russian winters – Harsh conditions that weakened German forces in the USSR.

• Home Fronts – Civilian efforts to support the war.

• Total War – A war where all resources and civilians are involved.

• Propaganda – Media used to influence public opinion during the war.

• D-Day – Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

• Battle of the Bulge – Germany’s last major offensive in 1944.

• Hitler’s Death – Hitler committed suicide in April 1945.

• V-E Day – Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945.

• Kamikazes – Suicide pilots who attacked Allied ships.

• Okinawa – A brutal Pacific battle that led to heavy casualties.

• Atomic Bomb – A powerful bomb dropped on Japan to end the war.

• Hiroshima – First city hit by an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.

• Nagasaki – Second city hit by an atomic bomb on August 9, 1945.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower – Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

• Franklin Roosevelt – U.S. president for most of WWII.

• Harry Truman – U.S. president who ordered the atomic bombings.

• Yalta Conference – Meeting of Allied leaders to discuss postwar Europe.

• Tehran Conference – First meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill in 1943.

• Potsdam Conference – Meeting to finalize postwar plans in 1945.

• Nuremberg Trials – War crimes trials for Nazi leaders.

• Political Turmoil – Instability after the war.

• Famine and Disease – Shortages and illness after WWII.

• Impact on Civilians – Many civilians suffered from war-related destruction.

• Destruction of Territory and Cities – Widespread damage across Europe and Asia.

• Death – Tens of millions of people died in WWII.

• Demilitarization – Reducing military forces after the war.

• Democratization – Establishing democratic governments after WWII.

• Marshall Plan – U.S. aid to rebuild Europe after the war.