WW2

1. Good Neighbor Policy – A U.S. foreign policy under Franklin D. Roosevelt that promoted better relations with Latin America by avoiding military intervention and encouraging trade and cooperation.

2. Abrogation of the Platt Amendment – The Platt Amendment (1901) had allowed U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs. It was repealed in 1934 as part of the Good Neighbor Policy, granting Cuba more sovereignty.

3. Withdrawal of Troops from Haiti – In 1934, as part of the Good Neighbor Policy, the U.S. ended its military occupation of Haiti, which had begun in 1915.

4. Recognition of the Soviet Union – In 1933, FDR officially recognized the Soviet Union in an effort to improve diplomatic relations and encourage trade between the two nations.

5. Secretary of State Cordell Hull – U.S. Secretary of State (1933–1944) under FDR, known for promoting free trade, the Good Neighbor Policy, and helping establish the United Nations.

6. Nye Committee – A U.S. Senate committee (1934–1936) that investigated the role of arms manufacturers and banks in pushing the U.S. into World War I, fueling isolationist sentiment.

7. Road to War: America 1914-1917 by Walter Millis – A 1935 book arguing that the U.S. entered World War I due to economic interests rather than moral reasons, influencing isolationist views in the 1930s.

8. Adolf Hitler – Leader of Nazi Germany (1933–1945), responsible for World War II and the Holocaust.

9. National Socialist Party (Nazis) – A far-right, fascist political party led by Adolf Hitler that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945, promoting militarism, anti-Semitism, and expansionism.

10. Neutrality Acts (1935, 1937, 1939) – A series of U.S. laws aimed at keeping the country out of foreign conflicts by restricting arms sales and loans to warring nations. The 1939 revision allowed “cash and carry” arms sales.

11. Benito Mussolini – Fascist dictator of Italy (1922–1943) who allied with Nazi Germany and led Italy into World War II.

12. Fascist Party – A nationalist, authoritarian political movement that emphasizes militarism, dictatorship, and suppression of opposition. Mussolini founded the first fascist government in Italy.

13. Invasion of Ethiopia (1935) – Mussolini’s Italy invaded and conquered this Place, exposing the weakness of the League of Nations, which failed to stop the aggression.

14. Emperor Haile Selassie – The leader of Ethiopia who appealed to the League of Nations for help against the Italian invasion but was ignored. He later regained his throne with Allied support during WWII.

15. Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) – A conflict between the Republican government and fascist forces led by Francisco Franco. Germany and Italy supported Franco, while the Soviet Union aided the Republicans.

16. Francisco Franco – Fascist leader of Spain who won the Spanish Civil War and ruled as a dictator from 1939 to 1975.

17. Berlin Olympics (1936) – Hosted by Nazi Germany, the Olympics were used as propaganda to showcase Nazi power, but American athlete Jesse Owens’ victories undermined Hitler’s racial ideology.

18. USS Panay Incident (1937) – A U.S. Navy gunboat was bombed and sunk by Japan in China, increasing tensions between the U.S. and Japan, though Japan later apologized and paid reparations.

19. Invasion of Manchuria (1931) – Japan invaded and occupied this place, defying the League of Nations and marking an early step toward World War II.

20. Neville Chamberlain – British Prime Minister (1937–1940) known for his policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany, particularly at the Munich Conference.

21. Rhineland (1936) – Hitler remilitarized this demilitarized German region, violating the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France did not intervene, emboldening Hitler.

22. Rome-Berlin Axis (1936) – An alliance between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, solidifying cooperation between Hitler and Mussolini.

23. Anti-Comintern Pact (1936) – A treaty between Germany and Japan (later joined by Italy) opposing communism, particularly targeting the Soviet Union.

24. Cash and Carry (1939) – A U.S. policy allowing warring nations to purchase weapons as long as they paid in cash and transported them themselves, favoring the Allies.

25. Anschluss with Austria (1938) – Germany’s annexation of Austria, uniting the two nations without resistance from Britain or France.

26. Sudetenland and Munich Conference (1938) – Britain and France allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland (a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia) in an attempt to avoid war. This policy of appeasement failed, as Hitler continued expanding.