Modern World History (18.2): Axis Powers Advance

Hideki Tojo

(1884-1948) he was the general of the Imperial Japanese Army and the 40th prime minister of Japan during most of WWII from 1941 to 1945; was directly responsible for attack on Pearl Harbor and sentenced to death for Japanese war crimes

Erwin Rommel

(1891-1944) was a career military officer and one of Hitler's most successful generals; he took his own life after a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler

Luftwaffe

German air force

Explain why Hitler's blitzkrieg tactics were successful at the beginning of the war.

Hitler's blitzkrieg tactics were successful in the beginning of the war because they had the element of surprise and strength superiority over their opponents.

What role did Japanese imperialism play in igniting World War II?

Japanese Imperialism played a role in igniting WWII because Japan wanted to "help" Asians escape western colonial rule so that the Japanese could create an empire in Asia, as soon as they arrived in Asia the U.S. withdrew certain militaristic goods and the Japanese saw this as a threat.

How were people of occupied territories treated by the Axis powers?

People of occupied territories were treated by the Axis powers with much distaste and hatred. They plundered and looted these areas as well as stripped conquered nations of their creations (art, factories, etc.) and the Nazis would shoot hostages and torture prisoners.

Explain the purpose of Hitler's "new order".

The purpose of Hitler's "new order" was to set up puppet governments solely comprised of the "master race" that would try to rid of so called inferior races (Slavs).

What was the role of Winston Churchill during World War II?

Winston Churchill was a beacon of hope for the British people in WWII.

Lend-Lease Act

act passed by U.S. Congress in 1941 that allowed the president (FDR) to sell or lend war supplies to any country whose defense was considered vital to the United States

Atlantic Charter

agreement in which Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill set goals for the defeat of Nazi Germany and for the postwar world

Vichy

city in central France where a puppet state governed unoccupied France and the French colonies

blitzkrieg

lightning war

Dunkirk

port in France in which 300,000 allied troops were evacuated by which their retreat by land was cut off by the German advance in 1940