World War I, World War II, and the Holocaust

Holocaust

(H) Nazi Germany's systematic attempt to murder all European Jews, and other ethnic make-ups that were considered impure.

Armistice

(WW1) A cease fire or temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties.

14 points

(WW1) A document made by Woodrow Wilson on the ideas of what should come out of the war. It was first accepted, then almost ignored by the Treaty of Versailles. However, this created the League of Nations.

Isolationism

(WW1) A national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs mainly used by the United States.

Imperialism

(WW1) A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

League of Nations

(WW1) An organization of nations formed after World War I to promote cooperation and peace.

Alliances

(WW1) Around 1914, there were six main powers of Europe that were divided into two alliances. The Triple Entente consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. This caused a chain reaction of protecting allies that lead to the first World War.

War of Attrition

(WW1) Attrition essentially means to beat down the opposing force until there is nothing left. Also, it's the action of reducing the strength of someone or something through perpetuate attack. The massive death toll and slow moving trench warfare sapped both sides of their forces and supplies.

Blitzkrieg

(WW1) Blitzkrieg translates to lightning war. It was used by the Germans to utilize speed and surprise. They used light tanks, planes, and ground infantry units to work quickly. The tactic was based off of the Schlieffen Plan

Franz Ferdinand

(WW1) Ferdinand often associates with the "A" in MANIA. He was the Archduke of Austria, and was assassinated by leaders of the black hand. This overwhelmed the tensions and is believed to have sparked WW1.

Lusitania

(WW1) German U-boats were sinking all sorts of ships coming to Britain in attempt to stop supply lines from the U.S. An agreement was made to not sink civilian ships, however a controversial sinking caused hatred in the U.S. and brought them into the war.

Gavrilo Princip

(WW1) He was a Serbian nationalist who was one of the main participants of the Black Hand. He assassinated Franz Ferdinand and essentially caused WW1.

Woodrow Wilson

(WW1) He was the president during WW1. He admired democracy and world peace. He also created the 14 points that later contributed to the Treaty of Versailles.

Battle of Verdun

(WW1) In February 1916, German forces took over Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. It was an attempt to cause bloodshed of the French defense and caused over 600 thousand casualties on both sides.

Nationalism

(WW1) Nationalism is one of the parts of Mania. It is patriotism and devotion at the highest level for one's country. Caused confidence to European nations and their military.

Treaty of Versailles

(WW1) On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed to officially end World War 1. It was mainly created by the Allied powers to condemn Germany and cripple their economy. These conditions were harsh to Germany, and eventually were discarded by Hitler.

Militarism

(WW1) Policy of building up strong armed forces to prepare for war; cause of WWI

Eastern/Western Front

(WW1) The Western front consisted of the fight between the Germans, and Great Britain (along with the U.S.). The Eastern front consisted of the Soviet Union against the Germans.

Central Powers

(WW1) The central powers consisted of Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman empire.

No Man's Land

(WW1) The large space between trenches in Trench Warfare was covered in barbed wire and booby traps. If troops had to come out of the trenches to storm the opponents, it was almost certain death if they went into No Man's Land.

Reparations

(WW1) These are payments for destruction and damage during war. The Treaty of Versailles put all of the blame onto Germany and they had to pay for all of the expenses of the war.

Battle of the Somme

(WW1) This battle was fought in Northern France in 1916. It was one of the most bloody battles of WW1. British and French armies battled against the Germans in a war of attrition on a 15 mile front. The goal was to help the French army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the Germans. They were unable to break through the German defenses and resulted in one million dead on all sides.

Stalemate

(WW1) Trench Warfare was extremely slow and yielded almost no rewards. Eventually, both sides of the war were exhausted of troops and resources and decided it would be best to cease fighting.

Trench Warfare

(WW1) Type of land warfare using fighting lines consisting of large trenches. Mainly occurred on the Western front. Very slow moving and horrible conditions. Susceptible to gas attacks.

Zimmerman Telegraph

(WW1) Was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917. It proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico to stall the United States.

Black Hand

(WW1) Was a secret serbian society that used the methods of terrorism to liberate Serbs outside of Serbia. They assassinated Franz Ferdinand which essentially started World War 1.

Mobilization

(WW1/WW2) The process of assembling troops and supplies and making them ready for war.

Neutrality

(WW1/WW2) The quality or state of NOT supporting either side in a war. The United States believed that the World Wars were not our problem and attempted to stay neutral for as long as possible.

Axis Powers

(WW2) A group of countries that opposed the Allied powers in WW2, including Germany, Italy, and Japan as well as Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.

Battle of Stalingrad

(WW2) A large battle between the Germans and Soviet troops. It was fought in the winter of 1942-1943 and the German army surrendered. It was considered a turning point in favor of the Allies.

Appeasement

(WW2) A political policy of conceding to aggression by a warlike nation.

Fascism

(WW2) A totalitarian form of government where one person rules.

Manhattan Project

(WW2) Albert Einstein escaped from Europe and told the United States about the Nazi's plan for a super weapon. It was a secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.

Battle of Midway

(WW2) American planes succeed in invading the Midway islands. Was possible by major advancements in code breaking and let the allies move into the offensive.

Rome Berlin Axis

(WW2) An agreement between Italy and Germany in 1936. It linked the two fascist countries, and later was formally accepted by the Pact of Steel in 1939.

Triple Alliance

(WW2) An alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WW1.

United Nations

(WW2) An international peacekeeping between the United States, USSR, France, Britain and China.

Winston Churchill

(WW2) Dedicated his life to public service. Prime minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki

(WW2) Harry Truman decided it would cause many less casualties if the two nuclear bombs (Fat man and Lil' boy) were dropped.

Adolf Hitler

(WW2) Hitler started to come to power in the National Socialist German Workers Party, which developed into the Nazi party. He was the leader of Nazi Germany from 1934-1945 and caused the death of at least 11 million people.

Mein Kampf

(WW2) Influential book Written by Adolf Hitler describing his life and ideology. He wrote it while he was in prison and it described how Germans were the superior race.

Hideki Tojo

(WW2) Intended to upgrade and improve Japan's forces. Played a key role in beginning hostilities towards China.

Benito Mussolini

(WW2) Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and created Fascism

Pearl Harbor

(WW2) Japan saw the United States as a threat because of our sanctions. The Japanese decided it would put the U.S. months behind in the war if they took out our large naval forces.

Joseph Stalin

(WW2) Leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Vladimir Lenin. He promoted communism and ended up killing many of his own people in reformations.

D-Day

(WW2) On June 6, 1944, the allies arrived at Normandy in an attempt to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi Germany. They stormed the beachfront and many live were lost instantly.

Night of Broken Glass

(WW2) On November 9, 1938, violence broke out against the Jews around the Reich. The Germans were angered by the assassination of the German official in Paris which was committed by a Jewish teenager. In two days, over 250 synagogues were burned.

Totalitarianism

(WW2) Political leaders believe that everything about the state and its people is superior. People like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin.

Rhineland/Demilitarization

(WW2) Rhineland is a term used for a gray area of Western Germany along the Rhine River.

Battle of Britain

(WW2) The Battle of Britain occurred in the summer and fall of 1940. It was a continual aerial fight between the German and British forces over the United Kingdom. The U.K. was the only foothold in Europe for the Allied forces. The Royal Air Force succeeded when they prevented Germany's Luftwaffe from gaining control.

Franklin Roosevelt

(WW2) The only president to be elected for more than two terms. Led the United States through the Great Depression and WW2.

Non-Aggression Pact

(WW2) The pact was agreement between the Germans and the Soviet Union. They couldn't take military action against each other for 10 years.

Lebensraum

(WW2) Translates to living space. Was a policy for the Nazis to gain territory in Europe for German use.

Anti-Comintern Pact

(WW2) Was an anti-communist pact between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan.

Harry Truman

(WW2) Was sworn in near the end of WW2. He had to make the decision to either use nuclear weapons on the Japanese or continue to fight on the Pacific.

Anti-semitism

(WW2)(H) The Nazi party governed from 1933-1938, and they encouraged anti-Jewish practices. Hitler wanted to create the ideal race for ruling the world, and in doing so, created a completely racist and religious genocide in Europe.

Concentration Camps

(WW2/H) Large camps where Jews, and people who weren't considered pure by the Nazis were sent. Some camps were made for labor, while others were for mass extermination and widespread genocide.

Final Solution

(WW2/H) The attempted physical extermination of the Jewish people by the Nazis during World War II

Nuremberg

(WW2/H) There were 13 trials in Nuremberg Germany mainly focusing on Nazi Generals. The trials was a step closer to making a permanent international court that could deal with cases of genocide and crimes against humanity.