World War 2

Allied strategy

"Defeat Hitler First" focusing on targeting the war in Europe

Battle of Britain

1940, German air force ruthlessly bombed Britain for four months

Lend Lease Act

1941, gave the president the authority to sell of lend equipment to countries to defend themselves against the Axis powers. (Specifically helping Britain more than anyone else)

Tuskegee Airmen

African American unit that served in Europe

Democracy in Japan

After Japan surrendered, it was occupied by American forces and adopted a self governing democracy, and became an ally of America

When did America enter the war in Europe?

After Pearl Harbor, Hitler honored his pact with Japan and declared war on America. The US was fully involved in WW2

When did America declare war on Japan?

After the Pearl Harbor attack

Soviets in Europe

After the war ended, most of Eastern and Central Europe was occupied by Soviet forces

Rationing

Allowing people to have only a certain amount of something; used to maintain a supply of essential products to the war effort

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

America invaded the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and brought America closer than ever to Japan. Both invasions cost thousand of American and Japanese lives as Japanese soldiers fought to protect the islands. Some civilians committed suicide rather than surrendering

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

America used the atomic bomb on these two cities to end the war instead of invading Japan to avoid American casualties. Tens of thousands people died and Japan surrendered shortly after.

Bataan Death March

American POWs suffered brutal treatment by the Japanese after the surrender of the Philippines

Battle of Midway

American naval forces defeated a much larger Japanese force as it prepared to seize Midway Island. This prevented Japan from being able to invade Japan and began the American campaign of island hopping

Nisei regiments

Asian American units

Allies

Britain, France, America, and the Soviet Union (after Germany invaded)

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941; While negotiating with the US and without warning, Japan bombed the American naval base at Pear Harbor, Hawaii. The attack destroyed much of the fleet and killed thousands of people.

Japanese Dominance in the East

During the 1930s, Japan invaded and brutalized Manchuria and China as it tried to dominate Asia. The US refused to recognize Japanese conquests and imposed an embargo. This led to many negotiations to avoid war

American Neutrality

During the first two years of the war, America stayed official neutral while Germany overran most of Europe.

El Alamein

German forces threatening to seize Egypt and the Suez Canal were defeated by the British. This prevented Hitler from gaining access to Middle Eastern oil supplies and attacking the Soviet Union from the south

Germany and the Soviet Union

Germany and the Soviet Union were allies, but in 1941, Hitler turned on his agreement and invaded the Soviet Union

Stalingrad

Germany invaded Russia, but hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were killed or captured in the siege. This defeat prevented Germany from seizing the Soviet oil fields and turned the tide against Germany in the east.

East v West Germany

Germany was split into two: East and West. West Germany was occupied by the Allies and resumed democratic self government, and East Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union and remained communist.

Final Solution

Germany's decision to exterminate all Jews

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

The United Nations

International organization formed to prevent future global wars

Axis strategy in the Pacific

Invade the Philippines and Indonesia, enabling the invasion of Australia and Hawaii

Affected groups of the Holocaust

Jews Poles Slavs Gypsies "Undesirables" (Homosexuals, mentally ill, political dissidents)

Normandy landings (D-Day)

June 6, 1944; American and Allied troops under Eisenhower landed in German occupied France. This led to the liberation of Europe from Hitler

Marshall Plan

Proposed by George Marshall (who lived in Leesburg); provided massive financial aid to rebuild European economies and prevent the spread of communism

Island Hopping

The American strategy in the Pacific; seizing islands closer and closer to Japan and using them as bases for air attacks on Japan and for cutting off Japanese supplies through submarine warfare against Japanese shipping.

How did the war affect the media?

The media was censored to only show things supporting the war effort; movies, plays, and shows were made to boost morale and support for the war by using stereotypical portrayals of the enemies.

How did businesses change for the war?

They switched from peace time production to war time production (ex: car manufacturing to tank manufacturing)

Genocide

They systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group

Nuremberg Trials

Trials in which Nazi leaders and others were convicted of war crimes. This led to increased demand for a Jewish homeland.

The Draft

Used to provide personnel for the military, forced to serve

How was the war financed?

War bonds and income tax

The Geneva Convention

attempted to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners of war by establishing rules to be followed by all nations (Japan did NOT follow)

World War 2

began in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, followed shortly by the Soviet Union invading Poland from the east.

Internment Camps

camps where Japanese Americans on the west coast were relocated during the war. The Supreme Court upheld the government's right to do this, but a public apology was eventually issued and survivors were given financial payment

Axis strategy in Europe

defeat Soviet Union for their oil fields, and force Britain out of the war through bombing and submarine attacks before America could tip the balance against them

How did the war affect the workforce?

minorities and women joined the workforce while the traditional labor force were fighting in the war

Segregation in the war

most minorities served in segregated military units and were assigned to noncombat roles, but demanded the right to serve rather than support roles.

Navajo code

the Navajo language was used as a code because its only an oral language and was impossible for the Japanese to break