Unit 8 WWII vocabulary
War Bond
A bond released during the war to help fund the war. Additionally, these helped reduce inflation during the war.
Totalitarian
A theory of government in which a single party or leader controls the economic, cultural, and lives of their people.
Lend-Lease Act
Act that allowed President Roosevelt to sell arms to any country whose defense was deemed highly neessary to the safety of the U.S.
Tuskegee Airmen
All African-American fighters pilot group whose job was to protect bombers from German attack planes. Important as a big race symbol. Never lost a single bomber or plane.
Allies
Alliance between GB, France, US, Canada, Russia some other countries -won the war
Axis Powers
Alliance between Germany, Italy, Japan etc. -Allied behind the Nazi powers -lost the war HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Tripartite Pact
Alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan in WWII
Rationing
Americans were issued coupon books that limited the amount of materials that one could have. part of the total war effort. (done by other major countries).
Unconditional Surrender
An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party.
Anschluss
Annexation of Austria into Germany in 1939. -Hitler's first big move. -Starts to worry other world powers
Bracero Program
Brought laborers from Mexico to work in the US agriculture during the war. Caused migrant labor for decades.
Chester Nimitz
Commander of the US Navy in the Pacific. New the Japanese plan and was a submarine expert. Decoded the Midway attack message from Japan.
Death Camps
Concentration camps that specialized in the mass killings of Jews and other none Aryans or "undesireables"
Pearl harbor
December 7th, 1941. -Japan is dumb enough to bomb Pearl Harbor -Gets the US to finally join the Allies. -US wins war. Woohoo
Executive Order 8802
Executive Order 8802 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 25, 1941, to prohibit racial discrimination in the national defense industry. It was the first federal action, though not a law, to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States.
Benito Mussolini
Fascist dictator of Italy -supporter of Nazi party -Axis powers -Supported Nazi cause -imprisoned or murdered those that opposed him -Executed after trying to flee the country
442nd Regimental Combat Team
Fought in the Italian campaign and became the most decorated unit in American history. Compromised of only Japanese Americans. All enlisted (not drafted).
GATT
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade: Treaty designed to expand world trade by reducing tariffs in order to avoid second great depresssion (trying not to make Germany broke)
George S Patton Jr
General George Smith Patton Jr. was a senior officer of the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European theaters of World War II, but is best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following D-Day in June 1944.
Hideki Tojo
General/Prime Minister of Japan during WWII -"I just woke a sleeping giant" post Pearl Harbor
Battle of the Bulge
German counter-attack that almost succeeded. German's caught the Allies by surprise creating a bulge in the line. They captured many key towns. This is after D-Day.
Geneva Convention
International agreement governing the treatment of wounded soldiers and prisoners of war.
Atlantic Charter
Joint declaration made between GB and the US in WWII that endorsed national determination and international protection of each other -really just allying with GB
blitzkrieg
Lighting War with an emphasis to use speed and fire power to penetrate deep into the enemies defenses. -Different from WWI which was fought on warfront -Kills far more civilians
D-DAY
Major invasion of the Allied troops. Landed on the beaches of Normandy. Turning point in Western front. Leads to the collapse of Nazi Germany occupied France.
Bataan Death March
March of Phillipino and American POW that resulted in hundreds of casualties. -pisses off the US and builds hate towards Japan.
Appeasement
Mentality of the U.S./Europe towards Germany in early stages of Hitler's power/Nazi party -satisfying Hitler's demands or land/supplies to keep him from invading
OWI
Office of War Information: Worked closely with the media to encourage the war effort. America's form of propaganda.
Albert Einstein
One of the greatest scientists in the world. Recruited by the US prior WWII. Most important for his work in creating the physics behind the atomic bomb.
United Nations
Organization founded post-WWII that hopes to prevent another world war. Has representatives from many world countries.
Munich Pact
Peace Pack between major European powers such as Germany, Italy, GB, and France in 1938 -This is suppose to quell any tension. -Actually just Hitler stalling as he builds power
J Robert Oppenheimer
Physicist that was responsible for the construction of the atomic bomb and the engineering and physics behind it. Known for the phrase "Now I am become death, destroyer of the worlds"
Neutrality Act of 1939
Pledging peace between Germany and Russia.
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister/General of Great Britain -Well spoken and great at rallying hope
Anti-Semitic
Racism against the Jewish people. -strong belief of Nazi party
Manhattan Project
Several billion dollar project which resulted in the making of the atomic bombs. Highly secretive.
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia, on the eastern boundary of Europe. Decisive victory for the Soviets on the Eastern front that stopped Nazi invation towards Russian oil fields.
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg trials (German: die Nürnberger Prozesse) were a series of military tribunals, held by the Allied forces after World War II, which were most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany who planned, carried out, or otherwise participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and its decisions marked a turning point between classical international law and contemporary international law
War Production Board
The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it on January 16, 1942, with Executive Order 9024.
War Refugee Board
The War Refugee Board, established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1944, was a U.S. executive agency created to aid civilian victims of the Nazi and Axis powers.
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held from February 4 to 11, 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin, respectively, for the purpose of discussing Europe's post-war reorganization.
A Philip Randolph
The charismatic and savy labor leader (African American) and civil rights activist. Forced Roosevelt to look at Civil Rights in return for AA's cooperation in enlistment for the war.
Saturation Bombing
The idea to inflict maximum damage over a wide area. Leads to higher civilian casualties.
Nazism
The political principles of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Extreme racism, sexism, anti-semitic, and dictatorship.
Internment
The state of being confined as a prisoner, especially for political or military reasons. Made famous when the US placed thousands of Japanese Americans in internments camps during the war - violating human rights.
Battle of Coral Sea
Turning point in the Pacific. -Last attempt of US protect Australia, New Zealand, etc -Begins the Island Hopping
Harry S Truman
U.S. president during WWII. Makes the important decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UN issued proposal/act that condemns slavery, torture, upholds freedom of speech and religion, and affirms that everyone has a right to standard of living.
Superpower
US and Russia emerge as the two superpowers. A country that has extreme power throughout the world.
Island Hopping
US strategy in the Pacific to take island by island. Huge turning point in the Pacific front.
Battle of Midway
Was the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Ended the Japanese advance and created a new type of naval warfare. (Island hopping and ship combat).
Strategic Bombing
Was to destroy German capitals and German capacity to be a war machine thereby removing their capacity to build planes, tanks, and ships. Targets morale and economic development.
Concentration Camps
Where Hitler sent Jewish people during the war. Killed millions of people and developed illegal experiments on people. Also, used as forced manual to support the German war effort.
WAC
Women's Army Corps (WAC) -US army group established during WWII so that women can serve in noncombat roles. -Shows shift in mindset -Indication that women were HIGHLY important to success of US in the war
Fascism
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. Italy was the prime example. They believe in complete capitalism (but run by a dictator)
Dwight D Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. Wildly regarded as the greatest general WWII.
Adolf Hitler
Dictator of Germany -Austrian-born German politician -Leader of nationalist socialist German Workers party -Blamed Jewish people for WWI and current economic problems -Strengthened German military/economy -violated multiple treaties and invaded Poland -responsible for the deaths of over 11 million people -writer of Mein Kampf
Spanish Civil War
Spain erupted into Civil War after communist backed left began fighting with facist/nationalist right. Italy and Germany found attention in this issue, hoping to gain power within Spain. Nationalists leader is Francesco Franco and opposing forces are the so-called republicans (backed by the US an Soviets). Franco won and Spain ended up being lead by fascist dictator.
kamikaze
Strategy employed by the Japanese to sink US ships. Suicidal pilots deliberately crash their planes into US ships. By the end, more than 3000 had died.
Douglas MacArthur
Supreme commander of allied forces on the Pacific front -responsible for island hopping success -Took down Japan -part of the bombing on Nagasaki and Hiroshima
