World War Ii Vocabulary

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Fuhrer

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"The Leader" - Title taken by Hitler

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Swastika

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Symbol used by the Nazi Party

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Lebensraum

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"Land to the East" - Hitler envisioned taking the Soviet Union, Poland, etc. for land and resources for the growing German "master race"

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Mein Kampf

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Book written by Hitler as his autobiography; means "My Struggle"

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Putsch

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Overthrowing the government; political uprising, rebellion, coup

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S.A.

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Hitler's personal guard

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Third Reich

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Nazi Germany brought in the Third Reich or third German empire (first was the Holy Roman Empire, second was the Imperial government with the Kaiser)

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Anti-Semitism

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Strong prejudice, discrimination, and/or persecution of Jews

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Blitzkrieg

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"Lightning War" - style of warfare used by Germany that used quick concentrated attacks on land and air

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Reichstag

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Legislative assembly of Germany under the Weimer Republic

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Ruhr

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River in Germany; area of concentrated industry taken over by France to obtain war payments imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles

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Fascism

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Ideology or belief system that stresses nationalism and the importance of the state over the idividual - usually a one-party dictatorship

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Totalitarianism

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System in which one political party controls the government and all aspects of public life

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Appeasement

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Policy of giving into the demands of the aggressor in order to maintain peace

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Aryan

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People of non-Jewish descent, rather of Nordic descent; characterized by blonde hair, blue eyes; considered part of Hitler's "master race"

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Maginot Line

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Line of heavily defended trenches at the border of France and Germany - built by the French to protect against German invasion

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Holocaust

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Nazi attempt to systematically eliminate the Jewish race

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Island Hopping

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Refers to the United States' strategy of fighting in the Pacific against Japan in World War II - retaking one island at a time in order to take territory from the Japanese and move closer to the island of Japan

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Neville Chamberlain

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Prime Minister of Britain - regarded as an appeaser who didn't stand up to Hitler

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Winston Churchill

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Prime Minister of Britain (1940) - known as a military supporter and warned about the danger of Hitler; rallied England at the beginning of WWII

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Benito Mussolini

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Fascist leader of Italy (1922); tried to expand into Africa (Ethiopia); joined with Germany in WWII

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Adolf Hitler

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Fascist leader of Germany (1934-1945) and Nazi Party; wrote Mein Kampf; known for starting WWII and the Holocaust

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Erwin Rommel

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Led Germany's Afrika Corps fighting in Northern Africa; known as the "Desert Fox" because of his brilliance in warfare

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Joseph Goebbels

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Head of Nazi propaganda

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Heinrich Himmler

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Leader of the S.A., Hitler's personal guard

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Dwight Eisenhower

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United States general who led invasions in Africa and Normandy (D-Day)

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Harry Truman

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United States President at the end of WWII - known for making the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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United States President for most of World War II - stated that the attack on Pearl Harbor was "a date that will live in infamy"

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Douglas MacArthur

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United States general in charge of the Pacific Theater in World War II - famous for his words "I shall return" when driven from the Philippines in 1942; headed occupation of Japan after the war

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Hirohito

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Emperor of Japan during World War II

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Nazi-Soviet Pact

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Non-aggression treaty between Germany and Soviet Union in 1939 - Soviet Union agreed to allow Germany to invade Poland in return for land in Eastern Europe

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Enabling Act

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Gave Hitler absolute power as a response to instability in Germany following the fire in the Reichstag building

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Kellog-Briand Pact

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1928 treaty stating nations would not use war "as an instrument of national policy" - designed to keep peace through disarmament

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Anschluss

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Bringing Austria and Germany together as German speaking peoples; was not allowed under the Treaty of Versailles

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D-Day

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Allied invasion of France led by Eisenhower; largest sea-borne invasion in history

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Embargo on Japan

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United States imposed trade restrictions/ban on Japan in response to their aggressive expansion in Asia

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Nuremberg Trials

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Trial of Nazi and Japanese leaders charged with "crime against humanity" during World War II

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Axis Powers

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Germany, Italy, Japan

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Allied Forces

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Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States

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Final Solution

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Total elimination of the Jewish race