Vocabulary Words

Treaty of Versailles The agreement that ended World War I and put most of the blame for World War I on Germany

Adolf Hitler Chancellor of Germany in 1932,leader of the NAZI party and became dictator. He was the leader of Germany during World War II.

Dictator A ruler with total power over a country.

Totalitarian A type of government which the leader has absolute control over all aspects of life.

Benito Mussolini Dictator of Italy during World War II. He allied himself with Adolf Hitler.

Josef Stalin Was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid 1920s to 1953. He was a dictator and denied his people any freedoms. He was known as one of the Big Three.

Nazi National Socialist German Worker’s Party, the political party active in Germany from 1920 to 1945. Hitler became their leader

Imperialism A stronger region takes over a weaker region for resources and land.

aggression An attack on a country without cause or reason.

Haile Salassie Ethiopian emperor from 1930-1974

appeasement A diplomatic policy of giving something up to an enemy to avoid a conflict Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler at the Munich Conference. Chamberlain and others agreed to give Hitler land if he would stop invading countries.

Alliance Two or more groups join together to strengthen their power or for some other benefit.

Anti Semitism Hatred of Jewish people

Blitzkreig Lightening War. To attack and take your enemy over quickly

Winston Churchill Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War 2 and part of the Big Three.

Franklin D. Roosevelt President of the US during the Great Depression and WW2. He was the only President elected to 4 terms as President. He was known as one of the Big Three.

Neutrality Acts A series of laws passed from 1934-1939 forbidding the government from selling ammunition, weapons and other war supplies to Europe.

Unprecedented Never been done before

Tuskegee Airman A segregated unit of bomber pilots

Pearl Harbor A naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. It was the event that caused the US to enter the WW II.

Internment Camp Relocation camps that Japanese Americans were forced to live in for the entire World War 2 time period.

Mobilization The act of a government and citizens to prepare for war.

ration To limit the amount of goods a person can buy. Used during World War 2 to help with resources for soldiers.

Rosie the Riveter American icon that represents the women who worked in factory during World War II.

Zoot Suit Riot A series of racist attacks in June 1943 in Los Angeles, California between Mexican youths and white American service men.

Braceros Mexican laborers that came into the US to help farmers harvest crops.

Navajo Code Talkers Native Americans who used their tradition language as a means of a secret way of communicating during World War II

Propaganda Information that is on sided and misleading

Dwight D. Eisenhower The US general that planned and led the D-day invasion. He became the 34th President of the US

Normandy Beach The French coast landing point of the D-day invasion. World War II

Yalta Conference This conference was to decide what was to happen to Germany and Europe at the end of World War II The big three attending the Yalta Conference

Harry Truman The 33 President of the US after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Potsdam Conference Meeting to discuss Germany after they surrendered. Also discussed was Japan unconditional surrender.

Baatan Death March 70,000 US and Filipino POWs were forced to march 60 miles by the Japanese Army. 15,000 POW died on the march.

Island hopping A battle plan in the Pacific to move from one island to another to set up an invasion of Japan.

Kamikaze A Japanese airplane loaded with explosives that would deliberately dive into targets

Manhattan project A secret research and development during WWII that produced the first nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima The city that was bombed by the Atomic bomb. Hoping to end World War 2