Unit 7: World War II and the Holocaust Vocabulary

1. totalitarianism A form of government, such as Fascism, that has total control over the lives of people total Gov’t has total control (jobs, life, where you live, whom you marry, how many kids). Ex. Nazi German, WWII Italy, USSR, North Korea today

2. dictator a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted co ntrol Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Kim Jong- un, etc

3. Nazis Common name for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) Germany, Led by Adolf Hitler

4. fascism A government in which the state or gov’t is seen as more important than the individual; that controls the lives of its people, targets certain groups and builds a large military Usually a military leader; ex. Nazi Germany, WWII Italy

5. genocide The killing of an entire race or group Mass murder, often government organized, usually based on prejudice/racism

6. appeasement The policy of giving into the demands of a nation to avoid war An attempt to keep the peace

7. blitzkrieg A German fighting strategy that involved invading enemy territory with airplanes and tanks “Lightning War”

8. Axis Powers The coalition of nations in WWII that included Germany, Italy, and Japan

9. Allied Powers A group of nations that opposed the Axis Powers in WWII USA, Gr. Britain, USSR (Soviet Union/Russia)

10. internment The imprisonment of Japanese-Americans in special camps during WWII In America; meant to keep Japanese- Americans from spying; violation of civil liberties

11. ration/rationing A fixed portion or restricted amounts Save products needed for wartime – food, rubber, metal, fuel, etc

12. D-day An invasion of Nazi-occupied France by Allied forces 1944; Normandy; turning point battle

13. liberation The act of freeing people For example – liberation of the concentration camps after the war

14. Kamikaze Japanese suicide pilots Flew planes into ships and other targets, killing themselves in the process.

15. atomic bomb a weapon that receives its explosive power from the splitting of atoms Complete devastation; nuclear radiation; Hiroshima and Nagasaki

16. ally A person or country that agrees to support another nation

17. neutral Not taking sides in a conflict

18. strategy A plan for fighting a battle or war

19. invade To enter forceful as an enemy; to go into with a hostile intent