WWII Vocabulary

WWII Vocabulary Anti-Semitism: Prejudice, hatred of, or discrimination against Jewish people. Appeasement: The policy of giving in to an aggressor's demands (notably Hitler) in hopes of maintaining peace. Allies: The alliance of nations that fought the Axis powers, primarily led by Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Anschluss: The 1938 annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. Atlantic Charter: A 1941 statement issued by Roosevelt and Churchill setting out a vision for the post-war world. Auschwitz: The largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, located in occupied Poland. Blitzkrieg: "Lightning war” a military tactic using speed and surprise through coordinated air and ground forces. Concentration Camps: Prison camps used by the Nazis to hold "enemies of the state," where many died from starvation, disease, or murder. D-Day (Operation Overlord): The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Demilitarized: An area where military forces, weapons, and installations are prohibited. Holocaust: The systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime. Island Hopping: The US strategy in the Pacific of capturing key islands to move closer to Japan while bypassing others. Internment camp: Detention centers where Japanese Americans were moved and confined during the war. Isolationism: A national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs and foreign wars. Lend-Lease Act: A 1941 law allowing the US to provide military aid to foreign nations whose defense was vital to American security. Manhattan Project: The secret US government research project that developed the first atomic bombs. Nazi-Soviet Pact: A 1939 agreement between Germany and the USSR to not attack each other and to secretly divide Poland. Neutrality Acts: Laws passed in the 1930s to prevent US involvement in foreign wars by restricting trade with nations at war. Nuremberg Trials: Post-war trials in which Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. V-E Day: May 8, 1945; Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of the war in Europe. V-J Day: August 15, 1945; Victory over Japan Day, marking the end of the war in the Pacific. Vichy : The collaborationist French government that cooperated with Nazi Germany after the fall of France. Yalta Conference: A 1945 meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to plan for the post-war reorganization of Europe. Winston Churchill: The Prime Minister of Great Britain throughout most of World War II. Franklin Roosevelt: The 32nd President of the United States, who led the country through the Great Depression and WWII.