Transcript Unit 10 Vocabulary

Unit 10 Vocabulary
Isolationism
• The belief that a nation should stand alone
and not get involved in the affairs and
conflict of other nations
• Many Americans wanted this to be U.S.
foreign policy – they did not want to get
involved in World War II
Totalitarianism
• Total control of a government belongs in
the hands of one or a few people
• Government is supreme and people have
few rights
• Examples: Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in
Italy, and Hirohito in Japan (Axis Powers)
Pearl Harbor
• Japanese aircraft bomb the U.S. Naval
base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on
December 7, 1941
• This pulls the U.S. into World War II – the
U.S. declares war on Japan
Internment
• Confinement of Japanese Americans (and
some German and Italian Americans) into
camps during World War II
• Prejudice and fear after Pearl Harbor
made Americans worry they would work
as spies or hurt the war effort
Lend-Lease Act
• Law that allowed the U.S. to send war
supplies to the Allies
• Isolationists did not like this
• Roosevelt said helping the Allies was
defense for the U.S. and democracy
Battle of Midway
• Naval battle between the U.S. and Japan
in the Pacific
• The U.S. destroys the Japanese fleet and
wins
• This victory is the turning point in the war
in the Pacific in favor of the U.S.
D-Day
• Allied invasion of France to end German
occupation
• Allies win, push the Germans out of
France, which puts the Allies closer to
victory in Europe
Fall of Berlin
• The Soviet army occupies and captures
Berlin in April 1945
• Hitler commits suicide and Germany
surrenders
• The Allies win the war in Europe
Manhattan Project
• Research project to develop the atomic
bomb in the U.S.
• Los Alamos is the place where the atomic
bomb was first successfully tested
• The atomic bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of
1945, ending the war with Japan
Rationing
• Restricting the amount of food and other
goods people could buy during wartime to
make sure there were enough supplies for
the military.
• Example of how women and people on the
homefront contributed to the war effort
Women in War Industries
• During World War II, women met the need
for workers in war industries to fill the void
left by drafted men
• So many women working would lead to
social changes, including more women
wanting to remain in the workforce instead
of at home.
War-time conversion
• In order to meet the demands of fighting a
war on two fronts, the U.S. converted
many industries to war industries
• For example, car manufacturers switched
to producing tanks, planes and military
vehicles
A. Philip Randolph
• The man who organized a march of
African-Americans to Washington DC in
protest of discrimination in war industries.
• As a result, President Roosevelt issued an
order demanding equal hiring practices.
European v. Pacific Theater
• Pacific Theater
– War between U.S. and Japan
– Battles: Midway, Iwo Jima and Okinawa
– War ends here when U.S. drops atomic bomb
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• European Theater:
– war between Allies and Germany
– Battles: D-Day, Battle of Bulge, Fall of Berlin
– War ends here when Soviets capture Berlin
World War II Alliances
• alliance: nations join together to further
their common interests
• Aggression by the Axis Powers was one of
the causes of World War II
• Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
• Allied Powers: Great Britain, Soviet Union,
United States
Pacific Theater
• Location of the war between the U.S. and
Japan during World War II
• Major battles on this front: Battle of
Midway, Iwo Jima, Okinawa
• War ends here when U.S. drops atomic
bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
European Theater
• Location of the war between the Allies and
Hitler
• Major Battles on this front: D-Day, Battle of
the Bulge
• War ends here when Soviets capture
Berlin and Germany surrenders