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Benito Mussolini
the first totalitarian leader of Italy who founded a new Italian political party- the National Fascist Party. After WW2 Mussolini used his speaking skills to win a seat in parliament, soon after he became leader of the government. His vision of a strong, orderly Italy appealed to many people. He also encouraged the use of violence against Communists and Socialists. -
Japan and Manchuria
among the problems facing Japan, was the limited size of territory. The islands were growing crowded, Japanese wanted to expand their territory and gain greater access to wealth and resources. So the Japanese army invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria- without the approval of the Japanese government. The goal was to seize Manchuria's land and resources for the use of Japanese people. -
Fascism
a system of government that focuses on the good of the state rather than on the individual citizens, this was Mussolini's ideas -
Holocaust
the genocidal campaign against the Jews during World War 2. -
Adolf Hitler Rises to Power
Another aggressive leader was Adolf Hitler. He joined a small political party known as the Nazis, which attracted many former soldiers, during this time is when Hitler discovered his talent for public speaking and leadership. Hitler blamed Jews for many of Germany's problems and believed that they threatened the purity of the Ayran race. Seizing on public discontent and offering an appealing vision of German greatness, Hitler built support. The Nazis became the most powerful party in the nation. -
Neutrality Act
passed in 1935, this law was meant to prevent the nation from bring drawn into war as it had been in 1917. over the next several years, congress strengthened the Neutrality Act. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
Mussolini's Italy invaded the East African nation of Ethiopia. Mussolini used a dispute about the border between Ethiopia and an Italian colony as an excuse to launch an invasion. Italy conquered the country. -
House Un-American Activities Committee
This committee's original purpose was to investigate the full range of radical groups in the United States, including Fascists and Communists. It came to focus only on the possible threat of communism in the United States. -
Militarizing the Rhineland
Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles which was meant to protect France from Germany, and sent out German troops into the Rhineland. France was alarmed by Hitler's actions but was unwilling to use military action against Germany. Germany troops remained in the Rhineland, Hitler grew bolder. -
The Spanish Civil War
Spain in the middle of Communists on the left, on the right Fascists and Nationalists. this political conflict lead to the civil war. This war attracted other countries in Europe and in North America. Italy and Germany sent forces and equipment to fight the for Nationalists. Opposing them were the Republicans with the support of the Soviet Union and the United States. Spain came under the control of a Fascist Dictator. -
Hitler gains control of Austria, Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia
Hitler tried to force the Austrian government to agree to unite with Germany. Austria refused, Hitler sent German troops into the country. Hitler then began plans to gain control over the German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. First he encouraged German s in the Sudetenland to protest against Czechoslovakia rule. Then he began threatening a military attack. -
Kristallnacht
Anti-Jewish riots broke out across Germany. This night was known as "the night of the broken glass." -
concentration camps
a detention site created for military or political purposes to confine, terrorize, and in some cases, kill civilians. Hitler created these camps in order to kill Jews. -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler was ready to launch his next strike, the invasion of Poland. to provide an excuse for the attack, Hitler had a German criminal dressed in a Polish military uniform taken to the German-Polish border and shot. Germany claimed it had been attacked by Poland, they immediately launched a massive invasion of Poland. -
Great Britain and France declare war on Germany
Great Britain and France become known as the Allies. Many plans were created and most were changed up. Germany conquered Norway and Belgium and was moving next to France. German troops quickly conquered the Netherlands. Germans had trapped hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers. -
Blitzkrieg
a German word meaning "lightening war," featured an overwhelming combination of air attack and fast-moving armored strikes to drive deep into enemy territory. The well-trained Germans used the blitzkrieg to devastating effect on Poland. Poland became under the hands of Germany. -
Germany invades The Netherlands, Belgium, and France
One group of German troops quickly conquered the Netherlands and stormed into Belgium. there they were met by Belgian, British, and French units. German troops trapped hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers at the french port of Dunkirk. France was doomed. France surrendered to Germany and Italy. German troops now occupied much of France. -
Battle of Britain
Great Britain stood alone against what appeared to be an unstoppable German war machine. For the first time, the Germans failed when they tried to destroy the British Royal Air Force. the German air force began bombing London. The British had stopped the German air force. Hitler was forced to call off the invasion. -
Rosie the Riveter
working women of the war came to be represented by the symbolic-figure known as Rosie the Riveter. Men were needed in the armed forces, so many left their factory jobs. women began to fill factory jobs, it was the first time women were able to work. women were doing men jobs. -
Germany, Japan, Italy form alliance (Axis Powers)
the Next year after the three nations became known as the axis powers, the Japanese forces moved to take control of French Indochina. the take over threatened British and american interests in the region. The united states reacted quickly by punishing Japan economically and deny its access to vital oil supplies. This was a serious threat to Japan's future plans. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President Roosevelt declares the United States an 'arsenal of democracy" -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Roosevelt delivers the four freedoms speech about the future of the world. -
Britain sinks the Bismarck
Germany entered the war with a navy powerful enough to challenge for control of the seas. it featured several new surface ships. foremost among these was the giant Bismarck, the pride of the German fleet. After Great Britain managed to sink the Bismarck, Germany began to reply on a familiar weapon--the U-boat. -
Atlantic Charter
Roosevelt and British leader met secretly on a ship off the coast of Canada. There the two leaders agreed to the Atlantic Charter. This agreement proclaimed the shared goals of the United States and Britain in opposing Hitler and his allies. -
Genocide of Jews
Hitler called for the total destruction of all Europe's Jews. What he proposed, the killing of an entire people. -
cold war
the growing tensions between the united states and the soviet union after world war 2 over the spread of communism -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Japan had planned a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. American forces at the base were unready to defend it. The Japanese attack force was able to approach Pearl Harbor undetected. The raid was a complete surprise to the Americans. Most American fighter planes never got off the ground. Hundreds were severely damaged or destroyed where they sat. Japanese bombs and torpedoes took heavy toll on the American warships anchored in the harbor. the attack lasted only two hours -
U.S. declares war on Japan
American reacted to the Pear Harbor attack with fear and anger. Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan. three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The nation had entered world war 2 as one of the allies. -
Douglas MacArthur
Led the defense of the Philippines. He commanded a small force of Americans, plus a number of poorly trained and equipped Filipino soldiers. They were no match for the Japanese invaders. -
Executive order 9066
An order issued by President Roosevelt to remove all Japanese from the West Coast. This order gave the armed forces the power to establish military zones. it also gave them the power to force people or groups to leave these zones. -
Japan attacks
Japan captured the British stronghold at Hong Kong. then they launched a campaign against British base at Singapore. At the same time, the Japanese forces were easily taking control of the Dutch East Indies and British Borneo. -
Bataan Death March
forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Philippines in World War 2 -
rationing
limiting the amount of certain product each individual can get for the benefit of a victory for the United States. Every American was in on it. -
Battle of Midway
a key naval and air battle between Japanese and U.S. forces during World War 2 -
Battle of Stalingrad
The German armies renewed their assault, a major target was the city of Stalingrad. The Germans attacked and resulted as one of the bloodiest fighting in the history of warfare. Not only did the Germans fail to take Stalingrad, they also exposed themselves to a Soviet counterattack. In the fighting that followed, 250,000 Axis soldiers were trapped by Soviet forces. The surviving soldiers were forced to surrender. -
Operation Torch
A plan called for American forces to invade the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria. In hope that the French in North Africa would side with them in battle. -
Tuskegee Airmen
A segregated unit of African Americans, the first ever to receive training as pilots in the U.S. military. they took part in the fighting against Germany. -
operation overload
a planned invasion of France. To end the war as quickly as possible, the Allies wanted to launch a large invasion of mainland Europe. They had to assemble a huge army of troops, weapons, and other equipment. -
D-Day
The first day of the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War 2 -
GI Bill
President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The Bill included several features aimed at helping veterans make a smooth entry into civilian life. -
World Bank/International Monetary Fund
agreements made at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The world Bank aimed to help poor countries built their economies and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was another international organization created to promote economic cooperation. -
Battle of the Bulge
World War 2 battle between Germany and the Allied forces; the German advance created a "bulge" in the Allied battle lines, but the Allies eventually prevailed -
Yalta conference
the goal of this conference was to reach an agreement on what to do with the soon-to-be-conquered Germany. the three leaders agreed to divide the country into four sectors. -
battle of iwo jima
battle between Japanese forces and invading U.S. troops -
battle of Okinawa
battle between Japanese forces and invading U.S. troops; fought on the island of Okinawa; over 100,000 Japanese troops were killed -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe day. the surrender of Europe was a day of celebration in the United States. -
The Second Red Scare
the start of the cold war and events at home helped trigger a second Red Scare in the 1940s and early 1950s. Refers to the fear of the spread of communism in America -
United Nations
an international organization that encourages cooperation among nations and prevent future wars. 50 countries were involved -
Potsdam Conference
meeting among leaders of the Allies near the end of the World War 2 in order to stop the spread of communism. The conference failed. -
atomic bomb
after carefully considering all the options, President Truman decided to drop the bomb on a Japanese city. there was no warning. They did however give the Japanese a last chance to avoid the bomb, but they refused to settle. -
V-J Day
the date when the Allies declared victory over Japan in World War 2 -
Iron Curtain
the term reflected Churchill's belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe -
Baby Boom
the baby boom was a time of dramatic rise in the birthrate. larger families created larger demands. -
Truman Doctrine
a speech President Truman made that argued the providing aid would help both the Greek and Turkish governments resist Soviet expansion -
Brinkmanship
the diplomatic art of going to the brink of war without actually getting into war. The practice of Brinkmanship involved making threats that were strong enough to bring results without having to follow through on the threats -
Central Intelligence Agency formed
while Dulles presented the public face of American foreign policy, there was also a secret side. the central intelligence agency was formed to collect information and spy on foreign governments. -
communism spreads
the united states responds to the spread of communism by adopting a policy known as containment. It was created in order to resist soviet attempts to expand its power and influence wherever those attempts occurred. -
Hollywood ten
a famous investigation made on ten Hollywood writers and directors who were thought to hold radical political views. they were found guilty of contempt of Congress and were sentenced to a year in jail. -
The Marshall Plan
plan for the reconstruction of Europe after World War 2 announced by the United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall -
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
an international organization created to promote economic cooperation. It was designed to reduce barriers to trade. -
Berlin Airlift
a program in which the United States and Britain shipped supplies by air to West Berlin during a Soviet blockage of all routes to the city -
hydrogen bomb
The new Hydrogen bomb got its power from the fusing together of hydrogen atoms. fusion is the same process that creates the energy of the sun and stars. This bomb was much stronger than the atomic bomb. -
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
a document that set high goals for all member nations of the UN. it declared belief that all human beings are born free and equal. -
Smith Act
Truman made another show of his commitment to fight communism at home. The government charged several leaders of the United States under the Smith Act. This law made it crime to call for the overthrow of the U.S. government or belong to an organization that did so. -
NATO
the united states and six other nations joined the original five to create a new military alliance known as NATO. nations include Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. -
Joseph McCarthy/McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator who influenced the creation of McCarthyism , a name given to McCarthy's tactic of spreading fear and making baseless charges. -
McCarran Act
The McCarran International Security Act required Communist organizations to register with the government and established a special board to investigate Communist involvement. The act also made it illegal to plan for a creation of a totalitarian dictatorship and prevent Communists or other radicals from entering the United States. -
The Korean War
cold war tensions finally erupted in a shooting war in 1950. The United States confronted a difficult challenge defending freedom halfway around the world. -
warsaw pact
A military alliance with the soviet-dominated countries of eastern Europe. It was entirely under the control of the soviet union. it was also a tool that helped the soviets solidify control in Eastern Europe -
ICBMs
Americans had developed intercontinental ballistic missiles. They could travel thousands of miles and strike very close to their intended targets. They could also deliver powerful nuclear weapons. -
Sputnik
the soviets launched the first-ever artificial satellite, named sputnik. a satellite is an object that orbits around earth. sputnik was small, only about the size of a basketball and weighed 200 pounds. -
The Manhattan Project
war planners knew that technology would pay an important role in world war 2. the Manhattan Project, with laboratories in New Mexico, was the most significant program of World War 2. This was a top-secret American program to build an atomic bomb. -
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Research into building an atomic bomb had begun in 1939, motivated by concern that Germany was already working on such a weapon. American scientist led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer would win this race. the result would shape world history for decades to come. -
Lend-Lease Act
congress passed the Lend-Lease Act. This allowed the nation to send weapons to Great Britain regardless of its ability to pay. Ties between the United States and Great Britain were further strengthened. -
Fair Deal
Having won the election, Truman finally felt strong enough to put forward his own plan for the country. the Fair Deal included a number of programs in the tradition of the New Deal. This included a federal health insurance program and new funding for education.