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IL DUCE
Benito Mussolini, or Il Duce, was the prime minister of Italy during WW2 and was elected in 1922. Envisioning an expansionist Italy, he became part of the Axis powers to aid with his goal. -
JOSEPH STALIN
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union during WW2, rose to power after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924. Using things such as the “Great Purge” he created a nation in which he was unable to be opposed. -
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was elected president in 1932, was the president of the United States that decided to join WW2. He also planned the United Nations along with other Allied leaders. -
S.A.
The S.A. was a militia that helped Adolf Hitler gain power when he was appointed chancellor in 1933. The group served as a Nazi army, and they also provided the Nazi party with protection. -
Third Reich
The Third Reich, founded in 1933, was the name given to Nazi Germany in order to show comparison between them and the Holy Roman Empire. -
Appeasement
The policy of appeasement in WW2 was when leaders attempted to avoid war by allowing Hitler to expand Germany without intervening, and it was practiced during the Munich Agreement. However, this only helped to start the war as it allowed Hitler to freely gain a lot of land. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was an agreement between leaders of Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy. It allowed for certain areas of Czechoslovakia to be taken by Germany, following the policy of Appeasement. -
Non-Aggression Pact
Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact. Hitler used this pact to make sure he was able to easily invade Poland and avoid a war on multiple fronts. -
Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland, causing Britain and France to declare war, beginning WW2. -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg, also known as “lightning war”, was Hitler’s method of conquering many parts of Europe. By overwhelming the enemy using armoured columns and airpower, the Nazis were able to quickly take over areas while avoiding as many German losses as possible. -
WINSTON CHURCHILL
Winston Churchill was the prime minister of the United Kingdom during WW2, and he was elected in 1940. He became known for his success leading Britain through the war. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The battle of Dunkirk was fought around a French port and the Nazis were able to win the fight. However, the allies were able to evacuate many of their troops, avoiding the loss of a major part of their militaries. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a fight that took place in the air in which the British air force defended against a German invasion. The battle ended in a British victory, stopping Hitler from taking over Britain, and turning the tides of the war. -
Axis Powers
The Axis Powers were an alliance with Germany, Italy, and Japan that formed on September 27, 1940. These three countries were all interested in expanding their territory and attempted to do so during the war. -
Holocaust
Starting around 1941 and lasting until 1945, the Holocaust was a genocide targeting European Jews. An estimated 6 million Jews died as a result. -
Big Three
The big three was the name of an alliance between the leaders of Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States that formed in 1941 when their countries merged powers. They made many decisions regarding what would happen following the war. -
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Hitler’s plan to eliminate European Jews in order to achieve Lebensraum. This plan resulted in the Holocaust and the death of millions. -
Pearl Harbor
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base from the Japanese. While they had done this in order to prevent America from interfering in the war, it resulted in America joining the Allies in the war. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle between the US and Japan on Midway island. America won the fight, stopping Japan from destroying the US naval fleet and forcing Japan to give up its plan on taking over the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was Germany’s attempt to take over Stalingrad, and is often considered the bloodiest battle of WW2 in Europe. The Germans were defeated in the battle due to disadvantages regarding things such as climate, and this was a turning point in the war as it ended Hitler’s invasion of Russia. -
Vichy France
After being taken over by the Nazis, France had been divided into two districts: one controlled by Nazis, and the other being governed by a puppet regime in Vichy which was aiding a resistance movement. However, on November 10, 1942, the area eventually became occupied by Germany as well. -
Casablanca Meeting
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting in which Roosevelt and Churchill discussed military strategy. It was announced that the Allies would accept only the “Unconditional surrender” of the Axis powers, and the D-Day invasion was planned. -
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was a meeting in which the Big Three met in Iran to create strategies to defeat the Axis. Terms regarding D-Day were agreed upon, the Soviet Union promised to declare war on Japan following German defeat, and the fate of post-war Europe was discussed. -
D-Day Invasion
The D-Day invasion, or Operation Overlord, was an invasion of Normandy beach by the Allies. This invasion pushed the Nazis further into Europe allowing the Allies to reclaim Paris. -
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a commander in the Allied military during WW2 and would later become the president of the United States. He led the D-Day invasion and remained in lead until the end of the war. -
Auschwitz Birkenau
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration camp, and about 1.5 million people died in it. It was liberated on January 27, 1945 by the Soviet Union. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting in which the Big Three discussed what would happen to Europe following WW2. Plans regarding the governing of post-war Germany were made, and France was allowed a share of the country. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was the last conference of the Big Three during WW2. Germany, which had already surrendered by the time of the meeting, was split up into multiple zones controlled by different Allied powers, and Japan was threatened with “prompt and utter destruction” implying the use of the atomic bomb. -
Atomic Bomb
The Enola Gay dropped the nuclear bomb, little boy, on Hiroshima which became the first atomic bomb to be used in a war. A couple days later, a second bomb, fat man, was dropped on Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered soon after. -
United Nations
The United Nations is an organization created on October 24 1945 following the end of WW2. Its main goal is to be a way of maintaining peace and solving problems throughout Europe as to prevent a war like WW2 from happening again.