World War II: Key Terms, People & Major Events
World War II: Key Terms, People & Major Events
This document lists vocabulary, people, and events related to World War II. Spelling, grammar, and capitalization have been corrected while preserving original content.
Vocabulary
- Coral atolls — islands difficult to land on with ships.
- Kamikaze — “divine winds”; the act of crashing planes into U.S. battleships.
- Napalm — bombs made of jellied gasoline that not only explode but also catch fire.
- Fascism — an aggressive nationalist movement; the government is considered more important than individuals.
- Mein Kampf — “My Struggle”; the book Hitler wrote in prison, asserting that Aryans should be the master race.
- Neutrality Acts — laws that made it illegal for the U.S. to sell arms to any country at war.
- Internationalism — the idea that trade between nations helps prevent war.
- Lend-Lease Act — states the U.S. can lend to any country vital to U.S. defense, as long as they pay back.
People
- Douglas MacArthur — leader of American forces who evacuated citizens from Bataan to Australia.
- Erwin Rommel — famous German general.
- Fredendall — central task (reference to Fredendall appears in notes).
- Ryder — East side task.
- Patton — West side task.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower — planned a trap between his forces and Patton.
- A. Philip Randolph — spoke to President Roosevelt about African Americans not being hired.
- J. Robert Oppenheimer — scientist who directed the Manhattan Project.
- Admiral Chester W. Nimitz — commander of U.S. Pacific naval forces.
- Adolf Hitler — anti-communist; admirer of Mussolini; believed Germany needed “living space” and advocated expansion into Poland.
- Emperor Hirohito — leader of Japan in the Axis powers.
- America First Committee — group formed as FDR pushed the U.S. to aid Britain in the war with Germany and the Axis powers; advocated continuation of isolationism.
- Charles Lindbergh — important member of the America First Committee.
Events
- Roosevelt creates National Defense Advisory Committee — helps mobilize the economy.
- Government support for war production — the government agreed to help pay companies money and profit to make war products.
- Pearl Harbor and Philippines attacks — after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan attacked American airfields in the Philippines.
- MacArthur retreats to Bataan — Douglas MacArthur retreats to Bataan and evacuates civilians to Australia.
- Bataan Death March (April 1942) — 78,000 remaining soldiers in Bataan were forced to surrender, sent to prison camps; about 10,000 died.
- Japan attempts Coral Sea attack — attempted attack in the Coral Sea region.
- Codebreaking and carrier responses — Pearl Harbor codebreakers discovered plans; the U.S. sent the Lexington and the Yorktown to protect territory.
- Battle of Midway — codebreakers learned of the Midway attack; the U.S. set a surprise ambush and attacked four Japanese carriers (a turning point in the Pacific war).
- Invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) — Roosevelt ordered invasion of Morocco and Algeria, placing U.S. forces against Rommel. After the 12-day battle, Eisenhower planned a trap with Patton.
- Rommel retreats — Rommel retreated and the Allies took control of Algeria and Casablanca.
- Workforce restrictions — only young, single women could work in some roles; most companies resisted hiring African Americans, prompting A. Philip Randolph to speak to Roosevelt.
- Race violence in Detroit (1943) — in 1943 in Detroit, a crowd by the river to cool off caused conflict; 25 African Americans and 9 whites died.
- Zoot suit riots — Mexican Americans began wearing zoot suits; rumors spread that zoot suit teens were attacking sailors; 2,500 sailors went to Mexican American neighborhoods to attack zoot suiters.
- D-Day (Invasion of Normandy) — the invasion of Normandy occurred; the U.S. forces had a strategy that worked, but 2,500 Americans were killed.
- Battle of Leyte — U.S. forces returned to retake the Philippines; Japan defended and used kamikaze attacks to ambush U.S. ships.
- Fall of Germany and the Battle of the Bulge — Allied forces began to advance; German forces launched counterattacks to the west.
- Soviets reach Germany — Soviet forces entered Germany first; American forces were close behind. Hitler saw the end was near and committed suicide in his bunker.
- Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945) — VE Day.
- Lenin establishes Communist Party and USSR — Lenin established the Communist Party and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (context predates WWII).
- 1923 Nazi Beer Hall Putsch — in 1923 the Nazi Party attempted to seize power; Hitler was arrested.
- Formation of the Axis Powers — Germany and Italy cooperated on international issues; they exchanged information about communist groups and promoted fascism; Japan later joined.
- Britain asks U.S. for help — Britain faced danger and asked the U.S. for help; the U.S. passed the Lend-Lease Act.
- Western Hemisphere neutrality — the U.S. pushed that the Western Hemisphere be a neutral zone, including the U.S.; the U.S. Navy patrolled the Atlantic Ocean for submarines.
- Atlantic Charter — after WWII, FDR helped promote the Atlantic Charter to advance free trade, freedom of the seas, and non-aggression between countries.
- Postwar organization — 15 countries opposed to the Axis Powers signed in the organization (referenced in notes regarding postwar cooperation).