WWII (1933-1945) Flashcards
Isolationism
American foreign policy of the 1920s-30s based on the belief that it was in the best interest of the U.S. not to become involved in foreign conflicts that did not directly threaten American interests
Yalta Conference
meeting held at Yalta in the Soviet Union between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin in February 1945. Critical decisions about postwar Europe were made where it was agreed that Germany would be decided into four zones, that free elections would take place in Eastern Europe, and that the Soviet Union would join the war against Japan.
Bataan Death March
after Japan landed in the Philippines in May 1942, nearly 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners were forced to endure a 60-mile march and 10,000 prisoners died or were killed.
Manhattan Project
secret project to build an atomic bomb that began in New Mexico in August 1942. The first successful test of a bomb was on July 16th 1945
Rosie the Riveter
figure that symbolized American working women during WWII. After the war, women were expected to return to more traditional roles.
Double V campaign
campaign popularized by American black leaders emphasizing the need for a double victory over Germany and Japan as well as racial prejudice in the U.S. Many Blacks who fought in the war were disappointed that they still dealt with racial injustice when they returned.
Internment camps
mandatory resettlement camps for Japanese Americans created in February 1942 during WWII by FDR. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled that the camps were legal.
Neutrality Act of 1935
to prevent the U.S. from being drawn into European conflicts, this bill said the U.S. would not trade arms with any country at war and that any American traveling on a ship of a country at war was doing so at their risk.
Neutrality Act of 1939
FDR got Congress to amend the previous Neutrality Act of 1935 to say that England and France could buy arms from the U.S. so long as there was cash “upfront” for the weapons. This was the first military assistance the U.S. gave to the Allied countries in WWII.
America First Committee
Isolationist group in America that insisted America stay out of WWII from 1939-1941. They argued that European affairs should be settled by Europeans and that the Soviet Union was a greater threat than Nazi Germany.
Lend-Lease Act
Legislation proposed by FDR adopted by Congress in 1941, stating that the U.S. could sell or lease arms and other equipment to countries whose security was vital to American interest. After this bill passed, the U.S. could help the British war effort.
Atlantic Charter
Fall 1941 agreement between FDR and Churchill, stating that America and the U.K. would support a post-war world of self-determination and would endorse a world body to ensure security. The U.S. agreement to protect merchant ships across the Atlantic drew the U.S. closer to war with Germany.
GIs
popular term for American servicemen during WWII and referred to anything worn/used that was “government-issued”
Revenue Act of 1942
Designed to raise money for WWII and required Americans to pay a dramatically raised income tax. Until this point, only 4 million Americans paid income tax, but afterward, 45 million paid afterward.
Battle of the Bulge
this December 1944 German attack was the last major Axis power offensive in WWII. Germans pushed to Belgium but were driven back and cost the Germans material and manpower.
