APUSH World War II Key Terms

Blitzkrieg (aprox. 1939)
German for “lightning war.” It’s a term that describes the military doctrine of an all-mechanized force concentrating its attack on a small section of the enemy front” and then going straight through.

Fascism
An authoritarian nationalist ideology that aims to create a government led by a dictator who requires individuals to subordinate self-interest to the collective interest of the nation or race.

National Socialism (~1920)
Basically Nazism, ideology of the German Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party, or NSDAP), which was led by Adolf Hitler.

America First Committee(1940)
The largest antiwar organization in US history and foremost non-interventionist (isolationist) group against American entry into World War II.

Appeasement(1937-39)
The policy of “Settling international quarrels through rational negotiation, thereby avoiding the resort to an armed conflict.” It most often refers to the foreign policy of PM Neville Chamberlain (1937-39).

Lend-Lease Act(1941)
Act that allowed the president to lend (war) supplies to any nation deemed “vital to the defense of the United States.” This was a decisive step away from isolationism.

Atlantic Charter(1941)
The blueprint for the post-WWII world drafted by Churchill and Roosevelt in 1941. The Charter was the foundation to the UN and independence of British and French possessions.

Henry Kaiser(1882-1967)
A shipyard manager in charge of the Kaiser Shipyard in California. He became famous for the fast production of Liberty Ships and was world-renowned when his teams built a 10,500-ton ship in 4 days.

Office of Price Adm. (OPA) (1941)
Executive Order 8875. The functions of the OPA were originally to stabilize prices and rents after the outbreak of World War II. It had the power to place ceilings on all prices except agricultural commodities.

“Rosie the Riveter”
A cultural icon representing the American women who worked in war factories during World War II. The poster was by J.H. Miller but Norman Rockwell popularized the name.

National War Labor Board (#2)(1942)
Reestablished by FDR in January 1942. It acted as an arbitrator in labor-management disputes, preventing work stoppages, and administrated wage control in national industries.

League of United Latin American Citizens(1929)
The LULAC is a political advocacy group for Latinos in the US. Founded in 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC is the nation's oldest Hispanic advocacy organization.

Thomas Dewey(1902-1971)
The Governor of New York and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948. He represented the business community, the “Eastern Establishment.”

Executive Order 9066(1942)
An order issued by FDR on February 19, 1942, using his authority as Commander-in-Chief to exercise war powers to send ethnic groups to internment camps.

A. Philip Randolph(1889-1979)
The founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a landmark for labor and particularly for African-American labor organizing.He fought for socialism and trade unionism and eventually succeeded.

“Double V”
The term referring to “Victory over fascism abroad, and victory over discrimination at home.”

OWI(1942)
Office of War Information. Coordinated the release of war news for domestic use, worked to promote patriotism and recruit women workers. It established the Voice of America, the official US broadcaster.

“zoot suiters”
A style of clothing popularized mainly by Hispanic Americans. They were very popular among young Mexican Americans, especially pachucos in Los Angeles. The Zoot Suit Riots get its name from them.

Korematsu v. U.S.(1944)
Landmark Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive order 9066. In a 6-3 decision, the Court sided with the government.

Second front
The idea that the West would launch an offensive from the west to relieve Russian troops fighting off Hitler in Europe. It wasn’t until June 6, 1944 (D-Day) that the other countries launched the second front.

Dwight D. Eisenhower(1890-1969)
The 34th president from 1953-1961, he was a five-star general in the US Army. During WWII, he served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe and later the first commander of NATO.

D-Day (June 6, 1944)
The day the Invasion of Normandy began. Originally set to be June 5, weather caused Eisenhower to delay until June 6. This is one of three significant turning points in WWII (other 2: Stalingrad & Midway)

V-E Day (May 8, 1945)
Victory in Europe Day. The day the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of the Third Reich. Due to Hitler’s suicide, German president Karl Dönitz took his place.

Casablanca Conference(1943) (aka SYMBOL)
A conference held in Morocco in January 1943 to plan Allied strategy during WWII. The Casablanca Declaration called for the unconditional surrender of the Axis.

Teheran Conference1943 (aka EUREKA)
A meeting between Stalin, FDR and Churchill in Tehran, Iran. It was the first conference among the Big Three and centered on the opening of a second front in Western Europe.

Yalta Conference(1945)
A wartime meeting among the Big Three for the purpose of discussing Europe’s post war reorganization. Mainly, it was intended to discuss the reestablishment of nations conquered by Germany.

Holocaust
It never happened, duh!. JK! Just making sure you were reading.The term, as you all know (unless your name is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), describes - the genocide of approximately 6 million European Jews during WWII; the result of deliberate extermination planned and executed by Nazi Germany.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic bombings approved by Truman. August 6, 1945 – Hiroshima (bomb: “Little Boy”). August 9, 1945 – Nagasaki (bomb: “Fat Man”). Six days later Japan announced its surrender (Aug. 15) after 140K died and 80K were injured.

United Nations
An international organization founded in 1945 after WWII to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars, and to provide a platform for dialogue. The UN is headed by the General Assembly (GA).

Manhattan Project The project to develop the first nuclear weapon during WWII. The project ran from 1942-1946 and was directed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.