Terms
Benito Mussolini- The Italian dictator during WWII.
National Socialists- The Nazi Party, which controlled Germany during WWII.
Adolf Hitler- The dictator of Germany during WWII, and leader of the Nazi Party.
Lebensraum- The Hitler-imposed belief that Germans were better overall than other Eastern European cultures, and that the Germans should take out the other cultures and make them German.
Kristallnacht- The “Night of Broken Glass”, which in effect began the Holocaust. Many Jews were taken hostage and their stores and synagogues destroyed.
Blitzkrieg- “Lightning Warfare”, the style of warfare employed by Hitler.
Neutrality Act of 1939- The US’s major attempt at appearing to remain neutral in the war. They required the Allies to buy their supplies, as well as to get them from America themselves.
Axis Powers- Italy, Germany, Japan.
Lend-Lease- The US decided to lend military equipment to other countries and get it back from them when it wasn’t needed anymore.
Atlantic Charter- A vision of what the world should have been like Post-WWII, a world safe for democracy and free of dictators.
Pearl Harbor- The naval base in Hawaii which was attacked December 7th, 1941 by Japan, bringing America into the war.
War Powers Act- A resolution of Congress, which allowed the President to send troops abroad with Congress’s approval, or if the US was under an immediate threat.
OSS- The US Intelligence agency during WWII, the forerunner to the CIA.
Bracero- Mexican agricultural workers brought in during WWII.
“Rosie the Riveter”- The popularized female character who was all about telling women to prove that they were as capable of being part of the war as men were.
“Wildcat” Strike- A strike of workers which is not authorized by their union.
Japanese Internment- The placing of Japanese-Americans in Internment Camps, which kept them from possibly aiding the Japanese war cause. It was a really racist deed.
Issei- A Japanese person who immigrated to America pre-WWII.
Korematsu v. US- Case against Japanese Internment Camps, which was thrown out by the Supreme Court because it was ruled Constitutional.
GI- General Issue, or a normal US Soldier.
WAC- A way for women to serve in the army.
WAVES- A way for women to serve in the navy.
Nisei- A person of Japanese ancestry to be born abroad.
Conscientious Objector- A person with moral or religious beliefs that go against being a soldier in a war.
POW- Prisoner of War.
Winston Churchill- British Prime Minister during WWII.
Totalitarianism- A form of government where one person (a dictator) rules everything about the country.
Rome-Berlin Axis- A name given to the 1936-made alliance between Mussolini and Hitler.
“Double V”-
“Cash-and-Carry”- A system where the US would sell arms to Allied Powers, and then make them come and get the arms.
Bataan Death March- A Japanese war crime where 100,000 American and Filipino troops were marched to prison camps, with many brutalities suffered along the way.
Dwight D. Eisenhower- Supreme Commander of Allied troops during WWII. He coordinated the successful invasions of France and Germany.
Operation Torch- The invasion of French North Africa in the hopes that Axis powers would be cleared from the area, therefore helping with control of the Mediterranean and assisting a Southern Europe invasion later.
Operation Overlord- The phase of WWII that was fought between the Allies and Axis powers in France. It ended with the Liberation of Paris.
D-Day- A name given to the beginning of the invasion of France in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Battle of the Bulge- The Germans’ last-ditch effort at winning in the Western front, although they were turned away by the Allies.
Eastern Front- The name given to the battle between the Germans and Russians.
Battle of Midway- A decisive battle in the Pacific between the US and Japan, won by America.
Island Hopping- The strategy used by the US in the Pacific where they would go for capturing the strategically valuable islands instead of attacking the main Japanese forces.
Kamikaze- Japanese suicide bombers who used planes to destroy ships and bases.
Holocaust- The mass slaughtering of Jews by the Nazi party.
Casablanca Conference- FDR and Churchill’s meetings to plan the Allied strategy of WWII.
Yalta Conference- The meeting of the leaders of the “Big 3”-the US, Britain, and the USSR.
Potsdam Conference- A conference in Germany between Churchill, Harry Truman, and Stalin. It was all about finding a way to administer the fallen Germany.
Teheran Conference- A meeting between the big 3 in Teheran, Iran. It was the first of the meetings between the Big 3.
Harry S. Truman- The President who took over after FDR died in office.
Enola Gay- The name of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb.
Hiroshima- One of the Japanese cities hit with an American atomic bomb.
Nagasaki- One of the Japanese cities hit with an American atomic bomb.
Douglas MacArthur- An American general who served mostly in the Pacific theater, especially in the Philippines.
V-J Day- Victory in Japan Day, the day that the war with Japan was ended.
Questions
1) The Neutrality Acts of the 1930s marked the end of the US traditional policy of having “freedom of the seas” because it was then that America stopped looking out for those countries who were under attack and in need in the name of our own interests.
2) FDR moved from isolationism to interventionism in the European war after Germany and Italy declared war on America for declaring war on Japan. After Pearl Harbor, Americans were all ready to go out and help with the Allied cause and to preserve democracy in the world. Although, after Germany took over France, the US was already visibly heightening its defenses by calling for a draft and increasing the number of ships and planes in the national fleets. FDR did this visibly so as to keep the voters, who were pro-war, happy. Personally, I think FDR wanted to go to war in order to preserve democracy in the world and to stop Hitler, even though he needed the Japanese’s help in getting a spark for going to war.
3) Had the US not gotten involved in the war, Germany would likely have taken all of Europe, probably all of Africa, and possibly Asia (with help from Japan). At this point, Germany would have had an easy time taking over the world. Therefore, staying isolationist would not have been in America’s best interests.
4) Using the A-Bombs on Japan was necessary because it greatly demoralized and scared the Japanese, forcing them to surrender and ending the war in the Pacific. Also, had the US used simple force and invaded Japan, many more lives would have been lost than were lost due to the bombs. One reason not to have dropped the bombs on Japan, however, is that they were aimed at killing civilians, and not soldiers. If in the situation of Truman, I would have made the decision to drop the bombs, simply as a last resort of a way to end the war.
5) No, the US cannot just remain a fortified island. The US, being the most powerful nation in the world, must aid other nations when they are being attacked or otherwise bullied unprovoked. It is America’s duty to ensure peace in the world can exist.
6) The US left WWII as a very changed nation. It had attained a great status of world power, mainly in that it was not destroyed in the war and it was the leader for all democratic nations worldwide. Also, the economy was changed forever, in that WWII times were the last times that the US exported goods significant enough to create a decent national profit. Since then, the US has mainly been a service industry nation.
Benito Mussolini- The Italian dictator during WWII.
National Socialists- The Nazi Party, which controlled Germany during WWII.
Adolf Hitler- The dictator of Germany during WWII, and leader of the Nazi Party.
Lebensraum- The Hitler-imposed belief that Germans were better overall than other Eastern European cultures, and that the Germans should take out the other cultures and make them German.
Kristallnacht- The “Night of Broken Glass”, which in effect began the Holocaust. Many Jews were taken hostage and their stores and synagogues destroyed.
Blitzkrieg- “Lightning Warfare”, the style of warfare employed by Hitler.
Neutrality Act of 1939- The US’s major attempt at appearing to remain neutral in the war. They required the Allies to buy their supplies, as well as to get them from America themselves.
Axis Powers- Italy, Germany, Japan.
Lend-Lease- The US decided to lend military equipment to other countries and get it back from them when it wasn’t needed anymore.
Atlantic Charter- A vision of what the world should have been like Post-WWII, a world safe for democracy and free of dictators.
Pearl Harbor- The naval base in Hawaii which was attacked December 7th, 1941 by Japan, bringing America into the war.
War Powers Act- A resolution of Congress, which allowed the President to send troops abroad with Congress’s approval, or if the US was under an immediate threat.
OSS- The US Intelligence agency during WWII, the forerunner to the CIA.
Bracero- Mexican agricultural workers brought in during WWII.
“Rosie the Riveter”- The popularized female character who was all about telling women to prove that they were as capable of being part of the war as men were.
“Wildcat” Strike- A strike of workers which is not authorized by their union.
Japanese Internment- The placing of Japanese-Americans in Internment Camps, which kept them from possibly aiding the Japanese war cause. It was a really racist deed.
Issei- A Japanese person who immigrated to America pre-WWII.
Korematsu v. US- Case against Japanese Internment Camps, which was thrown out by the Supreme Court because it was ruled Constitutional.
GI- General Issue, or a normal US Soldier.
WAC- A way for women to serve in the army.
WAVES- A way for women to serve in the navy.
Nisei- A person of Japanese ancestry to be born abroad.
Conscientious Objector- A person with moral or religious beliefs that go against being a soldier in a war.
POW- Prisoner of War.
Winston Churchill- British Prime Minister during WWII.
Totalitarianism- A form of government where one person (a dictator) rules everything about the country.
Rome-Berlin Axis- A name given to the 1936-made alliance between Mussolini and Hitler.
“Double V”-
“Cash-and-Carry”- A system where the US would sell arms to Allied Powers, and then make them come and get the arms.
Bataan Death March- A Japanese war crime where 100,000 American and Filipino troops were marched to prison camps, with many brutalities suffered along the way.
Dwight D. Eisenhower- Supreme Commander of Allied troops during WWII. He coordinated the successful invasions of France and Germany.
Operation Torch- The invasion of French North Africa in the hopes that Axis powers would be cleared from the area, therefore helping with control of the Mediterranean and assisting a Southern Europe invasion later.
Operation Overlord- The phase of WWII that was fought between the Allies and Axis powers in France. It ended with the Liberation of Paris.
D-Day- A name given to the beginning of the invasion of France in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Battle of the Bulge- The Germans’ last-ditch effort at winning in the Western front, although they were turned away by the Allies.
Eastern Front- The name given to the battle between the Germans and Russians.
Battle of Midway- A decisive battle in the Pacific between the US and Japan, won by America.
Island Hopping- The strategy used by the US in the Pacific where they would go for capturing the strategically valuable islands instead of attacking the main Japanese forces.
Kamikaze- Japanese suicide bombers who used planes to destroy ships and bases.
Holocaust- The mass slaughtering of Jews by the Nazi party.
Casablanca Conference- FDR and Churchill’s meetings to plan the Allied strategy of WWII.
Yalta Conference- The meeting of the leaders of the “Big 3”-the US, Britain, and the USSR.
Potsdam Conference- A conference in Germany between Churchill, Harry Truman, and Stalin. It was all about finding a way to administer the fallen Germany.
Teheran Conference- A meeting between the big 3 in Teheran, Iran. It was the first of the meetings between the Big 3.
Harry S. Truman- The President who took over after FDR died in office.
Enola Gay- The name of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb.
Hiroshima- One of the Japanese cities hit with an American atomic bomb.
Nagasaki- One of the Japanese cities hit with an American atomic bomb.
Douglas MacArthur- An American general who served mostly in the Pacific theater, especially in the Philippines.
V-J Day- Victory in Japan Day, the day that the war with Japan was ended.
Questions
1) The Neutrality Acts of the 1930s marked the end of the US traditional policy of having “freedom of the seas” because it was then that America stopped looking out for those countries who were under attack and in need in the name of our own interests.
2) FDR moved from isolationism to interventionism in the European war after Germany and Italy declared war on America for declaring war on Japan. After Pearl Harbor, Americans were all ready to go out and help with the Allied cause and to preserve democracy in the world. Although, after Germany took over France, the US was already visibly heightening its defenses by calling for a draft and increasing the number of ships and planes in the national fleets. FDR did this visibly so as to keep the voters, who were pro-war, happy. Personally, I think FDR wanted to go to war in order to preserve democracy in the world and to stop Hitler, even though he needed the Japanese’s help in getting a spark for going to war.
3) Had the US not gotten involved in the war, Germany would likely have taken all of Europe, probably all of Africa, and possibly Asia (with help from Japan). At this point, Germany would have had an easy time taking over the world. Therefore, staying isolationist would not have been in America’s best interests.
4) Using the A-Bombs on Japan was necessary because it greatly demoralized and scared the Japanese, forcing them to surrender and ending the war in the Pacific. Also, had the US used simple force and invaded Japan, many more lives would have been lost than were lost due to the bombs. One reason not to have dropped the bombs on Japan, however, is that they were aimed at killing civilians, and not soldiers. If in the situation of Truman, I would have made the decision to drop the bombs, simply as a last resort of a way to end the war.
5) No, the US cannot just remain a fortified island. The US, being the most powerful nation in the world, must aid other nations when they are being attacked or otherwise bullied unprovoked. It is America’s duty to ensure peace in the world can exist.
6) The US left WWII as a very changed nation. It had attained a great status of world power, mainly in that it was not destroyed in the war and it was the leader for all democratic nations worldwide. Also, the economy was changed forever, in that WWII times were the last times that the US exported goods significant enough to create a decent national profit. Since then, the US has mainly been a service industry nation.