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fascism
An authoritarian system of government
characterized by dictatorial rule,
extreme nationalism, disdain for civil
society, and a conviction that
imperialism and warfare are principal
means by which a nation attains
greatness. Exemplified by Hitler and
Mussolini.
National
Socialist Party
German political party led by Adolf
Hitler, who became chancellor of
Germany in 1933. Its ascent was fueled
by huge World War I reparation
payments, economic depression, fear of
communism, labor unrest, and rising
unemployment.
Rome – Berlin
Axis
A political and military alliance
formed in 1936 between German
dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian
dictator Benito Mussolini, name for
the capitals of their countries.
Neutrality Act
of 1935
Legislation that sought to avoid
entanglement in foreign wars while
protecting trade. It imposed an embargo
on selling arms to warring countries and
declared that Americans traveling on
the ships of belligerent nations did so at
their own risk.
Munich
Conference
A meeting held in September 1938
during which Britain and France agreed
to allow Germany to annex the
Sudetenland—a German-speaking
border area of Czechoslovakia—in
return for Hitler’s pledge to seek no
more territory. The decision was an
attempt at appeasement.
America First
Committee
A committee organized by isolationists
in 1940 to oppose the entrance of the
United States into World War II. The
membership of the committee included
senators, journalists, publishers, and
well-respected figures such as the
aviator Charles Lindbergh.
Four
Freedoms
Identified by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt as the most basic human
rights. (Freedom of speech and worship
and freedom from want and fear). The
president used these ideas to justify
support for England during World War
II, which in turn pulled the United States
into the war.
Atlantic
Charter
After an historic August 1941 meeting
between FDR and Churchill, a joint press
release by both leaders called for
economic cooperation, national selfdetermination, and guarantees of
political stability after the war.
War Powers
Act
The law that gave President
Roosevelt unprecedented control
over all aspects of the war effort
during World War II.
Executive
Order 8802
An order signed by President Roosevelt
in 1941 that prohibited “discrimination
in the employment of workers in
defense industries or government
because of race, creed, color, or
national origin” and established the Fair
Employment Practices Commission
(FEPC).
Executive
Order 9066
An order signed by President
Roosevelt in 1941 that authorized
the War Department to force
Japanese Americans from their
West Coast homes and hold them
in relocation camps for the rest of
the war.
Manhattan
Project
Top-secret project authorized by FDR in
1942 to develop an atomic bomb ahead
of the Germans. The Americans who
worked on the project at Los Alamos,
New Mexico, among other highly
secretive sites around the country,
succeeded in producing a successful
atomic bomb by July 1945.
Zuit Suit Riots
Oversized clothing in fashion in the
1940s, particularly among young male
Mexican Americans. In June 1943, a
group of white sailors and soldiers in LA,
seeking revenge for an earlier skirmish
with Mexican American youths,
attacked anyone they found wearing
this type of clothing, causing riots.
Charles A.
Lindbergh
American hero who had flown solo
across the Atlantic in 1927. He
became a vocal proponent of
American isolationism, delivering
impassioned speeches against U.S.
interference in Europe.
Winston
Churchill
British Prime Minister who
followed Chamberlain into office in
1940.
Fred
Korematsu
California born American citizen of
Japanese ancestry who refused to
report for internment following
Executive Order 9066. His case
went to the Supreme Court, which
upheld the military authority to
declare and manage war zones.
Hideki Tojo
General who became the Japanese
war minister in 1940 and soon after
formed a military alliance with
Germany and Italy. His ultimate
goal was to create a “Greater East
Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.”