Download Militarism

World War II
World Civilizations
1. Total War- Is a war limitless in its scope
in which a belligerent engages in the
mobilization of all their available resources,
in order to render beyond use their rival's
capacity for resistance. In a total war, there
is less differentiation between combatants
and civilians than in other conflicts, and
sometimes no such differentiation at all, as
nearly every human resource, civilians and
soldiers alike, can be considered to be part
of the belligerent effort
2. Fascism- A system of government
dominated by far-right-wing forces and
generally commanded by a single dictator.
Several Fascist governments were
established in Europe in the early Twentieth
Century; most notably those led by dictators
Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussolini
of Italy, and Francisco Franco of Spain.
3. Non-Aggression Pacts-An international
treaty between two or more states/countries
agreeing to avoid war or armed conflict
between them and resolve their disputes
through peaceful negotiations-- Sometimes
such a pact may include a pledge of
avoiding armed conflict even if participants
find themselves fighting third countries,
including allies of one of the participants.(
German-Soviet, German- Polish, GermanTurkish, Soviet-Japanese)
4. Lebensraum- Literally “living space,”
Adolf Hitler’s justification for Germany’s
aggressive territorial conquests in the late
1930s-- Hitler used the idea of lebensraum
to claim that the German people’s “natural”
territory extended beyond the current
borders of Germany and that Germany
therefore needed to acquire additional
territory in Europe.
5. Anschluss- Austria was annexed to the
German Third Reich on 12 March 1938.
There had been several years of pressure
from Germany and there were many
supporters within Austria for the German
Control.
6. Munich Agreement- September 30,
1938- An agreement among Germany,
Britain, Italy, and France that allowed
Germany to annex the region of western
Czechoslovakia called the SudetenlandNazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this
effort was the alleged privations suffered by
ethnic German populations living in those
regions. It left Czechoslovakia open for
occupation by March 1939
7. Appeasement- The British and French
policy of conceding to Adolf Hitler’s
territorial demands prior to the outbreak of
World War II. The Munich Agreement was
the most famous example of British Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain’s policy of
appeasement prior to World War II.
8. German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact(Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact)-August 23,
1939- A pact signed to prevent hostilities
between the two countries. Germany and the
USSR had also agreed to overrun the
countries that lay between them.
Specifically, they agreed that Germany and
the USSR would each take over one half of
Poland.
9. Invasion of Poland- was an invasion of
Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union. It
marked the start of World War II in Europe.
The invasion began on September 1, 1939,
one week after the signing of the Molotov–
Ribbentrop Pact, and ended October 6, 1939
with Germany and the Soviet Union
dividing and annexing the whole of Poland.
10. Blitzkrieg- Literally “lightning war,” the
term for Hitler’s invasion strategy of
attacking a nation suddenly and with
overwhelming force-- Hitler applied the
blitzkrieg strategy, with varying degrees of
success, to the German invasions of Poland,
France, and the Soviet Union
11. Allied Powers-An alliance during World
War II made up of the countries that
opposed the aggression of Nazi Germany.
Britain, France, the United States, and the
Soviet Union were the most prominent
members, although many other countries
also joined.
12. Britain and France Declare War on
Germany—Both declared war on Germany
on September 3, 1939 just two days after
Germany began its invasion of Poland.
However, aside from basic defensive
preparations, neither country took
significant action for several months.
Rather, Britain initiated a propaganda effort
against Hitler by using its bombers to drop
millions of anti-Nazi leaflets over Germany.
Among the British public, this effort soon
came to be known as the “Confetti war.”
13. Axis Powers-The collective term for
Germany, Italy, and Japan’s military
alliance in opposition to the Allied Powers.
Several smaller countries in Eastern Europe
also became members of the Axis Powers
temporarily.
14. The Tripartite Pact- Pact signed in
Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940,
which established the Axis Powers of World
War II.
15. The Maginot Line- A line of concrete
fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery
casemates, machine gun posts, and other
defenses, which France constructed along its
borders with Germany in light of its
experience in World War I, and in the runup to World War II. Generally the term
describes only the defenses facing Germany.
The French established the fortification to
provide time for their army to mobilize in
the event of attack. The success of static,
defensive combat in World War I was a key
influence on French thinking. The
fortification system successfully dissuaded a
direct attack.
16. On October 6, 1939- Hitler made a
peace offer to both Western PowersOctober 10th Both France and England
refuse offer- The French Army battled the
German Army in Belgium ending in a
decisive German victory- The German
Army surrounded the British, French and
Belgium Forces at Dunkirk, France.
17. Operation Dynamo- Following the
Battle of Dunkirk- French, British and
Belgian Forces were surrounded by German
Forces. A massive evacuation to Britain
began— It took a full week to accomplish,
using more than 800 civilian and military
sea vessels. In all, more than 300,000 men
were brought back across the English
Channel to British soil. The feat was
heroic—it was done under nearly constant
bombardment from the Luftwaffe--The
German Army’s decision not to attack but
rather regroup is considered a major blunder
of the war
18. Invasion of France- France’s military at
the time was actually larger and more
technologically advanced than Germany’s.
In fact, before the invasion, a number of
senior German military leaders felt strongly
that Germany was unprepared to take on
France militarily. France fell primarily due
to mistaken assumptions about how the
attack would be carried out. While France
believed all German forces were going to
Belgium, Germany had actually sent a
massive army through the Ardennes Forest-The advance was not anticipated, and
allowed the German Army to mobilize on
Paris
19. Battle of Britain- The British did not
send troops to assist the French because they
understood a German Invasion of Britain
would come soon—The Battle of Britain
was the first major campaign to be fought
entirely by air forces and was also the
largest and most sustained aerial bombing
campaign to that date-- The failure of
Germany to achieve its objectives of
destroying Britain's air defenses, or forcing
Britain to negotiate an armistice or an
outright surrender, is considered its first
major defeat and one of the crucial turning
points in the war. If Germany had gained air
superiority, Adolf Hitler might have
launched an amphibious and airborne
invasion of Britain.
20. Western Desert Campaign- The initial
stage of the North African Campaign during
the Second World War—initially the main
combating forces were the British and the
Italians. Following several British Victories
in which they took control of a vast amount
of North African land, the Germans became
involved and pushed the British back into
Egypt. The campaign was heavily
influenced by the availability of supplies and
transport-- Allied interdictions denied the
German commander, Erwin Rommel, the
fuel and the reinforcements he desperately
needed at critical moments—Eventually the
United States became involved which
resulted in German defeat.
21. Operation Barbarossa & The Battle of
Stalingrad-The The Battle of Stalingrad
took place between July 17, 1942 and
February 2, 1943 and was among the largest
on the Eastern Front, and was marked by its
brutality and disregard for military and
civilian casualties
23. D-Day- June 6, 1944-- The landing
operations of the Allied invasion of
Normandy-- The operation was the largest
amphibious invasion in world history, with
over 160,000 troops landing—The landing
opened up an advance of Allied Troops on
the Western Front of Europe
24. Battle of the Bulge- Following a
German retreat from France; they regrouped
for a battle in Belgium-- Their push created
a bulge in the center of the Allied DefenseThis was the largest and bloodiest battle for
the Americans in World War II—Following
the German offensive, the Allies pushed
through on their way to Germany
25. The Battle of Berlin- Was the final
major offensive of the European Theatre of
World War II. Starting on 16 January 1945,
the Red Army breached the German front
and advanced westward as much as 40
kilometers a day, through East Prussia.
During the offensive, two Soviet fronts
(army groups) attacked Berlin from the east
and south, while a third overran German
forces positioned north of Berlin. The Battle
in Berlin lasted from 20 April 1945 until the
morning of 2 May and was one of the
bloodiest battles in history
The Holocaust
26. “Final Solution”-The Nazi’s
euphemistic term for their plan to
exterminate the Jews of Germany and other
German-controlled territories during World
War II-- Nazi leaders planned the Holocaust
but made no specific mention of the
extermination camps that ultimately killed
millions
27. Gestapo- The brutal Nazi secret police
force, headed by the infamous Hermann
Göring. The Gestapo was responsible for the
relocation of many European Jews to Nazi
concentration camps during the war.
28. Concentration Camps- The term was
borrowed from the British concentration
camps of the Second Anglo-Boer War.
Camps were setup around Europe (Mainly
Eastern) -- Jewish Prisoners, political
prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies,
the mentally ill and others were
incarcerated, generally without trial or
judicial process—Eventually camps are
found at end of war, however millions have
already perished
29. Modern Emphasis has been placed on
the Allied Powers denial to aid camps
during war including blowing up railroads to
camps and choosing not to disregard
intelligence about camps
War in the Pacific
30. Second Sino-Japanese War- 1937- In
1931 the Japanese had invaded Manchuria,
which caused a direct conflict with China.
Over the next six years several incidents
foreshadowed a Japanese Invasion of China.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
the war merged into the greater conflict of
World War II as a major front of what is
broadly known as the Pacific War. The
Second Sino-Japanese War was the largest
Asian war in the 20th century
31. Rape of Nanking- was a mass murder
and war rape that occurred during the sixweek period following the Japanese capture
of the city of Nanjing (Nanking), the former
capital of the Republic of China. During this
period, hundreds of thousands of Chinese
civilians and disarmed soldiers were
murdered and 20,000–80,000 women were
raped by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese
Army.
32. Embargoes on Japan- In an effort to
discourage Japanese militarism, Western
powers stopped selling iron ore, steel and oil
to Japan, denying it the raw materials
needed to continue its activities in China and
French Indochina. In Japan, the government
and nationalists viewed these embargos as
acts of aggression; imported oil made up
about 80% of domestic consumption,
without which Japan's economy, let alone its
military, would grind to a halt. Faced with a
choice between economic collapse and
withdrawal from its recent conquests (with
its attendant loss of face), the Japanese
Imperial General Headquarters began
planning for a war with the western powers
in April or May 1941.
33. Attack on Pearl Harbor- In the early
hours of 7 December (Western Hemisphere
time), Japan launched a major carrier-based
air strike on Pearl Harbor, which knocked
eight American battleships out of action.
The Japanese had gambled the United
States, when faced with such a sudden and
massive defeat would agree to a negotiated
settlement and allow Japan free rein in Asia.
This gamble did not pay off. American
losses were less serious than initially
thought: the American aircraft carriers, far
more important than battleships, were at sea,
and vital naval infrastructure (fuel oil tanks,
shipyard facilities, and power station),
submarine base, and signals intelligence
units were unscathed. Japan's fallback
strategy, relying on a war of attrition to
make the U.S. come to terms, was beyond
the IJN's capabilities.
34. Bataan Death March- The "march", or
forcible transfer of 75,000 American and
Filipino prisoners of war was characterized
by wide-ranging physical abuse and murder,
and resulted in very high fatalities inflicted
upon prisoners and civilians alike by the
armed forces of the Empire of Japan.
Beheading, throat-cutting, and shooting
were common causes of death, in addition to
death by bayonet, rape, disembowelment,
rifle-butt beating, and deliberate starvation
or dehydration on the week-long continual
march in the tropical heat. Falling down or
inability to continue moving was tantamount
to a death sentence, as was any degree of
protest.
35. Battle of Midway- Between June 4th and
7th 1942, approximately six months after
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United
States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial
Japanese Navy (IJN) attack against Midway
Atoll, inflicting irreparable damage on the
Japanese fleet. Military historian John
Keegan has called it "the most stunning and
decisive blow in the history of naval
warfare."
36. Island Hopping- A military strategy
employed by the Allies in the Pacific War
against Japan and the Axis powers during
World War II. The idea was to bypass
heavily fortified Japanese positions and
instead concentrate the limited Allied
resources on strategically important islands
that were not well defended but capable of
supporting the drive to the main islands of
Japan. It would allow the United States
forces to reach Japan more quickly and not
expend the time, manpower, and supplies to
capture every Japanese-held island on the
way. It would give the Allies the advantage
of surprise and keep the Japanese off
balance.
37. Manhattan Project- The code name for
the U.S. government’s secret program to
develop an atomic bomb--Begun in 1942,
the Manhattan Project utilized the expertise
of world-famous physicists, including Albert
Einstein and Enrico Fermi, to develop the
weapon. It finally succeeded in conducting
the first successful atomic bomb test in July
1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico. After a
difficult decision by President Harry S
Truman, U.S. forces dropped two atomic
bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in August 1945, prompting
Japan’s surrender.
After the War
38. Yalta Conference- Was the February 4–
11, 1945 wartime meeting of the heads of
government of the United States, the United
Kingdom, and the Soviet Union—
(Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin)
respectively—for the purpose of discussing
Europe's post-war reorganization. Mainly, it
was intended to discuss the re-establishment
of the nations of war-torn Europe.--Agreement to the priority of the
unconditional surrender of Nazi GermanyAfter the war, Germany and Berlin would be
split into four occupied zones-- Germany
would undergo demilitarization and
denazification
39. The Potsdam Conference- July 16 to
August 2, 1945. Participants were the Soviet
Union, the United Kingdom, and the United
States. The three nations were represented
by Stalin, (Churchill and, later, Clement
Attlee), and Truman.—Things that had
changed since Yalta-
1. The Soviet Union was occupying Central
and Eastern Europe
2. Britain had a new Prime Minister
3. America had a new President, and the war
was ending
4. The US had tested an atomic bomb
Agreements were then made finalizing
German Occupation and Poland’s Future.
Following heated altercations between
Western Powers and USSR, foreshadowing
of the Cold War became apparent
40. The Bretton Woods System- A
Monetary management coalition which
established the rules for commercial and
financial relations among the world's major
industrial states in the mid-20th century. The
Bretton Woods system was the first example
of a fully negotiated monetary order
intended to govern monetary relations
among independent nation-states. Setting up
a system of rules, institutions, and
procedures to regulate the international
monetary system, the planners at Bretton
Woods established the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD), which today is part of the World
Bank Group. These organizations became
operational in 1945 after a sufficient number
of countries had ratified the agreement--The
chief features of the Bretton Woods system
were an obligation for each country to adopt
a monetary policy that maintained the
exchange rate by tying its currency to the
U.S. dollar and the ability of the IMF to
bridge temporary imbalances of payments.