The Treaty of Versailles
was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on June 28, 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
League of Nations
An international organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the first World War. Proposed by Wilson, its goals included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation, diplomacy, and improving global quality of life. The U.S. never joined the League.
Kellogg-Briand Pact
an international agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve "disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them. " It was signed by Germany, France, and the United States on August 27, 1928
appeasement
the policy of giving in to threats and aggression in the hopes that the aggressor will be satisfied and make no more demands
Fascism
a political ideology that places a heightened focus on national unity, through dictatorial rule, and militarism
The Munich Agreement
was a settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of portions of Czechoslovakia along the country's borders mainly inhabited by German speakers, for which a new territorial designation "Sudetenland" was coined.
The Tripartite Pact
signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II. The pact was signed by representatives of Nazi Germany (Adolf Hitler), Fascist Italy (foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano), and Imperial Japan (Japanese ambassador to Germany Saburo Kurusu).
American Neutrality Act
The Neutrality Acts were laws that were passed by the United States Congress in the 1930s in response to the growing turmoil in Europe and Asia eventually leading to World War II. They were spurred by the growth in isolationism and non-interventionism in the US following its costly involvement in World War I, and sought to ensure that the US would not become entangled again in foreign conflicts.
The "Big Three"
consisted of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.
Cash and Carry
a policy requested by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on September 21, 1939 to replace the Neutrality Acts of 1936. The revision allowed the sale of materiel to belligerents, as long as the recipients arranged for the transport using their own ships and paid immediately in cash.
Lend-Lease Act
the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939 but nine months before the U.S. entered the war in December 1941 however it effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality.
Pearl Harbor
a United States Navy deep-water naval base in Hawaii and is the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, brought the United States into World War II.
Stimson Doctrine
a policy of the United States federal government, enunciated in a note of January 7, 1932, to Japan and China, of non-recognition of international territorial changes that were executed by force.
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4–8, 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. Although a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, the battle would prove to be a strategic victory for the Allies.
Midway Battle
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between June 4 and 7, 1942, only 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.
Battle of Berlin
designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II during which the Red Army breached the German front.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
A World War II battle in the Pacific theater fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar from 23–26 October 1944, between combined US and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Battle of Stalingrad
A major and decisive battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia.
Invasion of Normandy (D-day)
The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Allied forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in 1944 during World War II. It was the largest amphibious operation ever to take place.
The Kriegsmarine (War Navy
was the name of the German Navy from 1935 to 1945; most of the period of Nazi rule. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
kamikaze
An attack requiring the suicide of the one carrying it out, especially when done with an aircraft
Leapfrogging or "island hopping"
the Allied strategy employed against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater, and involved bypassing fortified positions by focusing on strategically important islands.
Midway Battle
widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between June 4 and 7, 1942, only 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.
Operation Torch
the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942.
torpedo
A cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater and is used as a weapon.
U-boat
Any German submarine of the First or Second World War, or any Austro-Hungarian submarine of the First World War.
V-E Day
Victory over Europe Day, May 8, 1945, marking Allies' victory in Europe
V-J Day
Victory over Japan day. the day on which Japan surrendered in WWII, September 2nd 1945