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Nazism
After the fall of the German Empire during World War I, a new political party rose to power in 1919. This new party was known as the Nazi Party which became the new government in 1933. It was led by Adolf Hitler and believed that the Germans were a superior race. -
Munich Pact
British and French prime ministers Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier met with Adolf Hitler on September 30, 1938. The agreement of the Munich Pact averted the outbreak of war but gave Czechoslovakia to Germany. -
Allied and Axis Powers
The Allied Powers consisted of America, Britain, France, and Russia. The Axis was made up of the European powerhouse, Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
Neutrality Act of 1939
Roosevelt responded to the European war by issuing a proclamation of neutrality. He pushed a fourth Neutrality Act through Congress, which permitted belligerents to purchase war materials, provided that they paid cash and carried the goods away in their own ships. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. -
Executive Order 9066
Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, thousands of Japanese-Americans were forced into internment camps. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones, clearing the way for the deportation of Japanese Americans. -
D-Day
On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France. It resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. -
Korematsu Vs. United States
Korematsu Vs. United States was a court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066. In a 6–3 decision, the Court sided with the government. The opinion, written by Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, held that the need to protect against espionage outweighed Fred Korematsu's individual rights, and the rights of Americans of Japanese descent. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. Despite the difficulty of the conditions, the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. -
Battle of Okinawa
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. -
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among member countries. The organization works on economic and social development programs, improving human rights and reducing global conflicts. -
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA).
