Unit 7: World War II and the Holocaust Vocabulary.

Unit 7: Unit 7: World War II and the World War II and the HolocaustHolocaust

Vocabulary

1. 1. totaltotalitarianismitarianismA form of government, such as

Fascism, that has total control over the lives of people

Gov’t has totaltotal control (jobs, life, where you live, whom you marry, how many kids). Ex. Nazi German, WWII Italy, USSR, North Korea today

2. 2. dictatordictatora ruler who has absolute, unrestri

cted controlAdolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Kim

Jong-un, etc

3. 3. NazisNazisCommon name for the National

Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP)

Germany, Led by Adolf Hitler

4. 4. fascismfascismA government in which the state

or gov’t is seen as more important than the individual; that controls the lives of its people, targets certain groups and builds a large military

Usually a military leader; ex. Nazi Germany, WWII Italy

5. 5. genogenocidecideThe killing of an entire race or

groupMass murder, often government

organized, usually based on prejudice/racism

6. ap6. appeasepeasementmentThe policy of giving into the

demands of a nation to avoid warAn attempt to keep the peace

7. 7. blitzblitzkriegkriegA German fighting strategy that

involved invading enemy territory with airplanes and tanks

“Lightning War”

8. Axis Powers8. Axis PowersThe coalition of nations in WWII

that included Germany, Italy, and Japan

9. Allied Powers9. Allied PowersA group of nations that opposed

the Axis Powers in WWIIUSA, Gr. Britain, USSR (Soviet Union/Russia)

10. internment10. internment The imprisonment of Japanese-

Americans in special camps during WWII

In America; meant to keep Japanese-Americans from spying; violation of civil liberties

11. ration/rationing11. ration/rationingA fixed portion or restricted

amountsSave products needed for

wartime – food, rubber, metal, fuel, etc

12. D-day12. D-dayAn invasion of Nazi-occupied

France by Allied forces1944; Normandy; turning point

battle

13. liberation13. liberationThe act of freeing people For example – liberation of the

concentration camps after the war

14. KamikazeJapanese suicide pilotsFlew planes into ships and other

targets, killing themselves in the process.

15. atomic bomb15. atomic bomb a weapon that receives its

explosive power from the splitting of atoms

Complete devastation; nuclear radiation; Hiroshima and Nagasaki

16. ally16. allyA person or country that agrees

to support another nation

17. neutral17. neutralNot taking sides in a conflict

18. strategy18. strategyA plan for fighting a battle or war

19. invade19. invadeTo enter forceful as an enemy; to

go into with a hostile intent