| A | B |
|---|
| aggression: | an unprovoked attack. |
| allies: | nations that are united in a military alliance. |
| Allies Powers | name given to nations allied against the Central Powers during World War I, and to nations allied against the Axis during World War II. |
| appeasement: | the action of giving in to the demands of the powerful in order to please or pacify them. |
| arsenal: | a place for making or storing weapons. |
| Atlantic Charter (August 1941): | a statement signed by President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledging that both the U.S. and Great Britain would work for a world free of aggression. |
| Axis: | name given to the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan before and during World War II. |
| Baltic states: | nations on the rim of the Baltic Sea such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. |
| belligerent: | any person or nation engaged in warfare. |
| "big lie" tactic: | a belief that if a lie is repeated often enough it will eventually be accepted as true. |
| blitzkrieg: | sudden and swift warfare -- the word is derived from the German words "blitz" (lightning) and "krieg" (war). |
| cash-and-carry policy: | a policy established by the Neutrality Act of 1939 which allowed nations at war to buy weapons from the U.S. provided foreign ships transported those weapons from the U.S. (The law was intended to help Great Britain and France obtain weapons for their fight against the Axis.) |
| Dawes Plan (1924): | a plan proposed by Charles G. Dawes establishing a payment schedule by which Germany could more easily meet its reparations obligations. |
| dollar diplomacy: | a policy begun by President Taft whereby the U.S. attempted to increase its influence in Latin America by encouraging Americans to make investments in Latin American nations. |
| embargo: | a ban on trading with another country. |
| fascism: | a political system, led by a dictator, that glorifies the power of the state, advocates private ownership of businesses, and suppresses any opposition to that power. |
| French underground: | a secret organization of French citizens which actively opposed Nazi occupation forces in France. |
| Good Neighbor Policy (1933): | President Franklin Roosevelt's policy of friendly cooperation and respect between the U.S. and Latin America which included a pledge not to intervene in the internal affairs of Latin American nations. |
| guerilla warfare: | hit-and-run attacks. |
| interventionism: | the act of interfering, often with military force, in the internal affairs of another country with the intent of changing conditions in that country. |
| isolationist: | a policy of avoiding relations, such as diplomatic involvement, with other nations. |
| Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): | an agreement signed by 62 nations that "outlawed" war "as an instrument of foreign policy." |
| kulaks: | well-to-do Russian farmers who had once owned their own land but lost their farms during Soviet nationalization of private businesses. |
| Lend-Lease Act (1941): | a law allowing nations fighting against the Axis, such as Great Britain, to borrow or lease military equipment from the U.S. |
| nationalization: | to bring private property or services under the control or ownership of the national government. |
| Nazis: | members of the National Socialist German Workers Party which was founded in 1919. Under Adolf Hitler this party seized control of Germany in 1933, systematically eliminated opposition, and put into effect a program of nationalism, racism, rearmament and aggression. |
| "Panay" Incident (1937): | a Japanese air attack on the U.S. gunboat "Panay" while on the Yangtze River in China -- later called an "accident" by Japanese authorities. |
| propaganda: | one-sided or intentionally false information which is designed to influence people's thoughts or actions. |
| reparations: | payments for war losses and damage to the Allies such as what Germany was supposed to make after World War I. |
| Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: | an expansion of the Monroe Doctrine in which, in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt claimed for the U.S. the right to intervene in Latin America when necessary to preserve order. |
| saboteur: | one who intentionally destroys machines, supplies or other properties of an organization or nation. (For example, saboteurs of the French underground sought to destroy German communication lines in France during World War II.) |
| ultimatum: | a final offer made by a person or nation to another which, if rejected, might lead to hostilities. |
| Vichy France: | a part of France not occupied by German forces during World War II but ruled by a puppet French government obedient to the Germans. |
| World Court: | established in 1920 to arbitrate international disputes; it was replaced in 1945 by the International Court of Justice (also called the Permanent Court of International Justice). |
