World War II Vocabulary
nationalism: strong love for one’s country – super
patriot.
fascism: a political system that glorifies one race, one
nation, and war.
totalitarian: dictatorship with total control,
suppressing individual freedoms.
Anti-Semitism: strong dislike or hatred of Jewish
people.
dictator: one leader has total control of a country.
appeasement: to give in to someone who is
threatening to fight.
Blitzkrieg: lightening warfare – the military strategy
used by the Germans in World War II.
Holocaust: the mass execution of millions of people
by the Nazi’s during World War II.
genocide: the attempt to eliminate an entire race of
people.
arsenal: place where weapons can be obtained or
stored.
Selective service: registration for the draft.
rationing: controlling the amount of something,
limiting use.
embargo: not allowing the shipment of goods.
lend-lease: U.S. policy of helping Great Britain
before December 7, 1941.
internment: to confine a specific group of people
during wartime.
island - hopping: strategy of fighting the Japanese in
the Pacific.
kamikaze: Japanese suicide pilots
Super Powers: The United States and the Soviet
Union following World War II.