A
Anschluss: German's annexation of Austria in 1938. This was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
Appeasement policy: Neville Chamberlain's policy of avoiding war through diplomacy.
Ardennes: Forest in the southeast of Belgium) where German soldiers launched a determined counterattack against Allied forces in December 1944. The counterattack failed to stop the advance of the Allied forces.
Atomic Bomb: A weapon of mass destruction first developed by the United States in the Manhattan Project.
Atomic Bomb Attacks: On 6 August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. On 9 August 1945, the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. These attacks were intended to force Japan to surrender. Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945. Ever since then, no country has used atomic weapons in war.
August Coup: Failed attempt by Communist hardliners to seize power from Mikhail Gorbachev. The coup lasted from 19 August 1991 to 22 August 1991. The coup faced widespread opposition from the public, leading to protests and support for Boris Yeltsin. The failure of the coup accelerated the dissolution of the Soviet Union, officially ending in December 1991.
B
Barbarossa, Operation: Invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany. on 22 June 1941. The largest and costliest land offensive in the history of humanity, the operation involved around 10 million soldiers on both sides.
Berlin Blockade: (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin. The United States countered this by airlifting supplies into West Berlin. The Berlin Blockade was one of the first first major international crises of the Cold War.
Berlin Wall: A concrete barrier which encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. The Wall was built by the East German government to prevent East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin.
Bushido: Warrior or samurai. The Bushido code became a national ideology for Japan
C
Chamberlain, Neville: Prime Minister of Britain from 1937 to 1940. He pursued a policy of appeasement towards Germany and Italy, hoping that this would bring about peace for Europe.
Chiang Kai Shek: Leader of the Republic of China from 1928 - 1949.
Churchill, Winston: Prime Minister of Britain from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955. He was a vocal opponent of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement
Clemenceau, Georges: Prime Minister of France from 1917 to 1920. He represented France at the Paris Peace Conference and was determined to impose heavy terms on Germany for the destruction of World War II
Containment: An American approach to stop Communism from spreading. Also see: Truman Doctrine.
Constitutional monarchy: A system of government in which the monarch had to obey a constitution and is bound to follow the law.
D
D-Day: The landing of Allied forces on Normandy, France. This took place on 6 June 1944. Also known as Operation Overlord. It brought 130,000 Allied troops across the English Channel by sea and 23,000 by air.
Daimyo: Powerful lords who ruled over a particular area.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea: The official name for North Korea.
Diet: Japanese parliament
F
Fascism: An ideology which promotes authoritarianism, militarism and ultranationalism (the belief that one's country is superior to others).
Fukoku Kyohei: Principle which directed Japan's policy from the Meiji period onwards. It means "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army".
G
George, David Lloyd: Prime Minister of Britain from 1916 to 1922. He represented Britain at the Paris Peace Conference. He was not in favour of severe terms to punish Germany.
Glasnost: One of the key reforms initiated by Gorbachev, to allow Soviet citizens the freedom to criticise the Communist party and the government of the USSR
Goebbels, Joseph: Chief propagandist of Nazi Germany. He advocated extermination of the Jewish people. Goebbels and his family committed suicide in May 1945 when Nazi Germany's defeat was imminent.
Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich: The last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991.
H
Himmler, Henrich: Nazi official and leader of the SS. He was one of organisers of the Holocaust.
Hirohito: Emperor of Japan from 1926 - 1989
Hitler, Adolf: The leader of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. His ideological beliefs of ultra-nationalism and racial superiority led Germany to World War II. Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945 when Germany's defeat became all but certain.
Ho Chi Minh: Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 to 1955 and as President from 1945 until his death in 1969.
I
Inukai Tsuyoshi: Prime Minister of Japan from 1931 to 1932. He had a deep respect for Chinese culture. The militarist saw him as an obstacle and had him assassinated on May 15, 1932.
Island-hopping strategy: Allied strategy during the Asia-Pacific War. Instead of directly attacking Japanese-occupied areas, the Allied forces would then conquer poorly defended islands and use them to cut off ships that supplied the well-defended islands. This strategy helped to minimise Allied causalities.
J
Japan: From the 1930s to the end of World War II, Japan was referred to as "Empire of Japan" or "Imperial Japan".
K
Kristallnacht: See "Night of Broken Glass".
Kim Il Sung: The first leader of North Korea. He was born in 1912 and died in 1994. From 1948 to his passing, Kim was supreme leader of North Korea. He wanted to use the Korean War to reunify the Korean peninsula.
Korean War: Armed conflict on the Korean peninsula between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North) and the Republic of Korea (South). The war was both a civil war and a proxy war which involved the allies of North and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel. On 27 July 1953, an armistice was signed. There was never a peace treaty, so officially the war is still ongoing.
M
Marinus van der Lubbe: Dutch communist arrested and executed for starting the Reichstag Fire.
Mao Zedong: Leader of the People's Republic of China. Mao was born in 1893 and was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of China. From 1949 until his passing in 1976. He ordered Chinese soldiers to participate in the Korean War.
May 15 incident: Assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi by eleven junior Navy officers. The Japanese public was sympathetic to the officers.
Militarism: An ideology which believes every country should have a strong military which should be used to promote its interests.
Munich Agreement: An agreement reached on 30 September 1938 by Britain, Germany, France and Italy. Hitler asked for Sudetenland to be ceded to Germany and he promised not to make further territorial demands in Czechoslovakia.
Mussolini, Benito: Italian dictator who founded the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Mussolini was a close ally of Adolf Hitler.
Marshall Plan: An American plan to give economic assistance to European countries after World War II The assistance was offered to the Eastern European countries but rejected.
Mukden Incident: A false-flag incident staged by the Japanese forces as a pretext to invade Manchuria.
N
Nazi Party: The National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right ultranationalist party active from 1920 to 1945. Hitler did not found this party, but he eventually became its leader.
Nazi Soviet Pact: Agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, signed in August 1939. Both countries agreed not to attack each other nor help another country to attack each other. This agreement was to last for ten years and could be automatically renewed for an additional five years if neither country decided to end it. The pact had a secret clause to divide Poland between Germany and the USSR.
Ngo Dinh Diem: President of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) from 1955 until his assassination in 1963. Ngo's rule was charatcerised by authoritarianism and nepotism. He persecuted dissidents and Buddhists.
Night of Broken Glass: Also known as Kristallnacht. This was a pogrom against Jews on 9 - 10 November 1938.
Night of the Long Knives: Purge of Ernest Rohm and the SA. It took place from 30 June 1934 to 2 July 1934. Hitler thought that Rohm's powerful was threatening his.
P
Pearl Harbour: American naval base at Honolulu, Hawaii.
Pearl Harbour Attack: Surprise military strike by the Japanese Air Force on December 7, 1941. The purpose of the attack was to knock out the American navy so that the Japanese could pursue expansion in Asia-Pacific.
Potsdam Conference: Conference was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace.
R
Reichstag Fire: An arson attack on the German Reichstag on 27 February 1933. A Dutch communist was arrested for the fire. The Nazis used the arson as an excuse to clamp down on Communists and suspend civil liberties.
Reichstag Fire Decrees: An order to suspend freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and the secrecy of the post and the telephone.
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland: On 7 March 1936, German forces entered the Rhineland. This was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France did not respond to this act.
Republic of Korea: The official name for South Korea.
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano: President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. He advocated the "Arsenal of Democracy" and represented the United States at the Yalta Conference.
Ruhr, Occupation of: Industrial region in Germany. In January 1923 when Germany failed to make a payment for reparations owed due to the Treaty of Versailles, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr. They took natural resources. The Weimar Government ordered German workers to go on strike. This caused a collapse of the German economy. The government ordered currency to be printed but the notes were useless. This led to hyperinflation. The occupation lasted till August 1925.
S
Schutzstaffel: Popularly known as SS. Paramilitary organisation loyal to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich: Leader of the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953. He ordered "The Great Terror" (1936 - 1938).
Strumabteilung: Popularly known as SA. Original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It was led by Ernest Rohm, who was purged during the Night of the Long Knives.
Sudetenland: Historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas for former Czechoslovakia. These areas were inhabited primarily by ethnic Germans and Hitler demanded the Sudetenland during the Munich Agreement.
T
Tet Offensive: Major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It started on 30 Jan 1968 and ended on 28 Mar 1968.
Trotsky, Leon: Bolshevik colleague of Lenin and Stalin. Trotsky was one of the contenders for power after Lenin's death but he was sidelined by Stalin. Trotsky was assassinated in 1940.
Truman, Harry S.: President of the United States from 1945 to 1953. He ordered two atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan. He was also responsible for the doctrine of containing Communism.
Truman Doctrine: Foreign policy which pledged support to all democratic countries threatened by authoritarian regimes. It's main aim was to contain the spread of Communism.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: Known as the USSR for short, this was a Communist transnational country which lasted from 1922 to 1991.
V
Versailles, Treaty of: A peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. It imposed severe terms on Germany, which had to give up territory, drastically scale down its armed forces and accept blame for starting World War II.
Y
Yalta Conference: Conference held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe.
Z
Zaibatsu: Financial cliques from the Meiji period to World War II. These cliques controlled significant parts of the Japanese economy.