WWII Historical Glossary: Key Definitions and Context

Key Definitions of World War II History

Sudetenland

A mountain region in the Czech Republic, including the Sudeten Mountains and the Erzgebirge. Annexed by Germany in 1938, it returned to Czechoslovakia in 1945. This action involved claiming more territory.

The Sudetenland, which had a predominantly German population, was incorporated into Czechoslovakia.

Munich Agreement (September 30, 1938)

A settlement or pact reached by Germany. An agreement between Britain and Germany in 1938, under which Germany was allowed to extend its territory into parts of Czechoslovakia in which German-speaking peoples lived. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiated on behalf of Britain, and Chancellor Adolf Hitler on behalf of Germany.

The Holocaust and Genocide

The Holocaust was a period in history at the time of WWII when millions of Jews were murdered because of who they were. Since 1945, it has been defined as the ideological and systematic state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of millions of European Jews.

Genocide Defined

Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, usually because they are a certain nationality, race, or religion.

Major WWII Factions

The war was fought between two major groups of nations:

• Axis Powers: The major Axis Powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan. The alliance originated in a series of agreements between Germany and Italy.
• Allied Powers (The Allies): The group of nations including the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Free French, who joined in the war against Germany and other Axis countries.

To Defeat

Defeat is the opposite of victory. When you lose, you suffer defeat. When you win, you defeat your enemy. This is a word that is all about losing. In World War II, America and the Allies defeated the Axis powers.

Resistance

A term used to describe underground forces who fought against German occupation.

Occupation

Refers to policies put forward in the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 and 1945, during and shortly before WWII, generally administered by the Nazi regime.

Ghetto

Ghettos were often enclosed districts that isolated Jews by separating Jewish communities from the non-Jewish population.

Mein Kampf

Political manifesto written by Adolf Hitler. It was his only complete book and became the “bible” of National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany’s Third Reich.

Appeasement

Appeasement was the name given to Britain's policy in the 1930s of allowing Hitler to expand German territory unchecked.

Foreign Policy: Appeasement is a foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved (hurt) country through negotiation in order to prevent war. The prime example is Britain’s policy toward Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s, where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sought to accommodate.