Allied Powers

Basically, Allied powers = good guys.

The Allied powers are all of the countries that were against the Axis powers during World War II. Though there were many, the most invested were the United States, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of China.

They were officially allied on January 1st, 1942, via a document called the Declaration by United Nations (not to be confused with the intergovernmental organization the United Nations, which came after World War II).

American Electorate

A fancy and official name for all of the people in the United States who can legally vote.

Armament Production

Not to be confused with the process of making armadillos (they take care of that themselves), armament production is the making of weapons and other military defense materials.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

"A date which will live in infamy," the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7th, 1941, when the Empire of Japan conducted a surprise air raid on a U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory.

This act of aggression drew the United States into World War II. Side note: Hawaii was only a territory of the United States in 1941. It wouldn't become the Aloha State until 1959.

Austral-Asia

Though it sounds like a lost continent, Austral-Asia—or Australasia, as it's more commonly spelled—is actually a region of the world that includes Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and other islands located nearby. It's a subset of a region known as Oceania.

Axis Powers

Or, as we like to call them: the Baddies.

In the context of World War II, the term "Axis powers" refers to the collection of nations and affiliated states that were allied with the main instigators of the war: Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Empire of Japan. Germany, Italy, and Japan were bound in their tyrannical mission to rule the world with an agreement called the Tripartite Pact.

Concentration Camp

Heads up, there's no easy way to talk about this.

Concentration camps are also known as internment camps, prison camps, and in many cases, labor or death camps. They're an inhumane method of forced imprisonment.

Concentration camps were used extensively during World War II, especially by the Nazis, who detained and killed large groups of people based upon their ethnicity, religion, race, physical capabilities, and/or gender identity.

The United States also used internment camps to confine people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The majority of the prisoners were American citizens. No matter which way you cut it, the circumstances are horrible.

Congress

Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government that consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. "Congress" sometimes also refers to a meeting of the two governing bodies for official purposes, like being talked at by the president during the State of the Union address. By the time FDR gave the "Four Freedoms" speech, Congress had met 77 times.

Fireside Chats

FDR just loved talking on the radio…and people loved to listen. For 11 years, FDR talked directly to the American people in a series of radio broadcasts that are known as the fireside chats. So homey.

Topics of discussion included domestic and foreign policy, plans concerning the economy, and sometimes just rumors.

Four-Year War Between the States

This is FDR being vague. He's just referring to the Civil War.

Great Depression

Lasting from the stock market crash on October 24th, 1929, until the early 1940s, the Great Depression in the United States was a period marked by an incredibly high rate of unemployment, economic poverty, and general hardship. Pulling the United States out of the Great Depression was the biggest issue FDR faced during his presidency before World War II.

Implements of Peace

The opposite of "implements of war." So, things like slinkies, Beanie Babies, PacSun, etc.

Implements of War

Weapons, weapons, weapons, and more weapons.

Lend-Lease policy (of 1941)

This is FDR's foreign policy that permitted the United States to share war materials with other nations fighting against the Axis powers. Countries that majorly benefited from the Lend-Lease policy were the United Kingdom, China, and the USSR.

Louisiana

A reference to the Louisiana Purchase. See also "Napoleonic Struggles" below.

Maximilian Interlude in Mexico

One-hit wonder Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was the sole emperor of the short-lived Second Mexican Empire, which lasted from 1864-1867. It was a reign of somewhat minimal-ian impact. 

Munitions

Also known as bullets, bombs, and other incredibly dangerous projectiles that should only be in the hands of the most responsible people.

Napoleonic Struggles

This seems ripe for a joke about the vertically challenged, but we'll stick to the facts.

The long and short of it is this: FDR is referring to Napoleon Bonaparte's control of territory in the middle of what is now the continental United States, as well as his control over the islands that make up the West Indies.

Remember, Napoleon was the emperor of France about 140 years earlier, so FDR is referencing something historical and long before his time.

The "struggle" was Napoleon's desire to expand the French empire into North America by securing political dominance in the two territories. His plan fell apart and eventually resulted in a brutal defeat in Haiti and a loss of territory to the United States in a transaction called the Louisiana Purchase (which doubled the size of the United States practically overnight).

The New Deal

The New Deal was FDR's plan for pulling the United States out of the Great Depression. It resulted in programs like Social Security and emphasized goals of relief, recovery, and reform for the country at large. The New Deal was a big deal, and it's worth knowing more about to better understand FDR's political motivations behind the "Four Freedoms" speech.

Peace of 1919

The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 was a gathering of Allied leaders after the fall of the Central Powers in World War I.

During the conference, many treaties were drafted with the intent of controlling and reforming war-torn Europe. One of the most historically significant treaties to come out of this meeting was the Treaty of Versailles.

Peace of Versailles

This refers to the Treaty of Versailles, which doled out a laundry list of punishments, blaming Germany for the wurst of World War I and making them the proud new owners of war guilt.

In addition to being blamed for one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, Germany was forced to pay huge reparations in wealth and natural resources (like sausages and beer) to the Allies. Along with the other Central Powers, its territory was torn apart—redrawing national borders that contributed to making Europe the hodgepodge of tiny countries it is today.

Prohibition

This was a dry stretch of time in U.S. history when alcoholic beverages were essentially forbidden. Starting in 1920 with the Volstead Act, it lasted until FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison Act in 1933, which repealed the nationwide ban on booze and marked the beginning of the end of Prohibition.

Propaganda

Television, film, radio, newspapers, posters, and other forms of media information used to manipulate people into siding with a specific political viewpoint or ideology.

State of the Union Address

It's a really important speech given by the president (though not always written by him) to the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate, and the rest of America. It usually happens once a year and is lazily abbreviated as SOTU.

War of 1812

A short but complex military skirmish between the newly formed United States of America and the old empire of the United Kingdom. The War of 1812 is a passing reference in FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech, but one that demonstrates American resilience to foreign domination.