End of year test revision Flashcards
Cause
one of the factors that helps historians explain why an event happened
alliance
an agreement between countries where each member country promises to support the others such as defending them if they are attacked
imperialism
the policy of extending an country’s power and control over other countries in order to create an empire
arms race
a competition betwen countries to build the biggest and most advanced military
war of attrition
a type of war in which each side tries to war down the other by killing so many men that they cannot be replaced
stalemate
a standstill when neither side is strong enough to defeat the other
trench
a deep ditch where soldiers fought from and lived throughout WW1
western front
a 400mile line of trenches that weaved through france and belgium during WW1. main site of conflict between the triple alliance and entente.
isolationism
policy of not getting involved in the conflicts and affairs of other countries. followed by the USA in WW1 until 1917
armistice
peace treaty that ends a wart signed on november 11 at 11:11 to end WW1
reparations
money paid by the defeated countries of a war to the victors for the damages caused
treaty of versailles
treaty signed in June 1919 in which the big three (France Britain and USA) decided the fate of Germany after its defeat in WW1
Weimar republic
name of the German government in power between 1918 and 1933. founded after the kaiser (German emperor) gave up the throne after WW1 and collapsed once Hitler came into power
Nazi Party
Officailly the national socialist german workers’ party. it was a far-right political party in germany active between 1920 and 1945 that was founded on nationalism, anti semitism, fascism and anti democracy
fascism
a system of government led by a dictator having compleete power, with an emphasis on aggressive nationalism and often racism
hyperinflation
describes the rapid and out of control increase in prices usually as the result of the government printing too much money causing people to be unable to aford to buy basic goods
great depression
economic crisis that started in america with the wall street crash of october 1929 and ended up spreading to many other parts of the world including Germany. america asked for all the money it had loaned, causing massive unemployment and poverty.
Fuhrer
literally “great leader”. title that Hitler gave himslef as the head of the nazi party and from 1933 onwards as the dictator of germany
stereotype
very generalised belief abou a particular group of people wich is sometimes based on some truth but can lead to discrimination
scapegoat
when a person or group is unfairly held responsible for a particular problem
anti-semitism
hatred or fear of Jews
persecution
when a group of people is treated badly often violently because of their religion race or political belief.
aryan
blond blue eyes northern europeans which the nazis believed was the superior race that was destined to rule the world
propaganda
communication used to persuade people of a political cause or point of view
conspiracy theory
an explanation for an event that often involves a plot by a powerful group of people that are believed to control the world from the shadows.
nuremburg laws
the informal name for two racial laws introduced by Hitler in september 1935. the nuremberg laws effectively withdrew the citizenship of german jews and laid the foundation for the removal of their right to work and marry
kristallnacht
the night of broken glass. a planned attack of jewish shops homes and businesses in november 1938. 20 000 Jews arrested and sent to concentration camps
final solution
the code name for the planned genocide of jewish people in all land under nazi control. decided at the wannsee conference in 1942
holocaust
he genocide of 6million jews and other undesirables carried out by the nazis betwee 1941 and 1945 mostly in death camps. the word originally means ‘sacrificial burning.’
death camps
type of concentration camp where prisoners were killed in gas chambers using zyklon-B gas
appeasement
giving someone what they want in order to prevent tension from escalating
axis powers
fascist alliance of countries that wanted to take over the world. composed of nazi germany italy and japan
battle of britain
nazi germany’s attempt to invade in july 1940 starting with a war in the air. ended in september 1940 with the RAF defeating the Luftwaffle
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
two cities destroyed by US atomic bombs on 6th and 9th August 1945 respectively, leading to the surrender of imperial japan and the official end of WW2
blitzkrieg
literally “lightning war”. tactic used by Nazi Germany to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns which relied on mobile units pentrating enemy territory. enabled germany to conquer most of western europe within 2 years.
The blitz
Nazi Germany’s intense bombing campaign in Britain between September 1940 in May 1941. In order to force Britain to surrender. was not successful.
Dunkirk
Last minute rescue of 300,000 allied troops in May 1940, including most of the British expeditionary Force, using a free to private ships. Hailed as a triumph by the British media.
Battle of Stalingrad
Key battle in which the German advance into the Soviet union was stopped after its failed siege of Stalingrad between September 1942 and February 1943
operation overlord/D-day
Allied invasion of Normandy on the 6th of June 1944, which was successful and paved the way for the liberation of Western Europe
Pearl Harbour
Japanese attempt to destroy the American Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor Hawaii, using surprise air bombings on December 7, 1941. Was mostly successful but did not destroy US aircraft carriers.
what happened on D-Day
On June 6, 1944, allied forces from United States, Canada and United Kingdom and other countries launched a coordinated invasion of the beaches of Normandy in northern France ago was deliberate Nazi occupied north-western Europe. D-Day marked the largest Naval and land operation in history up to that point. Within a few days 326,000 troops over 500,000 vehicles and about 100,000 tons of equipment had landed.
why was D-Day a turning point
It stopped the Nazi genocide- saving millions of lives.
the invasion didnt stop at the beaches, troops continued to liberate the rest of France, causing germany to surrender within a year after the invasion.
what happened at Dunkirk
In May 1940, the German Armed Forces launched an offensive against Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg.
British and French forces entered Belgium, hoping to halt the German momentum and force a stalemate.
However, the main German effort came in the Ardennes where they achieved a major breakthrough against French units.
The allies realise that their main forces including hundreds of thousands of troops were trapped and couldn’t escape the German encirclement.
why was Dunkirk and turning point
Britiain decided to evacuate troops off the beaches during operation dynamo and successfully saved 215 000 british troops and 123 000 french troops.
This saved a large portion of the british army. without the evacuation britain would have lost its only trained troops, jeopardizing the entire allied cause.
it could have destroyed british morale but instead massively boosted it by making them believe they could win the war and that fate was on their side
the rescued soldiers helped on D-Day and the battles in Africa and Europe, ultimately leading to Hitlers demise.
what happened during the battle of britain
In June 1940, following the Nazi successful occupation of France, newly elected British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill declared “the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain, is about to begin”.
The German strategy aimed at achieving air superiority over Britain as a precursor to operation, sealion, a full-scale invasion of the UK.
On September 15, 1940, the German Luftwaffe launched its largest and most concentrated attack against London.
Approximately 1500 aircraft participated in intense air battles that lasted until dusk.
why was the battle of britain a turning point
the RAF defeated the Luftwaffe- the British defence technology proved more effective against the previously undefeated German airforce. This raised British morale as they believed they could win the war.
It showed how resiliant and courageous the British were. If Germany had taken Britain, they would likely have won the war in 1930.
what happened during the Battle of Stalingrad
The battle took place from August 22, 1942 to February 2, 1943 in this city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) Russia.
Stalingrad was a large industrial city producing elements and tractors. Capturing it would cut soviet transport links with southern Russia.
The city also served as an anchor for the northern flank of the larger German drive into the oil feed the caucuses.
Teasing Stalingrad would be a significant personal and propaganda victory for Adolf Hitler.
why was the Battle of Stalingrad a turning point
The Germans were finally stopped by Operation Uranus (the Soviet counter offensive).
-Halted the German advance into Russia
-marked a turning of the tide in favour of the allies
-the german army surrendered
-The german army was pushed out of Russia
-the Russians were put on the offensive(eventually got to Berlin and took it)
-ultimately caused Germany to lose the war (lost most of its army so had very few on the normandy beaches on D-Day)
what happened at Pearl Harbour
Tensions between Japan and the US had been simmering for years. In the 1930s Japan aggressively expanded into China leading to conflict.
By 1914 the US considered Japan’s actions threatening and began providing military aid to China while imposing sanctions on Japan.
On December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Paul Harbour, Hawaii. The attack was devastating: much of the US Pacific fleet was damaged or destroyed, and around 2400 americans lost their lives.
why was Pearl Harbour a turning point
-Marked the entry of the US into the war (the world’s mightiest military power at the time)
-angered almost all americans, leading many young men to sign up and fight relentlessly, destroying Japanese armed forces and occupying Japan’s home islands
-The USA was a very powerful and wealthy country and it was on helping the allies
-the D-Day landings were helped by the American troops landing on Omaha and Utah beaches.
If Japan hadn’t attacked, Germany may have won and Japan would have had an empire.
what was the atomic bomb
During World War II, the Manhattan project with a top-secret operation, led by scientists likeAlbert Einstein and J Robert Oppenheimer.
Its goal was to create a nuclear weapon, capable of immense destruction.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, followed by another on Nagasaki three days later.
why was the atomic bomb a turning point
-Brought the war with Japan to an end and is said to have contributed to finally ending WW2.
what was the treaty that meant Britain would protect Belgium
the treaty of london
when was the treaty of london signed
1839
what country did Germany declare war on first and why
Russia. This was because they had mobilised their army on the border of Austria-Hungary and wouldn’t stand down, causing Germany to declare war in August 1914
what were the WW1 alliances and who did they include?
the triple alliance was Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (1882)
The triple Entente was the UK, France and Russia (1907)
The Entente Cordiale was the UK and France (1904)
which country did Germany stop France from trying to colonise in 1911
morocco
when did WW1 end and why
Late October 1918 because people and soldiers began striking due to food shortages.
how did each leader from the “big three” countries want to punish Germany
George Clemenceau(France)-wanted severe punishment for Germany and wanted to weaken them so they could not start another war.
David Lloyd George(Britain)-Didnt want to punish too harshly but knew British people wanted Germany to pay for the war.
Woodrow Wilson(America)-wanted long lasting peace. Thought that a strong Germany would help Europe rebuild. wanted to avoid a future war and build a prosperous Europe.
what region was given back to France from Germany
Alsace-Lorraine
when was the treaty of versailles signed
28 June 1919
When did Hitler become German chancellor
1933
when did WW2 break out and why
September 1939 because Hitler invaded Poland and brokle the agreement made at the Munich conference
what were the three main aims of Hitler’s foreign policy
to unite all German speaking people, to achieve
“Lebensraum” (more living space for German peoples) and to destroy the treaty of Versailles.
what was the anschluss
when Hitler united Germany and austria.
what was the policy of appeasement
the idea that If you give Hitler anything he anything he wants it will prevent war.
