Final: Short Answers

Question 1

By 1939, only two major European powers remained democratic. Name them and the importance of this statement.

Answer 1

France and Great Britain; important because they are the main targets of Axis powers in WWII and because France has been historically controlled by monarchs or absolutists

Question 2

Define totalitarianism, list two types of it, and list three main ideologies that are used in a totalitarian state.

Answer 2

• Definition: Radical dictatorships that greatly extend the functions and power of the central state.
• Fascism and Communism.
  
  • All used modern propaganda to conquer hearts and minds of their subjects
  • Led by a single leader and a single party
  • Police controls (Nazi SS, Soviet secret police)

Question 3

According to lecture, what were Hitler’s four biggest mistakes, the significance of these mistakes, and when they took place?

Answer 3

• Evacuation of Dunkirk, 1940
  
  • Hitler did not crush the British Army when he had the opportunity
• Operation Barbarossa, June 1941
  
  • Hitler attempts to invade the Soviet Union, went back on the alliance he made in 1939
• Declares war on the U.S., December 11, 1941
  
  • Woke up a “sleeping giant” unnecessarily
• No Retreat/ The Scorched Earth Policy, 1944
  
  • Once the Germans would finally retreat, they would have burned everything in their path, and left nothing for them to hide behind except burnt landscape; if followed, it would have “sent Germany back to the middle ages”; the No Retreat policy was counterproductive to the war effort

Question 4

How did Stalin come to power in the Soviet Union? Hitler in Germany? Tell the significance of both.

Answer 4

• Stalin joined the Bolshevik party and gained support of the Communist party; received power through force; crushed Trotsky through this forceful power
• Hitler took control of Germany through democratic, legal, non-violent means; he used his economic rhetoric to appeal to the middle classes, and won the vote through the Nazi party in 1932
• The significance is that both Hitler and Stalin initially came to power through natural ways, i.e. democratic election and popular vote.

Question 5

Why did the Germans and the Italians want to control North Africa? Be specific.

Answer 5

• Britain controlled the Suez Canal. This was a vital strategic link to Britain’s colonies in the Far East and India, as well as a channel for food supplies from Australia and New Zealand.
• The oil fields in Northern Africa were important because of the shortage of supplies that was brought on by World War II machinery.
• Control of North Africa would give the Allies a springboard for invasion and aerial attack on the European mainland.

Question 6

Why was the world-wide depression the most severe from 1929-1933? Give the two examples I spoke of in class where conditions were the worst.

Answer 6

• The output of goods fell 38%
• Unemployment rates skyrocketed around the world
  
  • In 1932, 1 in 4 British workers were unemployed
  • In Germany, 40 percent of the labor force could not find jobs in 1932

Question 7

What was the first “Hot” war of the Cold War and when did it start and end?

Answer 7

The Korean War (1950-1953)

Question 8

What was the “domino theory” and what country did we fight a war in to prevent this theory from happening?

Answer 8

Korea or Vietnam; the theory was that if Communism was able to take a foothold in any more countries, then the subsequent “domino” effect would be uncontainable as it spread to more and more countries

Question 9

Who is the cutest?

Answer 9