Humanities |WWII Flashcards
Which countries were part of the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Which countries were part of the Allied Powers?
Britain (incl. Aus), Russia, and the USA.
When did World War II begin?
September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.
What tactic did Germans use to invade?
Used tactic of Blitzkrieg (lightning war).
Blitzkrieg tactics
- Aircraft were used to bomb and intimidate
- Paratroopers were used to move infantry quickly
What was the name of the British Prime Minister who declared war on Germany after its invasion of Poland?
Neville Chaimberlain.
What is the Reichstag?
The German Parliament Building
What date did the reichstag fire take place?
February 27, 1933.
Although the origins of who started the reichtag fire are unclear, who did the Nazis blame?
They blamed the Communists (the nazis hate communists)
What did blaming the communists allow the Nazis to do?
- Arrest and imprison political opponents without charge
- dissolve political organisations
- Suppress publications.
Causes of World War II
- The failure of the league of nations
- The legacy of WWI
- Germany invading Poland in 1939
How did the Nazis establish power in Germany?
- The Great Depression
- Like the majority of the citizens, they didn’t like the harshness of the TOV, especially its reparations.
What is a Putsch?
A violent attempt at seizing political power.
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler and his Stormtroopers interrupted a gathering of influential men and forced them to back his putsch.
Why was the beer hall putsch ultimately unsuccessful?
- They made series of mistakes that led to Hitler getting arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison
- During his time in prison, he wrote Mein Kampf (my struggle)
Nazi Ideology
- Only the strong survive
- Hate communism (communism vs. fascism)
- Germany must gain lebensraum (living space)
The Night of Long Knives
- 30th of June 1934
- Hitler used the SS to murder ~180 leaders of the SA and other political opponents.
- Hitler claimed the SA were planning an uprising
Why did PM John Curtin declare Australia look beyond Britain for help (to the USA)
Becuase Britain lacked resources to protect Australia or any of its colonies in the Pacific.
‘Fortress Singapore’ Falls
Malaya and Singapore were defended by British, Indian and Aus. 8th Div. troops.
What happened at the end of January 1942?
Malaya had fallen, and the Japanese started bombing Singapore.
What happened on the 15th of February 1942?
Fall of singapore (The British commander surrendered to Japanese force half the size)
Darwin was attacked by how many air raids and when?
- Two air raids and 90 bombers
- February 1942 (19th)
The AIF couldn’t defend Australia, so who did instead?
The militia (backup military comprising of normal citizens)
Militia of the 39th Battalion were ordered to advance along the Kokoda Track to stop the Japanese. When did this happen?
June 1942.
What were the members of the 39th batallion nicknamed by members of the AIF, and why?
‘Chocos’, because they were expected to melt in the heat of battle.
When did AIF reinforcements arrive for the chocos?
Late august.
Why did japan attack Pearl Harbor?
(em– policy)
- Political self-interests
- Resource scarcity
- America’s embargo policy.
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler invaded the USSR, remove the ‘racial inferiors’ and repopulate with Germans.
Pearl Harbour
- The biggest threat to Japan’s supplies was the USA, and its naval dominance in the Pacific.
- 7th of December 1941
List 3 significant places Australia fought.
- Singapore
- Kokoda Track
- Tobruk, North Africa
List some turning points of the WWII Pacific War
- Battle of Midway
- Kokoda Track
List some turning points of the WWII War in Europe
Operations..
* Barbarossa
* Overlord
* Sealion
What’s another name for the D-Day Landings?
Operation Overlord
When were the D-Day Landings, and where did they happen?
- They happened on 6/6/44
- They happened in Normandy, France
When was Hiroshima blown up and with which bomb?
hiroshima: 🤯
6th Aug 1945, with 9700-pound bomb ‘Little Boy’
When was Nagasaki blown up and with which bomb?
everyone dead in nagasaki 🤓
9th Aug 1945, with 10,300-pound bomb ‘FAT MAN’
When did the British occupy Australia, and why?
In 1788, under the legal assumption that Australia was ‘Terra nullius’ - empty land in Latin
What did the British claim when they arrived in Australia that allowed them to colonize it?
They claimed there were no permanent settlements or evidence of agriculture in Australia, which made it legal to colonize.
Which two sections in the constitution affected Aboriginal people the most?
Section 51, and 127.
Australian Constitution Section 51
The federal government had responsibility over all Australians except Aboriginals.
Australian Constitution Section 127
Aboriginal natives shouldn’t be counted in the census.
The Stolen Generations.
A period of time where Aboriginal (especially half-caste) children were taken away from their families and raised in orphanages/selective schools.
The Policy of Assimilation
A policy of absorbing Aboriginal people into white society through the process of removing children from their families.
Bringing them home report
A tribute to the strength and struggles of many thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by forced removal.
First Nations People
An alias of the phrase Indigenous People
Operation Dynamo
A codename for the mass evacuation of British, Belgian and French forces from Calais, Oostende and Dunkirk
How many people were evacuated in operation Dynamo?
338,226 troops
Japan sought an Asian and Pacific empire, called what?
The ‘Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere’
Operation Sealion
Nazi Germany’s code name for the plan for an invasion of Britain
