Semester B Unit 5

Question 1

1. What did Japan’s invasion of Manchuria and eastern China and Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in the 1930s reveal about the League of Nations?

Answer 1

The League of Nations was ineffective and powerless to act.

Question 2

2. Not all of Germany’s aggression was in the form of grabbing new territory. Complete the following list of steps Hitler took to make Germany strong after the Great War.
   * Ignored the Treaty of _______________
   * Withdrew from the League of _______________
   * Rearmed and renewed the practice of _______________
   * Established the Third _______________

Answer 2

Ignored the Treaty of VERSAILLES
Withdrew from the League of NATIONS
Rearmed and renewed the practice of CONSCRIPTION
Established the Third REICH

Question 3

3. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the _______________ Powers.

Answer 3

3. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the AXIS Powers.

Question 4

4. Why did Great Britain and France pursue a policy of appeasement with Germany?

Answer 4

They hoped to prevent war

Question 5

10. In response to Germany’s invasion of Poland, France and Great Britain joined forces to form the _______________ Powers.

Answer 5

In response to Germany’s invasion of Poland, France and Great Britain joined forces to form the ALLIED Powers.

Question 6

11. What did the French believe would stop the Germans from invading their country?

Answer 6

the Maginot Line (a series of fortifications along the border with Germany)

Question 7

12. The German strategy for defeating Great Britain was to eliminate Britain’s Royal ____________________ so the German army and navy could _______________ the island nation.

Answer 7

The German strategy for defeating Great Britain was to eliminate Britain’s Royal AIRFORCE so the German army and navy could INVADE the island nation.

Question 8

13. Briefly describe how Winston Churchill and the British people kept Germany from bombing them into submission.

Answer 8

The British Spitfire was more than a match for the Luftwaffe’s fighters. The British broke some of Germany’s secret codes. The British used newly invented radar to detect incoming German bombers. British parents sent children to live with relatives in the country. City dwellers took shelter in cellars and subway stations during raids. Winston Churchill and the British refused to surrender

Question 9

June 1941: Hitler invades the ___________________.
Late 1941: U.S. supply ships brave submarine attacks to deliver arms to ___________________.
___________________ 1941: The Japanese navy launches a surprise attack at ___________________.
June 1942: the U.S. victory at the Battle of ___________________ is the turning point for the war in the Pacific.
July 1942-February 1943: The Soviet victory at the Battle of ___________________ is the turning point for the war in Europe.
___________________ 1942: British forces begin an offensive that ends with Axis troops retreating from North Africa.
July 1943: Italians overthrow Mussolini, the new Italian government signs an armistice with the Allies in September.
___________________ 1944: The Allied D-day invasion of ___________________ is the beginning of an offensive to end the war in Europe.
August 1944: Allied troops liberate ___________________.

Answer 9

June 1941: Hitler invades the SOVIET UNION.
Late 1941: U.S. supply ships brave submarine attacks to deliver arms to BRITAIN.
DECEMBER 1941: The Japanese navy launches a surprise attack at PEARL HARBOR.
June 1942: the U.S. victory at the Battle of MIDWAY is the turning point for the war in the Pacific.
July 1942-February 1943: The Soviet victory at the Battle of STALINGRAD is the turning point for the war in Europe.
OCTOBER 1942: British forces begin an offensive that ends with Axis troops retreating from North Africa.
July 1943: Italians overthrow Mussolini, the new Italian government signs an armistice with the Allies in September.
JUNE 1944: The Allied D-day invasion of France (NORMANDY) is the beginning of an offensive to end the war in Europe.
August 1944: Allied troops liberate PARIS.

Question 10

2. How did the United States aid the Allies without formally entering the war?

Answer 10

By selling, lending, and leasing arms to the Allies through the Lend-Lease Act

Question 11

3. Hitler decided to attach the Soviet Union because both he and Stalin were determined to dominate ___________________. Another reason was that Hitler hated ___________________.

Answer 11

Hitler decided to attach the Soviet Union because both he and Stalin were determined to dominate EASTERN EUROPE . Another reason was that Hitler hated BOLSHEVISM.

Question 12

4. One result of Hitler’s decision to invade the Soviet Union was that Germany had to fight on two ___________________.

Answer 12

One result of Hitler’s decision to invade the Soviet Union was that Germany had to fight on two FRONTS.

Question 13

5. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was motivated by its need to raw materials, including ___________________.

Answer 13

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was motivated by its need to raw materials, including OIL.

Question 14

6. The following were results of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor:
   * The United States declared war on ___________________.
   * Germany and Italy declared war on the ___________________.
   * World War II became a ___________________ war.

Answer 14

• The United States declared war on JAPAN.
• Germany and Italy declared war on the UNITED STATES.
• World War II became a GLOBAL war.

Question 15

8. Match each political or military leader of World War II on the right with the statement on the that best describes him.
   Eisenhower Hitler Montgomery Roosevelt Mussolini
   Stalin Churchill Rommel
   ___________________: prime minister of England
   ___________________: Italian dictator
   ___________________: U.S. general in command of Allied troops in Europe and the D-day invasion
   ___________________: German dictator
   ___________________: German general in North Africa
   ___________________: British general in North Africa
   ___________________: president of the United States
   ___________________: Soviet dictator

Answer 15

CHURCHILL: prime minister of England
MUSSOLINI: Italian dictator
EISENHOWER: U.S. general in command of Allied troops in Europe and the D-day invasion
HITLER: German dictator
ROMMEL: German general in North Africa
MONTGOMERY: British general in North Africa
ROOSEVELT: president of the United States
STALIN: Soviet dictator

Question 16

7. At the beginning of 1941, the Axis Powers remained the same—Germany Italy, and Japan. Which two powerful nations joined Britain and France as Allied Powers?

Answer 16

The Soviet Union and the United States

Question 17

1. To what does the term the Holocaust refer?

Answer 17

the mass slaughter of Europe’s Jews and others by the Nazis

Question 18

2. What groups of people did the Nazis consider “inferior” and include in their campaign of mass murder?

Answer 18

Jews, communists, Slavs, people with physical or mental disabilities, socialists

Question 19

3. What was Hitler’s “Final Solution”?

Answer 19

the killing of all the Jews in Europe

Question 20

4. What did the Nazis do in 1942 in an attempt to achieve Hitler’s “Final Solution”?

Answer 20

They constructed six special concentration camps in German-occupied Poland that were used as death camps.

Question 21

8. The Holocaust claimed the lives of how many people?

Answer 21

about 11 million

Question 22

1. Complete the following to describe the end of the war in Europe.
   August 1944: Poles in Warsaw rise up against their German occupiers; the approaching ____________________ Army waits until the Germans have crushed the uprising before entering the city.
   December 1944: in the ____________________ Forest in Belgium, Germany makes its last offensive attempt; Americans hold the line and halt the German attack.
   February 1945: As Allied bombing of German cities increase, a bombing raid on ___________________ creates a firestorm that destroys much of the city and kills around 23,000 civilians.
   May 1945: Seven days after Hitler commits suicide, Germany surrenders and the Allies celebrate V-E Day—Victory in ____________________ Day.

Answer 22

August 1944: Poles in Warsaw rise up against their German occupiers; the approaching SOVIET Army waits until the Germans have crushed the uprising before entering the city.
December 1944: in the ARDENNES Forest in Belgium, Germany makes its last offensive attempt; Americans hold the line and halt the German attack.
February 1945: As Allied bombing of German cities increase, a bombing raid on DRESDEN creates a firestorm that destroys much of the city and kills around 23,000 civilians.
May 1945: Seven days after Hitler commits suicide, Germany surrenders and the Allies celebrate V-E Day—Victory in EUROPE Day.

Question 23

2. What strategy did the United States use after the Battle of Midway to win the war in the Pacific?

Answer 23

Island-hopping—moving toward Japan by taking one island at a time

Question 24

3. Describe the human cost of the U.S. strategy to win the war in the Pacific.

Answer 24

American troops who fought their way ashore on more than a hundred Japanese-occupied islands suffered heavy losses.

Question 25

4. Who led U.S. forces in the retaking of the Philippines in October 1944?

Answer 25

General Douglas MacArthur

Question 26

8. Who led the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb?

Answer 26

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Question 27

9. Complete the following to explain the arguments for and against using the atomic bomb to defeat Japan and end the war in the Pacific.
   FOR
   AGAINST

Answer 27

FOR
It would prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and Japanese soldiers and civilians that would result from an invasion of Japan; it would bring the war to a swift end.
AGAINST
It would kill thousands of Japanese civilians.

Question 28

10. Some estimates place the total number of soldiers and civilians killed during World War II at as high as_____________________, more than ______________________.

Answer 28

Some estimates place the total number of soldiers and civilians killed during World War II at as high as 60 MILLION, more than ANY OTHER WAR IN HISTORY.

Question 29

11. Which two industrial powers were crippled at the end of the war?

Answer 29

Germany and Japan

Question 30

12. Which two nations emerged from World War II as military powers?

Answer 30

the United States and the Soviet Union

Question 31

1. What concern did the Allied leaders have as the war ended?

Answer 31

They worried whether a lasting peace could be achieved.

Question 32

2. What was the goal of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?

Answer 32

to discuss the future of Europe and the world after the war

Question 33

2. What was the outcomes of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?
   * Eastern Europe and the eastern part of Germany would fall under ______________ control.
   * The fate of Western Europe and the western part of Germany would be decided by ______________ and its allies.
   * ______________ got many of the reparations he demanded.

Answer 33

• Eastern Europe and the eastern part of Germany would fall under SOVIET control.
• The fate of Western Europe and the western part of Germany would be decided by UNITED STATES and its allies.
• STALIN got many of the reparations he demanded.

Question 34

4. The goal of Allied prosecutors at the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials was to punish both the ________________ who planned and ordered atrocities during the war and those who ________________ out the orders.

Answer 34

4. The goal of Allied prosecutors at the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials was to punish both the LEADERS who planned and ordered atrocities during the war and those who CARRIED out the orders.

Question 35

5. What did these two trials demonstrate to the world?

Answer 35

The leaders of nations are accountable to the world and subject to laws that cross international boundaries.

Question 36

6. Complete the following to summarize the founding of the United Nations.

Before the war ends, ________________ leaders meet to plan an international organization. → U.S., Soviet, British, and Chinese delegates create a ________________ for the new organization. → Representatives from ________________ nations meet in San Francisco to work out details. → The UN is created in October 1945. The first meeting is scheduled to be held in ______________.

Answer 36

Before the war ends, ALLIED leaders meet to plan an international organization. →
U.S., Soviet, British, and Chinese delegates create a STRUCTURE for the new organization. →
Representatives from 50 nations meet in San Francisco to work out details. →
The UN is created in October 1945. The first meeting is scheduled to be held in LONDON.

Question 37

7. What was one reason the United Nations succeeded, while the League of Nations failed?

Answer 37

The United States was part of the United Nations. It was not a part of the League of Nations.

Question 38

8. Briefly summarize the major principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Answer 38

• All people are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
• People should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
• There should be freedom of expression and safety from torture and false imprisonment.
• People have the right to work, to rest, and to have food, clothing, housing, and medical care.

Question 39

9. Why did tensions rise between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II?

Answer 39

Stalin had no intention of giving democracy a chance in Eastern Europe. The United States wanted democracy to develop there. In addition, as colonized nations gained independence, the United States hoped these new nations would become democracies, while the Soviet Union hoped they would become communist countries.

Question 40

1. The United States and the USSR emerged from World War II as the world’s two superpowers. What is a superpower?

Answer 40

a nation that has the ability to influence events and project its military and economic might throughout the world

Question 41

2. What does the term Cold War describe?

Answer 41

the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II, in which no “hot” war with shooting or bloodshed ever broke out

Question 42

3. Describe Stalin’s actions during World War II that divided the Soviets from their former allies.

Answer 42

After driving Nazi troops out of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, Stalin sought to maintain political and economic control over those countries. Instead of letting them hold free elections and establish democratic governments, he imposed pro-Soviet, communist regimes.

Question 43

4. Why did Winston Churchill use the term iron curtain to describe the division between the Soviet-dominated communist nations and the Western capitalist nations?

Answer 43

After Stalin imposed pro-Soviet, communist regimes in Eastern European nations, the Soviets refused to allow most Western goods into the countries and imposed rigid censorship to keep out Western ideas, so East and West were essentially cut off from each other.

Question 44

5. Fill in the chart to describe the two superpowers.
   UNITED STATES
   United States and its allies—known as the __________________ Bloc
   Believed Soviets were trying to forge a worldwide _________________________ society
   Possessed nuclear capabilities—the ___________________bomb

Answer 44

United States and its allies—known as the WESTERN Bloc
Believed Soviets were trying to forge a worldwide COMMUNIST society
Possessed nuclear capabilities—the ATOMIC bomb

Question 45

5. Fill in the chart to describe the two superpowers.
   SOVIET UNION
   Soviet Union and communist nations aligned with it—known as the ___________________ Bloc
   Suspected United States of trying to dominate the world for the benefit of ______________________
   Began developing _________________________ weapons

Answer 45

Soviet Union and communist nations aligned with it—known as the EASTERN Bloc
Suspected United States of trying to dominate the world for the benefit of CAPITALISTS
Began developing ATOMIC weapons

Question 46

6. What foreign policy did Truman adopt to deal with communism during the Cold War? What was its goal?

Answer 46

He adopted a foreign policy called containment, which aimed to prevent the spread of communism by forming key alliances and strengthening noncommunist countries bordering the Soviet Union.

Question 47

7. Explain the strategies of the Truman Doctrine.

Answer 47

President Truman committed the United States to the containment of communism by aiding noncommunist countries that were threatened by the Soviet Union. The United States would give these countries both economic and military aid. Truman proposed this policy when the Soviets seemed ready to invade Greece and Turkey.

Question 48

8. Complete the chart to describe the motivations behind the Marshall Plan.
   HUMANITARIAN ACT
   Help Europe ________________ from the war

TO LEARN FROM PAST DISASTERS
Revive the world economy to prevent the rise of __________________

SHREWD MANEUVER BY THE UNITED STATES
* Support __________________ economies
* Strengthen __________________ governments
* Keep __________________ at bay
* Build strong trading __________________ for U.S. businesses

Answer 48

HUMANITARIAN ACT
Help Europe RECOVER from the war

TO LEARN FROM PAST DISASTERS
Revive the world economy to prevent the rise of DICTATORS

SHREWD MANEUVER BY THE UNITED STATES
* Support CAPITALIST economies
* Strengthen DEMOCRATIC governments
* Keep COMMUNISM at bay
* Build strong trading PARTNERS for U.S. businesses

Question 49

9. What happened to European industry and agriculture as a result of the Marshall Plan?

Answer 49

Productivity soared well above prewar levels

Question 50

10. What countries benefited from the Marshall Plan?

Answer 50

Almost all European nations outside the Soviet bloc benefited from funds authorized by the Marshall Plan except for Spain, which was a dictatorship. West Germany’s benefits were delayed until 1949 because the country was under Allied control until its government was restored.

Question 51

11. How did the Marshall Plan benefit the U.S. economy?

Answer 51

A large percentage of the funds the plan provided were used to buy U.S. products

Question 52

12. When Joseph Stalin ordered a blockade of supplies into West Berlin, Britain and the United States responded with the _______________ _______________.

Answer 52

12. When Joseph Stalin ordered a blockade of supplies into West Berlin, Britain and the United States responded with the BERLIN AIRLIFT.

Question 53

13. In 1949, twelve Western countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), promising to aid each other should any member be attacked. How did the Soviet Union respond?

Answer 53

The Soviet Union and its satellites signed a similar agreement called the Warsaw Pact

Question 54

14. Why did the Korean War reach a stalemate after 1950?

Answer 54

Stalin supplied the North Korea with money, planes, and pilots. China, under communist leader Mao Zedong, sent about 300,000 troops to support the North Korean army. The United States dared not use atomic weapons because China had its own atomic bomb.

Question 55

15. What finally ended the Korean War and what government was in place there?

Answer 55

Stalin died and his successor approved a cease-fire. Korea remained divided into communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea, which was aligned with Western democracies.

Question 56

1. What event helped spark the arms race between the United States and the USSR?

Answer 56

The Soviet Union built an atomic bomb and American scientists responded by building a bomb a thousand times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima. The two superpowers were soon engaged in a race to build up their nuclear arsenals.

Question 57

2. How was the arms race related to the concepts of deterrence and mutual assured destruction (MAD)?

Answer 57

Each superpower undertook a defense strategy that aimed to prevent an enemy from attacking (deterrence) because the consequences could be a nuclear counterattack resulting in the possible destruction of both nations (mutual assured destruction).

Question 58

3. Why did the Soviets build a wall to separate East and West Berlin, and why did the United States not act to stop them?

Answer 58

Hundreds of residents of Soviet-controlled East Berlin fled to West Berlin each year seeking the freedom and economic opportunity they did not have in East Berlin. Facing the prospect of economic collapse, the East Berlin government, with Soviet approval, constructed a wall to prevent East Berliners from fleeing. U.S. president Kennedy sent troops to reinforce those in Berlin, but did not try to stop construction of the wall. He believed that a confrontation could possibly spark a war with the USSR.

Question 59

4. Describe Fidel Castro’s rise to power in Cuba.

Answer 59

Castro, a communist, led rebel forces that overthrew the U.S.-supported Cuban government. Castro established a communist regime whose government controlled the economy. He seized all major companies, including those owned by Americans, which earned him the friendship of the Soviet Union.

Question 60

5. Why was the Bay of Pigs incident considered a disaster for the United States?

Answer 60

The United States trained and organized a group of Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro, but Castro learned of the invasion and sent troops to stop it. Kennedy had promised air support for the exiles but changed his mind because it would expose the U.S. involvement in the invasion. The invasion had the opposite effect from what Kennedy intended. It inspired many Cubans to support Castro because of his defiance of the United States. It also impressed Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who decided to support Castro and his government.

Question 61

8. Define détente.

Answer 61

An effort by the United States and Soviet Union to reduce tensions and establish better relations

Question 62

What are first world, second world, and third world countries?

Answer 62

FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES: industrialized, capitalist nations
SECOND WORLD COUNTRIES: communist or socialist industrial states
THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES: developing nations, not yet industrialized, that generally have a low standard of living

Question 63

2. Between 1945 and 1960, the U.S. population increased by almost 30%. What explains this “baby boom?”

Answer 63

People had postponed starting families during the Great Depression and World War II. After the war, they felt more secure and the country experienced a “baby boom.”

Question 64

3. How did the U.S. government respond to the threat of nuclear war and the spread of communism, and how did its actions violate U.S. law?

Answer 64

Fear of communism inspired a “red scare.” The government initiated programs to investigate people suspected of being communists or communist sympathizers, even though there was no law against belonging to the Communist Party.

Question 65

4. How did the role of government change in much of Western Europe after World War II?

Answer 65

Many European governments further expanded their social welfare programs, establishing national health services and aid to the poor.

Question 66

5. What are the origins of the term “McCarthyism”? What does “McCarthyism” mean today?

Answer 66

Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator who accused prominent people and institutions of collaborating with communists. He was eventually exposed as a fraud, but by then had ruined many peoples’ lives and violated their constitutional rights. The term “McCarthyism” is still used to describe making reckless accusations against others for political gain.

Question 67

7. The Marshall Plan helped Europe regain economic stability after World War II. European nations also joined together to help speed recovery. List the steps toward economic stability when European nations formed the following organizations.
   * ECSC:
   Answer:
   * European Economic Community:
   Answer:
   * Common Market:
   Answer:
   * European Union:
   Answer:

Answer 67

• ECSC:
  Six nations signed a treaty eliminating trade restrictions among those nations. The treaty eliminated tariffs on coal, iron ore, steel, and other resources.
• EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY:
  The ECSC reorganized to eliminate most restrictions on trade among the members. They also agree to make it easier for workers in one country to take jobs or do business in another country.
• COMMON MARKET:
  Several more European countries joined the original six to form the Common Market, which focused on more issues of shared concern.
• EUROPEAN UNION:
  Common Market nations formed the European Union, which eliminated tariffs and quotas on trade among member nations, set common security policies across Western Europe, and promoted shared standards for environmental protection. The EU also established a common currency for most member nations—the Euro.

Question 68

2. How did Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Helsinki Accords, and Pope John Paul II influence many people in communist countries?
   * Solzhenitsyn:
   Answer:
   * Helsinki Accords:
   Answer:
   * Pope John Paul II:
   Answer:

Answer 68

• SOLZHENITSYN:
  His novels exposing the cruelties of the Soviet police state were smuggled behind the Iron Curtain where oppressed people read them.
• HELSINKI ACCORDS:
  The Helsinki Accords recognized the Soviet Union’s control in Eastern Europe, but they also required the signers of the accords to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. People in Soviet-dominated nations formed “Helsinki groups” and demanded that the Soviet Union live up to its promise.
• POPE JOHN PAUL ii:
  Pope John Paul II insisted that communism should not take away people’s basic rights, including the right to worship. The pope’s message of freedom inspired millions of people living behind the Iron Curtain.

Question 69

3. In what ways did the formation of a workers’ union in Poland contradict the goals of communism?

Answer 69

One of the fundamental goals of communism is to uphold the welfare of the worker. When Poland formed a workers’ union called Solidarity, union members demanded increased pay and better working conditions, indicating that communism, as it was practiced in Poland and other Soviet states, was not in line with communist goals. In reality, the Soviet nations were totalitarian dictatorships, not communist states

Question 70

4. What role did the war in Afghanistan play in the decline of the Soviet Union?

Answer 70

The war put a financial strain on the USSR because the nation was spending huge sums of money on a war it could not win. In addition, the United States denounced the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and cut back on trade with the USSR.

Question 71

5. President Reagan began a spending program to build up the military strength of the United States. What were the pros and cons of Reagan’s strategy?

Answer 71

PROS: It put a greater strain on the Soviet economy because the Soviets tried to keep up with the U.S. military buildup.
CONS:
The spending program, coupled with simultaneous tax cuts, resulted in huge budget deficits in the United States.

Question 72

6. In what ways did Gorbachev’s ideas of leadership differ from those of previous Soviet leaders?

Answer 72

Gorbachev recognized that the Soviet economy was in shambles and that the country must either reform or collapse. Unlike earlier Soviet leaders, he wanted to give local officials more power, allow citizens to speak openly about their society’s problems, and cut back on military spending.

Question 73

7. What unexpected consequences took place after Gorbachev’s speech before the UN General Assembly in 1988?

Answer 73

Gorbachev came close to telling the communist nations that they could make their own decisions, and he spoke of the right of all people to choose their own governments. Less than a year later, Hungary voted to allow independent political parties and opened its border with Austria. East Germans began leaving through the border, and shortly afterward, the Berlin Wall was dismantled. In 1991, the USSR officially dissolved.

Question 74

8. How did newly independent Soviet republics and satellite nations respond to the collapse of the Soviet Union?

Answer 74

Some nations made successful transitions to democracy. Others experienced turmoil as former communist leaders persecuted political opponents and rigged elections in an attempt to keep themselves in office. In Yugoslavia, dominant ethnic groups fell into conflicts that became a civil war in which each group tried to rid its state of minorities.