World War 2 Flashcards
What book did Adolf Hitler write
Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
How did dictators who claimed absolute power rule
They ruled their people by force
Who was the first dictator to rise to power in postwar europe
Benito Mussolini
What is Fascism
A dictatorial government that stresses greatness of a race or nation
Once in charge what did Mussolini do
He would quickly outlaw rival political parties and ended democratic rule in italy
The great depression hit who specifically hard by having businesses fail and millions of people be unemployed
Germany
What did many germans resent
That their country had to take all the blame for WW1
What party would hitler lead
the national socialist workers part, NAZI for short
What is antisemitism
the hatred of Jewish people
Hitler turned Germany into a totalitarian state, what is that
meaning that leaders would crush all opposition to them and would totally control all aspects of society
Who rose to power as the communist leader of the soviet union
Josph stalin
What did he do
He would kill rivals and sent millions of people he thought were disloyal to his own labor camps called the gulag
Japan would invade china, three years later Japan would what
join the axis powers with germany and italy
What did the nuetrality acts say
This act promised that America would stay neutral and we agreed to not sell weapons or give out loans to nations at war.
What is appeasement
the policy of giving in to the demands of others in an effort to keep peace.
Describe the german’s attack on Poland
The German attack on Poland was fast and fierce. The Germans would use planes to bomb their targets, then roll tanks into an area, followed by thousands of soldiers. This style of fighting was called blitzkrieg or lightning war.
During Belgium’s collapse what did Germany do
Germany would then officially ally with Italy and Japan forming the Axis Powers.
Who was winston churchhill
a great britian leader
What was the scorched earth policy
The Soviets would burn their cities, destroy crops, and blew up dams that provide electric power
What acts did Roosevelt sign which was the first U.S. peacetime drafting of men 21-35 years of age into the military?
Selective Training and Service Act
What was the lend-lease act
It allowed the United States to sell, lend, or lease weapons to any country “vital to the defense of
What was the Atlantic charter
a document that was not a military alliance, but it did set goals for the world after “the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny.”
What the did the atlantic charter also call for
It also called for the creation of a permanent system for preserving peace between American and G.B.
What was the attack on pearl harbor
At 7:55 am Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese warplanes attacked the United States military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Uniforms would be labeled G.I. which stood for
Government-issued. That is how U.S. soldiers became known as G.I.
What did the national war labor board help
It helped settle labor disputes that could slow down war production
What did the national war labor also do
They also did things like help automakers shift form making cars to building trucks, jeeps, tanks, and planes
What did women do in the war
They would work in assembly lines and help build tanks and airplanes
How many women would work and where
Eventually, 2.5 million women would work in shipyards, aircraft factories, and other manufacturing plants
What did women working in the war do or impact on American people
Although most women left the factories after the war, their efforts changed American attitudes about women in the workplace.
What did the revenue act of 1942 do
The revenue act of 1942 raised business taxes and required most Americans to pay income tax
What would congress also approve after the revenue act of 1942
Congress would also approve withholding taxes from workers’ paychecks, which is still the practice today
What is a bond
A bond was a certificate promising to pay the buyer a set amount at a future date
What is rationing
Rationing means consumers could only buy limited numbers or amounts of certain products
What were victory gardens
Gardens to help grow vegetable to ease food shortages
What is civil defense
Civil defense are protective measures taken by civilians in case of attack
What was the fair employment practices committee
Fair Empolyment Practices Committee, which would make it illegal to discriminate, in the defense industry, based on race, creed, color, or national origin
What was the fair employment practices committee
Fair Employment Practices Committee, which would make it illegal to discriminate, in the defense industry, based on race, creed, color, or national origin
What was special about the battle of iwo jima
In the battle of Iwo Jima a special group of Navajo soldiers formed the group called the code talkers they used a code based on the navajo language to send vital military messages about troop movements and battle plans
What was so special about the navajo code
the japanese military were never able to break these codes and this would play a vital role in the success that america faced in the pacific theatre
What was true about combatants on the eastern front
More combatants were killed on the Eastern Front than in all the other Theatres combined
In the first three months, how many casualties did Russia have
2.5 million
What was the mistake germany made
They attacked one of the only two countries that they could not defeat…Soviet Union and the U.S.
What was true about the germans and russians relationship
Both the Germans and the Russians hated each other and committed numerous atrocities… Mass beheadings and rapes would occur daily
How did many captured soldiers die
do to the exposure to the elements and maltreatment from their captors.
What did hitler order in the battle of stillingrad
In Stalingrad, Hitler ordered that the entire male population of the city of 1 million people be murdered and that all of its females be deported.
How many casualties did the axis powers suffer in the battle of stillingrad
850,000
How many casualties did the soviets suffer in the battle of stillingrad
750,000
What did stalin consider the casualties
necessary because losing Stalingrad meant losing the war
What happened in May 1944
In May 1944 the Western Allies were finally prepared to deliver their greatest blow of the war, a cross channel invasion of northern France, code-named Operation Overlord.
What was Eisenhower planning
Eisenhower planned for a surprise attack on the beaches of Normandy.
What did Germany sign on May 7th
Germany would sign an unconditional surrender on May 7. This would end the war in Europe. On May 8th V-E Day would be declared (Victory in Europe Day)
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is the hostility to prejudice or discrimination against jews. A person who holds such positions is called an anti semite
What does euthanasia mean
Euthanasia literally means good death
What did euthanasia mean for the nazi party
For the nazi party the term euthanasia meant a planned murder program
What was the euthanasia programs plan
This programs target was to remove metally or physically disabled people from Germany
What was the first program of mass murder for Germany
The euthanasia program was nazi germany’s first program of mass murder
T4 Program what were the questionairs the doctors filled out used for
These questionnaires were used to see which people were able to work and they asked to identify if patients had certain disorders
What were the questionnaires used for with the T4 program
These questionnaires were used to see which people were able to work and they asked to identify patients that had stuff wrong
How many people did the T4 program kill
200,000 people
What were closed ghettos
Closed off by walls, or by fences with barbed wire
What was an open ghetto
They had no walls or fences, but there were restrictions on entering and leaving
What was a destruction ghetto
They were tightly sealed off and existed for between two and six weeks before the germans and or their collaborators deported or killed the Jewish population concentrated in them
What were jews allowed to bring into ghettos
Jewish people were only allowed to bring a few personal items to the ghetto, many of their possessions were just left behind
Describe a ghetto
Ghettos were extremely crowded and often lacked electricity and sanitary infrastructure
What would happen if you were caught smuggling goods into ghettos
you would be publicly executed
How many DPs lived in camps and urban centers
From 1945 to 1952, more than 250,000 Jewish displaced persons (DPs) lived in camps and urban centers in Germany, Austria, and Italy
What was island hopping
This meant that U.S. military would attack and capture key islands, which would then become bases in which they could attack other islands with.
What were Kamikazes
Kamikazes were suicide pilots who would crash they planes into U.S. ships and destroyers during the battle of Okinawa.
Where does D Day rate in the size of amphibious attacks in history
the largest in history
What was the atlantic wall
2400 mile of bunkers landmines and beach and water obstacles
4000000 landmines along normandy’s beaches
260,000 workers, mostly forced labor, built the wall over 2 years
What were the names of the 5 beaches that the Allies were going to land on
utah
gold
omaha
sword
juno
What did the Allies try to do to mislead the Nazi’s about where the invasion was going to take place?
a dummy army hundreds of inflatable tanks and airplanes to trick german spy planes
