World War 2 Flashcards

1
Q

spanish flu - causes

A
  • began in the US
  • WW1 troops
  • trade routes spread disease
  • after world war 1
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2
Q

spanish flu - effects

A
  • 50-100 million died
  • 27% of world population infected
  • slowed global economy
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3
Q

women’s suffrage - causes

A
  • by 1890, most industrial nations had granted male suffrage
  • women played big role during WW1
  • women believed they deserved the same rights as men
  • organized protests; seneca falls
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4
Q

women’s suffrage - effects

A
  • 1893: New Zealand was first to grant
  • 1920: US, 19th amendment
  • more rights
  • further gender equality
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5
Q

the great depression - causes

A
  • european economies were in a state of decline after WW1
  • stock market crashed
  • roaring 20’s: too much bought on credit
  • pulling $$ out of banks
  • war debt
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6
Q

the great depression - effects

A
  • unemployment
  • lose faith in capitalism and democracy
  • authoritarian leaders took control
  • misery
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7
Q

how did japan change after WW1

A
  • in the 1920’s, Japan’s economy soared, Japanese exported goods to allies
  • young Japanese backed democratic changes and rejected traditions
  • after WW1, underlying problems began to surface and militarists + extreme nationalists gained power
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8
Q

how did the Great Depression affect Japan?

A

The Great Depression crushed Japan’s economic growth because it meant a loss of foreign markets

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9
Q

how did acts of aggression challenge peace in JAPAN in the 1930’s

A
  • 1931: seize Manchuria
  • this seizure was condemned by League of Nations; Japan withdrew from the League
  • 1937: took over much of China starting the second Sino-Japanese war
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10
Q

manchuria

A

a region of NE China, historically the home of the Manchus, rulers of China from 1644 to 1912

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11
Q

how did acts of aggression challenge peace in ITALY in the 1930’s

A
  • 1935: Mussolini invades Ethiopia
  • Ethiopia asked League for help
  • League condemned the invasion but did nothing
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12
Q

how did acts of aggression challenge peace in GERMANY in the 1930’s

A
  • began rebuilding the German army
  • German troops enter the Rhineland, a 30 mile buffer zone between France and Germany
  • these actions both violated the TOV
  • league did nothing
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13
Q

Rome - Tokyo - Berlin Axis

A

Germany, Japan, and Italy agree to work together to fight communism and to not interfere with each others imperialist goals

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14
Q

how did great britain and france react to the new axis trio

A
  • Great Britain and France followed a policy of APPEASEMENT
  • France and Britain feared another war
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15
Q

appeasement

A

this is when nations give in to an aggressor to preserve the peace

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16
Q

how did the US react to the new axis trio

A
  • US adopts a policy of neutrality: congress passes Neutrality Act, banning the sale of arms to ANY nation at war
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17
Q

how was the spanish civil war a dress rehearsal for WW2

A
  • 1931: King of Spain leaves the throne due to revolts/unrest
  • Italy and Germany send troops/supplies to help him and the Nationalists
  • Britain and France remain neutral
  • featured modern warfare tactics, such as air raids and urban warfare
  • Francisco Franco came to power as the leader of the Nationalist faction
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18
Q

how did Germany continue it’s agression

A
  • Hitler seeks to unite all German speaking people into the 3rd Reich
  • 1938: Hitler takes over Austria (“Anschluss”)
  • Hitler then seeks the Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia
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19
Q

Munich Pact

A
  • meeting between France, Germany, and Britain
  • convince Czechoslovakia to give Germany the Sudetenland without a fight
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20
Q

Nazi Soviet Non-Aggression Pact:

A
  • August 1939: Hitler & Stalin agree that they will not attack one another
  • agree to divide Poland
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21
Q

How did WW2 begin?

A
  • Britain and France agree to protect Poland
  • Sept. 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland
  • 2 days later, France and Britain declare war
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22
Q

hitler’s war strategy

A
  • used the “blitzkrieg” or “lightening war”
  • speed, massive warfare
  • conquered Poland in 3 weeks
  • the “Phony War”; Maginot Line
  • April 1940: Conquer Denmark and Norway
23
Q

“Phony War”

A
  • Period of little fighting on Western Front (Sept. 1939 - May 1940)
  • French, British fortified defenses, Germans planned next moves
  • Ended with German invasion of France and Low Countries, beginning of Blitzkrieg
24
Q

Maginot Line

A
  • French defensive fortifications along German and Italian borders
  • built in 1930s after World War I
  • Concrete bunkers and artillery emplacements
  • Bypassed by Germans in 1940 invasion
25
Q

How was Germany able to conquer France

A
  • Germany soon took it’s blitzkrieg to France
  • May 10, 1940: the invasion begins
  • Great Britain sent a fleet to save the allied troops trapped on the beach
26
Q

Battle of Britain

A
  • after the fall of France, Hitler looks to invade Great Britain
  • Operation Sea Lion: Hitler plans to destroy Royal Air Force, then invade Britain
  • Germany bombs factories and cities
  • stunned by BRITISH resistance, Hitler calls off the attack
  • German’s continued to bomb, especially London
27
Q

in what ways was the Battle of Britain a turning point

A

it proved that Hitler could be resisted

28
Q

Battle of El Alamein

A
  • Oct. 23 - Nov. 11, 1942
  • British forces defeat Axis powers in North Africa securing the Suez Canal
  • Open up Allied supply lines to the Middle East and puts Axis forces on the defensive
29
Q

Invasion of Italy

A
  • Sept. 3, 1943
  • Allied forces land in Italy, aiming to weaken Axis control
  • Forces Axis powers to divert resources and attention away from the other fronts
30
Q

Battle of Stalingrad

A
  • August 23, 1942 - Feb 1943
  • Soviet forces successfully defend Stalingrad, halting German advance
  • 1st major defeat of German forces and turns the tide of the Eastern Front
31
Q

Hitler Invades the Soviet Union

A
  • June 22, 1941
  • German forces invade USSR, breaking the non-aggression pact
32
Q

D-Day

A
  • June 6, 1944
  • Allied forces land in Normandy, France, launching the liberation of West Europe
  • marks the beginning of the end for Germany’s control over West Europe
33
Q

Invasion of Pearl Harbor

A
  • December 7, 1941
  • Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor leads US to enter WW2
  • alters the balance of power by bringing the industrial might of the US into the conflict
34
Q

what strategies did the allies use in fighting Japan?

A
  • used “island hopping”
  • take over one island, use it as a base for the next invasion
  • eventually they will reach Japan
35
Q

How did the US end war with Japan

A
  • used the atomic bomb
  • 110,000+ died
  • many died later from radiation

Hiroshima:
- August 6, 1945
- 70,000 died

Nagasaki:
- August 9, 1945
- 40,000 died

36
Q

What was the cost of WW2

A
  • 75 million killed
  • 22.5 million in the USSR alone
  • 292,000 US killed
  • 20 million refugees in Europe
  • Hunger, disease, mental illness scarred Europeans
  • 6 million Jews killed in Holocaust
  • cities, factories, farms destroyed
  • no job / money
  • war debts
37
Q

Nuremberg War Trials

A
  • over 200 Germans and Austrians tried
  • 22 top Nazi officials put on trial for “crimes against humanity”
  • 12 sentenced to death
  • held in Nuremburg, Germany
38
Q

United Nations

A
  • est. 1945
  • world problems can be addressed
39
Q

occupation of Japan and Germany

A
  • US occupies Japan
  • worked on creating democracy
  • Allies occupy west Germany; promote democracy
  • USSR occupy East Germany; communism
40
Q

how did Treaty of Versailles set the stage for WW2

A
  • War Guilt Clause blamed Germany for WWI, creating resentment
  • Territorial losses weakened Germany, fueled desire for revenge
  • Military restrictions left Germany militarily weakened
  • Reparations burdened German economy, led to instability
  • Humiliation and nationalism fostered by treaty terms
  • Destabilization of Europe due to unresolved disputes and economic hardship
41
Q

Leader of Italy

A
  • Benito Mussolini
  • Fascism
  • Came to Power: King refused to fight against Fascists and appointed him PM. He had the right to make his own laws.
  • Goals: The est. of a fascist dictatorship to restore Italian pride and expand
42
Q

Leader of Soviet Union

A
  • Joseph Stalin
  • Communism
  • Came to Power: After the death of Vladmir Lenin, he outdid his political rivals within the Communist Party and took control
  • Goals: Industrialize and modernize the Soviet Union while solidifying his own power through authoritarian rulers
43
Q

Leader of Japan

A
  • Hideki Tojo
  • Militarism
  • Came to Power: Through his role as the military leader and influence in Japanese politics during the early 20th century
  • Goals: Aggressive expansionism in Asia and establishing a Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere
44
Q

Leader of Germany

A
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Nazi
  • Came to Power: Democratic means, exploiting economic turmoil, nationalist sentiments, and fear of communism
  • Goals: Est. of a racially pure totalitarian state, expansion through conquest extermination of “enemies”
45
Q

sudetenland

A
  • Sudetenland: German-speaking border region of Czechoslovakia
  • Became a geopolitical issue due to Hitler’s expansionist policies
  • Munich Agreement of 1938 allowed Germany to annex Sudetenland
  • Demonstrated appeasement policy of European powers
  • Seen as a precursor to WWII
46
Q

Weimar Republic

A
  • German government from 1919 to 1933
  • Established after WWI, replaced the German Empire
  • Faced economic challenges, including hyperinflation in 1920s
  • Politically unstable, plagued by extremist movements
  • Ended with Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933
47
Q

Why did the U.S. follow the policy of neutrality or nonalignment in the beginning of WWII?

A
  • Legacy of World War I trauma
  • Desire to avoid entanglement in another European conflict
  • Economic focus on recovering from the Great Depression
  • Lack of direct military threat to the United States
  • Public opinion favoring neutrality
  • Legislative restrictions like the Neutrality Acts
48
Q

Why did Japan take on a policy of imperialism?

A
  • Need for resources like oil, coal, and iron
  • Overpopulation and limited land in Japan
  • Economic growth and industrialization
  • Nationalism and desire for prestige
  • Military and strategic concerns
  • Response to Western imperialism in Asia
49
Q

a. Why did the Japanese want to acquire Manchuria?

A
  • resources: coal, iron, timber
  • strategic: buffer against soviet union, access to Chinese market
50
Q

What was the Rape of Nanking

A
  • mass atrocities in Nanking
  • mass killings, rape, looting
  • shocked international community, contributed to WW1
51
Q

What was the importance of the D-Day invasion of 1944?

A
  • Opening of Western Front
  • Turning point in Europe
  • Meticulous planning and coordination
  • Significance of Normandy beaches
  • Psychological impact on Allies and Axis
  • Accelerated Allied advance and downfall of Nazi Germany
52
Q

Why were the people of Italy, Germany, and Spain willing to accept Fascist governments/leaders?

A
  • Promised solutions to economic instability
  • Appeal to nationalism and revanchism
  • Presented as strong leaders restoring order
  • Exploited fear of communism and socialism
  • Utilized propaganda and manipulation
  • Established repression and control over dissent
53
Q

What is Fascism

A

Authoritarian ideology emphasizing nationalism, dictatorship, and anti-democratic principles

54
Q

How did Mussolini pursue his goals of
imperialism?

A
  • Invaded Ethiopia in 1935 to expand Italian empire
  • Aimed to restore Roman glory and establish dominance in Mediterranean
  • Used military force and propaganda to justify conquest
  • Saw empire as crucial for economic resources and national prestige