World War II General Questions Flashcards
What triggered World War Two?
Germany’s attack on Poland was the cause of WWII after multiple attempts to appease Hitler, most notably the Munich Agreement. The attack happened on September 1st, 1939. Germany was warned multiple times if it attacked Poland that the Allies would no longer try to satisfy Germany and war would start. Germany used the new military tactic “Blitzkrieg” when it attacked Poland.
List and explain the causes of World War Two.
The causes of World War 2 can be listed as such:
- Treaty of Versailles- Due to the harsh conditions of the Treaty on Germany, the German people elected a man who promised to destroy the Treaty and give the Germans their freedom back.
- Hitler’s Actions- Hitler attacked Poland in 1939, causing WW2 to begin
- Failure of Appeasement- Surrounding Central Powers of Britain and France tried multiple times to appease Hitler by rewarding him with land taken from him by the Treaty’s conditions, such as the Sudetenland Region, but it wasn’t enough.
- League of Nations- The League of Nations had no power whatsoever to intervene in the war, and despite the constant distress signals from many countries, the League did nothing to help.
What date did World War Two start and end? Be as specific as possible.
World War Two started on September 1, 1939 and ended on September 2, 1945.
Name the five dictators we discussed, and their countries.
The five main dictators in WW2 were unassailable leaders, I’ll give them that, but were overly cruel in their actions and their ways to deal with fights, and conflicts. These five men are:
- Adolf Hitler, Germany
- Hideki Tojo, Japan
- Francisco Franco, Spain
- Joseph Stalin, Russia/ U.S.S.R./ Soviet Union
- Benito Mussolini, Italy
Who formed the Axis?
The countries that formed the Axis were Germany, Japan, and Italy.
What new war tactic did Germany use?
The new tactic that Germany used was called “Blitzkrieg”. It is designed to create disorganization/shock amongst an enemy force through the use of mobile forces and concentrated fire. When successful it usually results in a relatively short military campaign, limited deaths, and preserved resources. Blitzkrieg means “lightning war”. This tactic was used at the attack of Poland (the trigger of WWII).
Describe the Holocaust.
The Holocaust was the genocide of 6 million Jewish people during WWII from Nazi Germany. It also involved the deaths of over 11 million people, through discrimination of different groups of people like gypsies, Soviet POWS (prisoners of war), and homosexuals among others. The genocide of Jews and others during the Holocaust didn’t occur in one fell swoop. Instead, it was a process that occurred over time during the war, gradually leading up to the implementation of the “Final Solution”. It all began with laws that required Jewish people to be secluded from the rest of the general population, creating a terrible consensus of the Jewish population that were later forced into ghettos and concentration camps. As the war continued, some Jews fought back, many tried to hide from the Germans, but in the end most of the Jews were freed by the Allies , but many were killed in the process.
