World War II In The Pacific Flashcards
What type of state was Japan in the 1940s?
Totalitarian regime
Who ruled Japan?
The military
Who was nicknamed “The Razor”?
General Tojo
What was the development of the atomic bomb called?
The Manhattan Project
Who took over as president after Roosevelt died?
Harry Truman
Where did the Americans test the nuclear bomb?
They built a fake village in the desert.
What was the first nuclear bomb called?
The Little Man
What was the second bomb called?
Fat Boy
What is a Cold War?
A war with no nuclear weapons
What are the “Super powers”?
USSR
USA
What does ICBM?
Inter
Continental
Ballistic
Missile
Why did the USA and the USSR clash?
Their different political values
What kind of government does America have?
Capitalism
Democracy
What kind of government did the USSR have?
Communist
What does MAD stand for?
Mutually
Assured
Destruction
What three conferences took place surrounding WW2?
Teheran-Iran
Yalta-USSR
Potsdam-Germany
What countries met at these three conferences?
USA
USSR
Britain
What does USSR stand for?
Union of Soviet Socialist Republic
Who was in charge of the USSR at the time?
Josef Stalin
Who was leader of the USA at the time?
Roosevelt
Who was the leader of Britain at the time?
Winston Churchill
What does it mean when someone dies in office?
When someone dies while still working in government
What disease did Roosevelt have?
Polio
How long was Stalin in office?
1924-1955
Who took over from Churchill?
Clement Atlee
When was the Cold War Era?
1945-1989
Who got the biggest zone of occupation in Germany?
The USSR
What colour usually represents communism?
Red
What are the Russian Satellite states?
Poland East Germany Hungary Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Romania
What was Churchill compared to?
A bulldog
What did Churchill look like?
Short
Fat
Usually with a cigar
What did Roosevelt look like?
Tall
Thin
What did Stalin look like?
Big moustache
Brushed back thick black hair
Usually military dress
What did Truman look like?
Round glasses
White hair
Average build
What did Atlee look like?
Balding
Smallish moustache
Average build
Why did Japan invade China?
To gain more raw materials
Why did the USA react when Japan invaded China?
They had economic interests in China
How did the USA assist China?
They placed economic sanctions against Japan
On which side did Japan enter the war?
The Axis agreement
Germany; Italy
Where was the American naval fleet moved to?
Pearl Harbour in Hawaii
Why was the fleet moved to Pearl Harbour?
The Americans wanted to show their naval power and frighten Japan
What did Japan do when the ships were moved to Pearl Harbour?
They planned a surprise attack
Why did Japan plan a surprise attack?
They wanted to frighten the USA so that they could continue their conquest of China
How did the USA react to the attack on Pearl Harbour?
They joined the war on Britain’s side and declared war on Japan
What happened to Japanese citizens living in America?
They were sent to internment camps
What were the internment camps like?
They consisted of poorly-constructed barracks Surrounded by barbed wire Patrolled by armed guards Slept on hard cots Had little food
What was the Rape of Nanjing?
It was an attack by the Japanese on the town of Nanjing
What happened at the Rape of Nanjing?
Many children and women were raped
Thousands of people were killed
Some POWs were soaked in gasoline and burned alive
Some Chinese POWs were decapitated
How did the Japanese feel about surrender?
They considered it a dishonour and to give up was worse than death
What did the Japanese do when called to surrender?
They would commit suicide rather than be taken captive
Who were the two opposing powers during WWII?
The Axis Powers
The Allied Powers
Which countries were part of the Axis Powers?
Germany
Italy
Japan
Which countries were part of the Allied Powers?
USA
USSR
Britain
France
What was decided at the Yalta conference?
Germany and Berlin would be divided up into four zones
Which section did the USSR receive?
The upper right part
Which section did the USA receive?
The bottom right part
Which section did France receive?
The lower left part
Which section did Britain receive?
The upper left part
Who took over from Churchill?
Clement Atlee
What kind of relationship did Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt have?
They were quite friendly and relaxed with each other
Although Stalin and Churchill both had strong personalities, they balanced each other out
What kind of relationship did Atlee, Truman and Stalin have?
Strained
Why did Stalin, Atlee and Truman have a strained relationship?
They had different systems of government
Stalin didn’t remove his troops from Eastern Europe
Atlee and Truman were new
Stalin had a very strong personality, which was no longer kept in check by Churchill
The USA had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, without checking with the other Allies
KGB spies had found out about the bombs
How did Stalin reason that his occupation of Eastern Europe was justified?
He said it was to prevent more attacks from the West
How did Clement Atlee become Prime Minister?
Churchill was voted out of office
How did the Allies convince Japan to surrender?
The USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan
What are the long term effects of a nuclear explosion?
Nuclear radiation can cause fatal illnesses
Who was the Russian Tsar before the revolution?
Nicholas II
How many children did the Russian Tsar have?
2 older girls (the “Big Pair)
Two younger girls (the “Little Pair”)
One son
Who took over Russia?
A man named Vladimir Lenin
What kind of leader was Stalin?
A ruthless communist dictator
