ww2 Flashcards
4 causes of ww2
treaty of versailles, german hyperinflation, political instability, depression & unemployment
3 main parties that emerged from political instability
communism, social democracy, fascism
rise of hitler
1919 joins party, 1923 fails overthrow, 1933 becomes chancellor & gets dictatorial powers, 1934 removes presidency
league of nations
created after ww1, best members were britain and france
why did the league of nations fail
they never did anything
what was the policy of appeasment
if britian and france just give germany a few things they will be happy
good example is when chamberlain signed the munich agreement in 1938 to give him the sudetenland in exchange for taking nothing else
how does hitler test the leage of nations
1936 remilitarizes rhineland
hitler 1938
takes austria to unite german speaking people, takes sudentenland (german czechoslovakia), promises no more, takes all of czechoslovakia
how and when does ww2 start
sept 1 1939 hitler invades poland with beefy army
what was the nazi soviet non-aggression pact
molotov-ribbentrop, because hitler could not fight 2 fronts at once, stalin needed the time to thicken army
blitzkreig strategy
1: luftwaffe & artillery bombing, 2: panzers, 3: infantry
maginot line
france heavily enforced the germany-france border, then germany went around through belgium
phony war
germany steamrolls and west germany sits
early months after poland, but then germany invaded denmark and norway
dunkirk significance
400k french and british retrat to dunkirk, panzers stop due to fear of outrunning supply, 340k soldiers saved
what year did the “final solution” start
1941
anti semitism in canada during ww2
1939 st louis & immigration policies, discrimination
japanese people in canada in ww2
no voting or armying, War Measures Act let government take their property and auction it off
how does ww2 end
april 1945 soviet troops brutally enter berlin & hitler suicides & germany surrenders, germany and berlin are split up
berlin blockade
soviet union wanted full berlin control & cut off west berlin access, and allies airlifted stuff so soviets lift blockade
warsaw pact
all communist countries made a thing to counter NATO
1955 - one year after nato
full steps to war (8)
- hitler elected 2. rhineland 3. austria absorbed 4. munich agreement (czechoslovakia appeasement) 5. non-aggression pact (russia) 6. full czechoslovakia 7. poland 8. britain france and canada declare war
battle of britain 1940
1940 british airstrike to destroy planes factories and morale
churchill was just leaking with hope though so people weren’t destroyed
name of hitlers invasion of russia
operation barbarossa
why did hitler attack russia
oil and other natural resources
what is the largest invasion in the history of warfare
hitler invading russia
4.2m germans against 5.5m soviets, eventually 14m soviets
why did hitler fail at attacking russia
scorched earth so they didn’t get much and then winter
when and why did japan attack pearl harbor
1941 because they wanted pacific control & all of US navy was in pearl harbour
dieppe raid
1942 attempt to test nazi defences and most died or captured
battle of the boot
canada and allies attack sicily overthrowing mussolini
when does it turn for hitler
stalingrad 1943, 330k german soldiers killed/captured
what does canada attack in italy
ortona
operation fortitude
allies build fake military base across the english channel and actually attack in normandy
d-day when and what
1944, 130k people attack normandy and hitler thought it was going to be at calais
scheldt significance
canada had to free it and it killed a bunch of people, then we liberated netherlands
Oct 1944
when did germany surrender
May 7 1945
what is total war
all aspects of country involved in war effort
ww2 rationing in canada
1942 people got coupons for stuff they could buy
canada 1950s
baby boom
when was d day
June 6 1944
what did the nuremberg laws do
1935 legally differentiated jewish people from not jewish people
when was vj day
Aug 15 1945
when was ve day
May 8 1945
convoy system (war at sea)
merchant ships going into britain would be accompanied by lots of armed things
iron curtain
border between soviet countries and western europe
soviet defector man
igor gouzenko, informed canada about the spy network
avro arrow
canada feared nuclear bomber attack from soviet, but it was discontinued because of high costs and it could have been just a missile
truman ww2
allowed atomic bomb drops
neville chamberlain ww2
supported appeasement, declared war when hitler attacked poland
churchill ww2
got the british people together, didn’t surrender when everyone told him to
5 things that the league of nations basically ignored (3 hitler 2 not hitler)
japan in manchuria
italy in ethiopia
hitler taking austria
hitler and the sudetenland
hitler at czechoslovakia
liberation of hong kong
british aug 30 1945
hiroshima and nagasaki dates
hiroshima aug 6 1945
nagasaki aug 9 1945
who planned the invasion of normandy
American General Dwight D. Eisenhower
battle of the atlantic
both germany and the allies wanted control of the atlantic, as it was a juicy route for sending supplies
nuclear arms race
- by 1950 the US and soviets both had hydrogen bombs (stronger than atomic)
- started stockpiling
- deterrence - showing you are prepared to retaliate
- both sides try to achieve first strike capability
- by 1980s there were enough nuclear warheads to kill all humans
