WW2 Flashcards
To memorize the key dates and what happened in them
What was the Treaty o Versailles?
It was a peace agreement between:
The French President George Clemenceau
The British prime minister Davis Lloyd George
The American president Woodrow Wilson
(There were another 29 countries involved in this treaty but these were the main three (the big three))
What did the treaty say that Germany could/couldn’t do?
They had to pay for the damage which was £6.6 billion in 1921 and was never payed off
They lost a large amount of territory
German was disarmed this included:
Maximum of 100,00 troops in the army
Conscription was banned
No tanks were allowed
The navy was reduced to 15,000
They were only allowed 6 battle ships and no submarines
What happened to Hitler after WW1?
He soon became involved in a political party called the Nazis and became very good a public speaking.
What did Hitler blame for signing the treaty?
He blamed the politicians who sign the treaty who were Jews and blamed all the Jews.
What’s the specific type of racism towards Jews?
Anti-semitism
Why did Hitler go to prison?
He was attacking a pub with weapons and force against poltitions to get more power.
How long was he in prison for?
1 year
What did he do in prison?
He dedicated a book which was called Mein Kampf (my struggles)
What did the book contain?
How he thought that the treaty of Versailles should be ripped up
He said that Germany needed one strong leader to make it great again.
He also said that Jews were to blame for all of Germany’s problems.
He said Germany needed to expand Eastwards because the people of Germany needed more space.
Definition of a dictator:
A ruler with total power of a country and usually obtains this power by force.
What was the great depression?
The Great Depression began in the U.S. after the stock market crash, leading to mass unemployment. America, having lent money to Germany, demanded repayment, causing German currency to lose value and increasing unemployment there. Hitler exploited the crisis by blaming Jews and democracy. Eventually, the German president appointed Hitler as chancellor, a major historical mistake.
What did Hitler do when he got into power?
He invades Czechoslovakia
Bans other political parties
He builds an air force
Arrested political opponents
He re-amrs the Rhineland
He demanded the Sudetenland
He introduced Anti-Jewish laws
What was the Appeasement?
Hitler went to the UK saying if we gave him the Sudetenland, he wouldn’t ask for anything more and we would be at peace.
What does Blitzkrieg mean?
Lightning war
What was Blitzkrieg?
A military strategy based on surprise, speed and concentration of forces to overcome the opposite armies.
What was the phoney war?
The Phoney War was a period from September 1939 to April 1940 during World War II when, despite Britain and France declaring war on Germany, there was little military action on the Western Front.
When did the Phoney war end?
1940
What was the Maginot line?
The Maginot Line was a series of fortifications built by France along its border with Germany to defend against invasion, but it was bypassed by Germany in 1940.
What was the Dunkirk evacuation?
The Dunkirk evacuation (May 26–June 4, 1940) was the successful rescue of over 330,000 British and French soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, after being surrounded by German forces.
What were some Luftwaffe tactics?
Bomb the British radar
Bomb the runways
Bomb the fuel tanks and air bases
Shoot down as many RAF planes as possible
And take control of the skies over Britain.
Why was Britain was able to win the battle of Britain?
Britain won the Battle of Britain due to effective use of radar, skilled RAF pilots, strategic mistakes by Germany, and the advantage of fighting on home soil.
What did Hitler believe would happen if he launched a huge attack on the communist soviet union?
Wipe out the large Soviet Red army
Give Germany all the natural resources she needed to dominate Europe for decades to come
It would also wipe communism off the face of the world forever
Hitler also believed that Stalin was not expecting him to attack
Why did he slaughter his top generals?
He thought that they were plotting against him, even though they weren’t
What was Operation Barbarossa?
Operation Barbarossa was the German invasion of the Soviet Union, launched on June 22, 1941, aiming to conquer Soviet territory but ultimately leading to a costly and failed campaign for Germany.
Why did Hitler wait until 1941 to invade the USSR?
He was busy with Britain and he also wanted to make sure Stalin think he wasn’t going to invade.
What are some reasons why operation Barbarossa fail?
Hitler waited too late and ended up fighting in the winter
There were 16 million Soviet troops so they just kept coming
Soviets had better equipment
The Soviet’s propaganda was very effective
The women in the soviet union were also allowed to fight and possible saved the Soviet’s
Where did Japan attack America
Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii
Why did the Japanese attack the Americans?
The Japanese were determined to create an empire in the Pacific
Japan also needed many raw materials like oil and rubber that were found in America
Why Pearl Harbour?
That’s where their main naval base was
Why didn’t it work?
America’s president had moved the aircraft ships somewhere else so they weren’t hit, but many other unimportant boats and sailors were brocken and killed
Difficulties for the Americans when fighting the Japanese?
Fighting conditions were tough
Most Americans weren’t used to such conditions
Japanese soldiers were very well trained and refused to surrender
The Japanese controlled lots of Pacific islands
Japan was a long way from America
Japanese Kamikaze pilots were very difficult to defend against.
What were the names of the bombs the Americans used on the Japanese
Little boy and fat man
