ww2 exam Flashcards
Who were the leaders of the US during WW2?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Who were the leaders of Britain during WW2?
Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during WW2?
Joseph Stalin
Who was the leader of Italy during WW2?
Benito Mussolini
Who was the leader of Germany during WW2?
Adolf Hitler
What was the policy of appeasement?
A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by making concessions to an aggressor.
How did the policy of appeasement cause WWII?
It allowed aggressive nations to expand unchecked, leading to increased tensions.
How was Neville Chamberlain involved in the policy of appeasement?
He was the British Prime Minister who advocated for appeasement towards Hitler.
What happened at the Munich Conference?
Leaders from Britain, France, Italy, and Germany met to discuss the fate of Czechoslovakia.
What was the result of the Munich Conference?
Czechoslovakia was forced to cede the Sudetenland to Germany.
Name the 3 Axis Powers.
Germany, Italy, and Japan
Name the 2 Allied Powers as of September 1939.
Britain and France
What was the Non-Aggression Pact?
An agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to not attack each other.
What is totalitarianism?
A political system where the state holds total authority over society.
What is lebensraum?
The concept of ‘living space’ for the German people, used to justify expansion.
What is Anschluss?
The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.
What was Mein Kampf?
A book written by Adolf Hitler outlining his ideology and political plans.
What was the purpose of Mein Kampf?
To promote Hitler’s ideas of nationalism, anti-Semitism, and Aryan supremacy.
What does Mein Kampf mean?
My Struggle
What was Kristallnacht?
A violent pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938.
What were the Nuremberg Laws?
Racial laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and rights in Nazi Germany.
Name the countries in Europe that the Nazis conquered.
Poland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, and more.
Britain and France declared war on Germany after the invasion of which country?
Poland
What is the Nazi style of warfare called?
Blitzkrieg
What does Blitzkrieg mean?
Lightning war; a fast and intense military campaign.
What were some nicknames people gave the war due to its lack of action?
Phoney War and Sitzkrieg
What happened at Dunkirk?
The evacuation of Allied soldiers from France in May-June 1940.
Why was the Battle of Britain hugely important?
It marked the first major defeat of Hitler’s military forces.
What did the Battle of Britain show the world?
That the German Luftwaffe could be defeated.
What is the name for the German air force?
Luftwaffe
What is the name for the British air force?
Royal Air Force (RAF)
Why was Japan conquering land in Asia/the Pacific?
To secure resources and expand its empire.
How did Hitler break the Treaty of Versailles? Explain at least 3 ways.
Rearmament, remilitarization of the Rhineland, and annexation of Austria.
Which territories did Japan invade?
Manchuria, China, and parts of Southeast Asia.
What was the Nanjing Massacre?
A mass murder and war rape committed by Japanese troops in Nanjing, China.
Who made up the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy, and Japan
Who made up the Allied Powers?
Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States
Who were the Big Three?
Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR)
What happened at the Munich Conference?
Leaders agreed to allow Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland.
Who was Isoroku Yamamoto?
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
What did Isoroku Yamamoto do?
He planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Why did the US get involved in WWII?
Due to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Explain the connection between the Final Solution and the Holocaust.
The Final Solution was the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish people, leading to the Holocaust.
What types of things did the Final Solution include?
Mass shootings, concentration camps, and extermination camps.
What happened at Normandy (D-Day)?
The Allied invasion of German-occupied France on June 6, 1944.
What was Operation Barbarossa?
The code name for the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.
Who invaded which country in Operation Barbarossa?
Germany invaded the Soviet Union.
What is island hopping and why is it important?
A military strategy used by the Allies to capture key islands in the Pacific.
Which islands were affected by island hopping?
Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Who was General Eisenhower?
The Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe.
What was the significance of El Alamein?
It marked a turning point in the North African campaign.
What was the significance of Dunkirk?
It was a successful evacuation of Allied troops.
What was the significance of the Battle of Britain?
It prevented Germany from gaining air superiority.
What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
It was a major turning point on the Eastern Front.
What was Operation Mincemeat?
A deception operation to mislead the Axis about Allied invasion plans.
What happened at Pearl Harbor?
A surprise military attack by Japan on December 7, 1941.
What was the significance of Bataan?
Site of the Bataan Death March, where American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march.
What was the significance of the Battle of Midway?
It was a decisive naval battle that turned the tide in the Pacific.
What was the significance of the Battle of the Bulge?
The last major German offensive on the Western Front.
What was the significance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
The sites of the first atomic bombings, leading to Japan’s surrender.
Who was the US President in the last months of WWII?
Harry S. Truman
What does VE Day mean?
Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of WWII in Europe on May 8, 1945.
What does VJ Day mean?
Victory over Japan Day, marking the end of WWII in the Pacific on August 15, 1945.
What kind of government did Japan have after WWII?
A constitutional monarchy with democratic elements.
Who helped set up the government in Japan after WWII?
The United States
What were the Nuremberg Trials?
Military tribunals held to prosecute Nazi war criminals.
What types of crimes were charged at the Nuremberg Trials?
Crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.
What was the result of the Nuremberg Trials?
Several leaders were convicted and sentenced to death or imprisonment.
What were the Tokyo Trials?
Similar military tribunals held to prosecute Japanese war criminals.
How were the Tokyo Trials similar to the Nuremberg Trials?
Both aimed to hold leaders accountable for war crimes.
How were the Tokyo Trials different from the Nuremberg Trials?
They focused on Japanese leaders and were conducted in the Asia-Pacific region.
