WW2 study guide part 1 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?
Stalin
Who was the leader of Italy during WW2?
Mussolini
Who was the leader of Germany during WW2?
Hitler
What was the policy of appeasement?
A diplomatic strategy aimed at avoiding conflict by making concessions to an aggressor. giving people what they want to prevent them from harming you or being angry with you.
How did the policy of appeasement cause WWII?
It allowed aggressive nations to expand unchecked, ultimately leading to war.
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 (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact)?
A treaty 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. “connection” or “joining.”
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 about nationalism, anti-Semitism, and Aryan supremacy.
What does Mein Kampf mean?
‘My Struggle’ in German.
What was Kristallnacht?
A violent anti-Jewish pogrom that took place in November 1938.
What were the two names of the youth programs in Nazi Germany?
Hitler Youth and League of German Girls
The purpose was to indoctrinate young people with Nazi ideology.
What were the Nuremberg Laws?
Racial laws enacted in 1935 that discriminated against Jews.
Name the countries in Europe that the Nazis conquered by 1941.
Poland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and others.
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 attack.
What were some nicknames people gave the war due to its lack of action after the declaration of WWII?
Phoney War or Sitzkrieg
What happened at Dunkirk?
A massive evacuation of Allied troops from France to Britain in 1940.
Why was the Battle of Britain hugely important?
It marked the first major defeat of Hitler’s military forces and showed that they could be stopped.
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.
What was one place Japan wanted to conquor + reason
Burma; faster way to get to india
