WWII Flashcards
What is Fascism?
A political system headed by a dictator in which the government controls everything and opposition is not permitted
What is Inflation?
When money loses value as prices rise
What does Blitzkrieg mean and what was it?
Meaning “lightning war,” it was the tactic of using large military force to quickly push through areas for invasion
What is Internment?
Confining a large group of people without a trial
What is a Ghetto?
A part of a city, usually less cared-for and occupied by poorer, minority groups
What is Genocide?
The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation
What is Antisemitism?
Hostility to or prejudice against Jews
Which major countries made up the Allied Powers in WWII?
Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the U.S.A
Who led Great Britain during most of WWII?
Winston Churchill
Who led Great Britain before Winston Churchill and what did he promise?
Neville Chamberlain; promised that the nation would not go to war
Who led France during WWII?
Charles de Gaulle
Who led the Soviet Union during WWII?
Joseph Stalin
Who led the U.S.A during most of WWII?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Who took over as U.S. President after Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away in 1945?
Harry Truman
Which major countries made up the Axis Powers in WWII?
Germany, Italy, and Japan
Who led Germany during WWII?
Adolf Hitler
Who led Italy during WWII?
Benito Mussolini
Who led Japan during WWII?
Hideki Tojo and Emperor Hirohito
What treaty was signed in 1919 after WWI and how did it affect Germany?
The Versailles Treaty; It severely weakened Germany and its economy
Who rose to power in Italy in 1922 and what political system did he introduce?
Benito Mussolini; Fascism
What major economic event began in 1929 and how did it affect Germany?
The Great Depression; Germany especially suffered due to hyperinflation caused by war debt
Who rose to power in Germany in 1933?
Adolf Hitler
What areas did Hitler occupy or take over in 1936?
The Rhineland and Austria
What event in 1937 is seen as the start of WWII in Asia?
Japan invades China and begins the Second Sino-Japanese War
What area did Hitler take over in 1938?
The Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia
What was the Munich Conference?
A conference where allied leaders met with Hitler to prevent him from spreading any farther after taking the Sudetenland
What did Hitler agree to at the Munich Conference and what did the British Prime Minister promise?
Hitler agreed not to invade further; The British Prime Minister promised “Peace for our time.”
What countries invaded Poland in 1939 as part of a non-aggression pact?
Germany and the Soviet Union
What event officially started WWII and on what date?
Great Britain and France declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland; Sept. 1st, 1939
What tactic did the Nazis use to take over France quickly in 1940?
Blitzkrieg tactics
Where did the Allies have to evacuate from in France in 1940?
Dunkirk
What was ‘The Blitz’?
Germany’s bombing campaign against Great Britain, including London, which lasted for months in 1940
Did the British surrender during ‘The Blitz’?
No, the British refused to surrender
What was the Lend-Lease policy between the U.S. and Britain in 1941?
Britain received war supplies in exchange for giving the U.S. military bases in the Caribbean and Bermuda
Which country did Germany invade in 1941, breaking their non-aggression treaty?
The Soviet Union
What major event happened on Dec. 7th, 1941, involving Japan and the U.S.?
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor
What was Japan’s goal in bombing Pearl Harbor?
To weaken the U.S. navy and keep it out of the war
What was the U.S. response to the Pearl Harbor attack?
The U.S. declared war on Japan the very next day
When did Germany declare war on the United States?
Three days after the Pearl Harbor attack
What was the significance of the Battle of Midway in 1942?
The U.S. fought off Japan, marking a turning point in the Pacific front of the war
What was the Manhattan Project?
The mission to develop a successful atomic bomb in the United States, started in 1942
What happened at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942?
Nazi forces were fought off by Soviets; due to the harsh winter, many soldiers died from freezing or starvation
What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
It became a turning point of the war in Eastern Europe
What was ‘Operation Overlord’ more commonly known as?
‘D-Day’ or the Invasion of Normandy
What was the outcome of D-Day (Invasion of Normandy) in 1944?
The Allies fought off the enemy and forced them to retreat from France
What was the significance of D-Day?
It was the turning point of the war in Western Europe
When did Germany surrender in WWII?
After Adolf Hitler commits suicide in 1945
Why did the United States drop atomic bombs on Japan?
In order to ensure a faster surrender
On which Japanese cities were the atomic bombs dropped in 1945?
Hiroshima (first) and Nagasaki (second)
What was the result of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan?
Japan surrendered, finally ending WWII on Sept. 2nd, 1945
What were some ways U.S. citizens contributed to the war effort on the homefront?
Rationing, carpooling, growing Victory Gardens, selling stamps and bonds
Who filled the jobs left by men fighting overseas during WWII?
Women and minority groups
How did WWII affect the Great Depression in the U.S.?
The economic needs of the war led the nation out of the Great Depression
Which group faced extreme prejudice and discrimination in the U.S. after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
Japanese Americans
What happened to many Japanese Americans during WWII?
Thousands were removed from their homes and forced into Internment Camps
What was Japan’s goal for the ‘Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’?
To occupy most of mainland Asia and have dominance over it as the supreme Asian race
What happened during the Second Sino-Japanese War after the Japanese pushed the Chinese government out of Shanghai?
They pursued them to the new capital at Nanjing, leading to the Nanjing Massacre
What was the Nanjing Massacre?
An event where the Japanese committed random murder, looting, arson, and other war crimes against Chinese civilians
Who was John Rabe?
A Nazi who established a safety zone in China to protect Chinese citizens during the Nanjing Massacre
What was Japanese Military Unit 731 known for?
Participating in secret human experimentation against captive prisoners
What did the Americans offer those involved in Unit 731 in exchange for their research?
Immunity from punishment
How did discrimination against Jews begin in Nazi-controlled areas?
Boycotts of businesses, exclusion from government jobs and public education, restrictions on doctors, forced wearing of the Yellow Star of David
What was Kristallnacht?
Translates to “Night of Broken Glass”; Nazis violently attacked Jewish families and businesses, burned synagogues
What happened to Jews several days after Kristallnacht?
They were rounded up and forced into all-Jewish ghettos
How were Jews transported to concentration camps?
In cramped trains that traveled long distances without stopping for food, water, or restrooms
What was the most famous large concentration camp?
Auschwitz
Who guarded the prisoners in concentration camps?
The SS, the Nazi Special Police
What belief did the SS officers hold about Jews?
They believed propaganda that Jews were criminals and an inferior people
How were prisoners sorted upon arrival at concentration camps?
Into two groups: Able-bodied people (sent to work) and Others (sent to gas chambers)
Who were considered ‘Others’ and sent to gas chambers?
Children, the elderly, the sick, etc.
What were prisoners told the ‘showers’ were?
They were actually gas chambers
What happened to the bodies of those killed in the gas chambers?
They were taken to ovens, cremated, and scattered around the camp
Who was Oskar Schindler?
A Nazi and German Businessman who defended the lives of over 1,000 of his Jewish employees
What were some ways people helped Jews during the Holocaust?
Hiding families, smuggling food
What was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?
An instance in 1943 where some Jews fought back against the Nazis
Who liberated the concentration camps?
Allied military forces
When were the first concentration camps found by Allied forces?
Not until 1944
Who was Anne Frank?
A Jewish girl who hid in an attic for years, wrote a diary about her experiences, but died after being discovered and sent to a camp
Who was Elie Wiesel?
A Holocaust survivor who wrote the book “Night” about his experiences
When did Germany surrender, ending the war in Europe?
May 7th, 1945
When did Japan surrender, officially ending WWII?
September 2nd, 1945
What forced Japan to surrender?
The dropping of the atomic bombs
What did scientist Robert Oppenheimer say after seeing the first atomic bomb test?
“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
What happened to Japanese Americans after being freed from internment camps?
They continued to face discrimination after the war
Approximately how many people were killed in the Holocaust?
Over 11 million people Hitler declared undesirable
Approximately how many Jews were killed in the Holocaust?
6 million
Which two countries emerged from WWII as global superpowers?
The U.S. and USSR
