Ww Ii Study Guide Flashcards

Front 1

appeasement

Back 1

giving in to other’s demands to prevent future problems (doesn’t always work!)

Front 2

campaign

Back 2

military strategies to accomplish a specific goal

Front 3

theater (related to war

Back 3

the location of fighting/battles

Front 4

aviation

Back 4

military aircraft

Front 5

internment

Back 5

the state of being confined

Front 6

dilemma

Back 6

a difficult decision where there may be no right or wrong choices

Front 7

militarism

Back 7

building of a strong military

Front 8

alliance

Back 8

agreement between nations to defend and support each other.

Front 9

Imperialism

Back 9

nations building empires by adding colonies

Front 10

Nationalism

Back 10

extreme patriotism, or belief that your country deserves more success than others

Front 11

Isolationism

Back 11

trying to stay out of world events and wars

Front 12

Economy

Back 12

a country’s resources and goods it produces

Front 13

You should be able to look at a map of the world and identify the major theatres of WWII, including North Africa/the Mediterranean, Europe and the Pacific.

Back 13

- map -

Front 14

Explain the role each of the following played in the events of WWII:

Back 14

- Adolph Hitler
- Josef Stalin
- Benito Mussolini
- Winston Churchill
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Harry Truman

Front 15

Adolph Hitler

Back 15

• German dictator, leader of Nazi party
• Wanted to make Germany a strong nation and take over the world.
• Believed one race of people is better than other races.
• Particularly did not like Jews

Front 16

Josef Stalin

Back 16

• Dictator of the Soviet Union
• Agreed that Germany and Soviet Union would not attack each other.
• When Germany invaded Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin joined Allies
• Killed many of his citizens, not friendly toward democratic countries.

Front 17

Benito Mussolini

Back 17

• Dictator of Italy; allied with Hitler.

Front 18

Winston Churchill

Back 18

• Prime Minister of Great Britain (British prime minister)
• Encouraged citizens not to give up during bombings of Great Britain.
• Allied closely with the United States.

Front 19

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Back 19

• President of the United States, commander in chief of U.S. military forces at the beginning of WWII. He died in 1945 while still in office.

Front 20

Harry Truman

Back 20

• Roosevelt’s vice president; took over U.S. presidency after Roosevelt died
• made the tough decision in August 1945 to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII

Front 21

What countries made up the Axis Powers in WWII? (page 361)

Back 21

Germany, Italy, Japan

Front 22

What countries made up the Allied Powers (or Allies) in WWII?

Back 22

Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union (in 1941), and eventually, the United States (after bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941)

Front 23

What event began World War II in Europe? (page 361)

Back 23

The Soviet Union and Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Germany had broken its promise to the Allies not to invade any more countries. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. Then, Germany, Italy, and Japan declared war on the Allies.

Front 24

What was the “Battle of Britain?”

Back 24

Germany launched an aerial (airplane) attack on Great Britain during 1940. For 8 months, they bombed cities and buildings. Winston Churchill refused to give up, and Great Britain was never conquered by German soldiers.

Front 25

When did Germany invade the Soviet Union?

Back 25

Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. This prompted Stalin to join the Allies against Germany and Hitler.

Front 26

What event brought the United States into WWII? On what date did this happen? (p. 363)

Back 26

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base in Hawaii, in a surprise air attack on December 7, 1941. Before this event, the United States was trying to stay out of the world war. This event brought the isolated United States into WWII. The U.S. realized that Japan and Germany were achieving far too many military successes and were beginning to threaten our democracy.

Front 27

How did the U.S. military’s need for war supplies affect the nation’s factories? (page 371)

Back 27

Factories switched from making consumer goods to making war-related goods.

Front 28

What were some key developments in technology that impacted WWII?

Back 28

aviation

weaponry

communication

Front 29

aviation

Back 29

aviation -- bombers and jets, which led to growth in air travel and transportation after WWII; improved helicopter and airplane design

Front 30

weaponry

Back 30

weaponry -- aircraft carriers, semi-automatic and assault rifles, and the atomic bomb, which led to the nuclear arms race and more spending in military and research

Front 31

communication

Back 31

communication –
1. radar used radio technology to locate airplanes and ships many miles away.
2. computers used for code breaking and research
3. Secret codes. Navajo Indians who had joined the U.S. Marines were used as “code talkers.” They used their Native American language to speak in secret code to send messages and orders between Allied leaders and soldiers that the Japanese could not understand.

Front 32

How did U.S. involvement in WWII impact women and the U.S.?

Back 32

A shortage in labor led women to once again leave their homes and go to work in the factories.

Rosie the Riveter was a caricature created to encourage women to recruit women into wartime industries.

Many joined the armed forces as nurses, drivers, pilots, and even soldiers.

Front 33

The nation came together as each American was encouraged to “Do Your Part” in the war effort. Each and every American was called upon to conserve scarce materials by contributing to scrap metal drives and planting “Victory Gardens”.

Back 33

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Front 34

How did U.S. involvement in WWII impact African Americans?

Back 34

A shortage in labor led many jobs to open up for African-Americans. Many African-Americans also helped to fight during WWII, and after their efforts in WWII, President Truman officially banned segregation in the military, desegregating the armed forces.

Front 35

What was the impact of WWII on Japanese-Americans in the United States? (page 372-373)

Back 35

Japanese-Americans were distrusted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The United States forced those of Japanese descent who lived along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington into internment camps in the desert.

Front 36

What was D-Day (Invasion of Normandy), and what was its impact on World War II?

Back 36

D-Day was a massive military campaign of the Allied forces. They used paratroopers, ships, and amphibious vehicles to launch a massive invasion along the coast of France (Normandy).

This was the turning point of WWII for the Allied forces in the European theater.

Front 37

What was “Pacific Island Hopping,” and how did it help the United States and the Allies in its fight against Japan in World War II? (page 378-379)

Back 37

Pacific-island hopping was the strategy the U.S. military used in the Pacific theatre of WWII. They strategically took over certain islands and skipped over others in an attempt to get closer to Japan.

Front 38

What was the “Battle of Midway,” and how was it a turning point in the war for the Allies?

Back 38

The Battle of Midway was a battle near Midway Island.

The Japanese had planned to take over the island from the United States. The U.S. intercepted this information and kept the Japanese from succeeding by destroying much of their navy.

This was the turning point of WWII for the Allied forces in the Pacific theatre.

Front 39

What was President Truman’s dilemma with using the atomic bomb?

Back 39

President Truman had the tough decision to decide whether or not to use the nuclear bomb to help end WWII. After the bloody battle of Okinawa, he knew that a land invasion of Japan would cause many soldiers’ lives to be lost, but he also knew using the nuclear bomb would cause many innocent Japanese civilian deaths. He chose to drop the bombs to end the war quickly. Using the atom bomb was the beginning of the “Arms Race”.

Front 40

What events led to the Allied victory over Japan in August 1945? (page 380)

Back 40

The United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6. Japan did not respond, so they dropped a 2nd bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9.

On August 14, Japan surrendered.

Front 41

After WWII, how did the governments in Europe and Japan change?

Back 41

Germany was divided into 4 quadrants, controlled by the democratic U.S., Great Britain, and France, and the communist Soviet Union. The eastern half of Europe fell under Soviet communist control, while the western half remained democratic.

Japan was forced to create a democratic constitution and government under the leadership of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur.

Front 42

You should be able to look at a map of the world and explain the changes in political boundaries that occurred after WWII.

Back 42

- map -