U.S. History Final S1 - WWII and the Cold War

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Define “appeasement”

The act of giving in to an aggressor’s demands to potentially avoid conflict (war)

Explain the Nazi-Soviet Pact/Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

It was a pact of non-aggression with the Soviet Union. It coordinated the splitting up of Poland and promised non-aggression thereafter.

What invasion finally led to the outbreak of World War II?

The Invasion of Poland by Germany.

What did Europe look like by the summer of 1940?

France was defeated in a matter of weeks. The creation of Nazi Europe became a reality.

Explain what the goals of the Neutrality Acts attempted to do?

The Neutrality Acts attempted to prevent American involvement in WWII. FDR won a change in them. It allowed Allies to buy weapons and non military goods with cash.

Explain the Lend Lease Act

By 1940, the President was authorized to lease, lend, or dispose of arms and equipment. It created the Committee to Defend America by aiding the Allies. There was vocal support for the Allies against Hitler.

What was the message of the “America First Committee”

Prominent figures like Charles Lindbergh and Senator Nye were urging America to stay out of the war.

Operation Barbarossa led to the invasion of which European country?

It led to the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler was confident that Great Britain was temporarily out of the fight. He violated the non aggression pact. He wanted agricultural lands and oil fields.

Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?

As Japan continued to expand, the US decided to freeze all Japanese assets and cut off oil exports to Japan. This made them attack Pearl Harbor.

What event led to America’s direct involvement in World War II?

The attack on Pearl Harbor led to America’s involvement in WWII.

Explain why the Battle of Stalingrad was important

It was the turning point of WWII on the Eastern front. Germany was close to capturing big cities like Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad. The Soviets broke Hitler’s army and stopped their advance into the Soviet Union.

Explain the Tehran Conference and who attended

Churchill, Stalin, and FDR attended the Tehran Conference. They demanded that a second front should be opened in France.

What was Operation Overlord/D-Day and who was involved

Operation Overlord/D-Day was the Invasion of Normandy, France. It was a success, and within months, France would be liberated. It involved the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, and other Allied forces.

Which beach on D-Day was the deadliest and who was responsible for that beach?

The Omaha Beach was the deadliest. The Americans were responsible for it.

Explain what was accomplished at the Potsdam Conference

The U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union planned peace post-war Europe. They decided that Germany would be divided into pieces according to current Allied occupation, with Berlin also being divided. Stalin agrees to join the fight in Japan in about 3 months.

Describe the Bataan Death March

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Phillippines were captured by the Japanese. American and Filippino soldiers were marched 80 miles inland to a prisoner-of-war camp. Around 10,000 died in this march.

Battle of Coral Sea

It was between the U.S. and Japan. It halted Japan’s advancements on islands off of the coast of Australia. It was the first battle of its kind (the ships never saw or fired on each other)

Battle of Midway

It was the turning point in the Pacific. It was an aircraft carrier duel that crippled the Japanese Navy. It halted Japanese expansion and shifted the naval power over to the Allies.

Explain the importance of the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Iwo Jima: 17k Japanese fought 70k U.S. marines over a month long battle. It was an island that provided a crucial airbase for the United States to use, which helped them with the Battle of Okinawa.

Okinawa: It was the last major battle before the invasion of Japan. It was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater. It was a major factor leading to the decision to drop the atomic bombs instead of invading. It opened a viable base from which to launch a full invasion of Japan.

What was the Manhattan Project

The U.S. feared that Germany might develop an atomic bomb, so they launched the Manhattan Project. This was a program to create the first atomic bomb.

Why did America decide to drop a bomb instead of invading Japan?

After the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, people thought that up to 1 milion lives would be sacrificed if they did a land invasion. They also wanted a swift surrender.

What two cities were the atomic bombs dropped on? What was Japan’s decision after the second?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan.

Explain Executive Order 8802

It established the Fair Employment Practices Committee which monitored hiring practices of the defense industry. It banned racial and ethnic discrimination in the U.S. defense industry and government jobs.

Explain Executive Order 9066

It authorized the forced removal of any person from the designated “exclusion zones.” These people were of Japanese descent and were found suspicious of disloyalty, so they were sent to internment camps secured by barbed wire and guards.

Define Nuremburg Laws

They banned rights from Jews. They limited their movement and ability to live.

How many Jewish people were to be killed under Hitler’s “final solution” plan

11 million.

What method of execution do most concentration and extermination camps implement across the board? 

They initially planned to kill them with guns, but they switched to gas at extermination camps.

Explain what the Long Telegram was?

Diplomat George Kennan sent a “long telegram” to the State Department denouncing the Soviet Union as a threat and danger. It referred to the Soviet Union as a parasite and stated that there could be no cooperation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Which two countries are pitted against each other during the Cold War and what was the Cold War a battle between?

The Cold War was between capitalist and communist countries, especially the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It was a battle between capitalism and communism, global influence, and military and technology surpremacy.

What was the Iron Curtain and who talked about this descending on Europe?

The Iron Curtain was “splitting Europe in half.” Former prime minister Winston Churchill stated this.