WWII STudy guide

Why did Hitler offer the USSR a nonaggression pact?

The act of taking Poland was a threat to Stalin so he decided to try to take Poland together.

How did the USSR benefit from the Nonagression pact?

He had been promised territory and it allowed Stalin to take over territories without argument.

Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany?

Germany took Poland

What did the military strategy of blitzkrieg entail?

It means lightning war and meant conquering places with air strikes, tanks, artillery, and soldiers on trucks.

Why was the rescue at Dunkirk considered one of the most heroic acts of the war?

Many soldiers were rescued and many were later participating in the war.

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets…..we shall never surrender.”  Which leader proclaimed this as British policy?

Winston Churchill

How did the Germans try to destroy the British morale? did they succeed?

They tried to destroy British morale by bombing cities like London. This was unsuccesful.

What led to German involvement in the African campaign?

They were helping the Italians as they had trouble fighting the British but HItler also wanted land for himself.

Why was Erwin Rommel, commander of the Afrika Corps, known as the Desert Fox?

He was very successful in North AFrica

 What were Hitler’s military objectives in the Balkans?

He wanted to build bases there to attack the USSR

What did Germany do to get Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary to join the Axis Powers?

threat of force

Why were Greece and Yugoslavia invaded by Germany?

HItler wanted to expand his influence in the Balkans

How long after the Nonaggression Pact was signed did Germany invade the USSR?

about 2 years

What strategy did the Soviets use as they retreated?

scorched earth strategy

How did the Cash and Carry and Lend Lease Acts reverse the Neutrality Acts?

They allowed the Allies to buy American arms which was against the Neutrality Acts.

Why did Yamamoto consider it important to attack Pearl Harbor?

It was important because the US fleet was a threat to Japan and destroying it would help their conquests.

What did the US learn about Japan’s objectives after breaking one of its codes?

They knew it planned to take over Southeast Asia.

How did the US retaliate against Japanese aggression in Indochina?

They cut off oil shipments to Japan

According to the textbook the Japanese reserved their most brutal treatment for Allied prisoner s of war.  Give an example of inhumane treatment?

Bataan Death March-forced march that killed many prisoners

What was the psychological impact of Doolittle’s bombing raids on Tokyo?

It raised US morale and shook Japanese morale.

Who developed the military strategy of island-hopping and what did it entail?

General MacArthur developed it and it entailed capturing weaker Japanese controlled islands to use them as bases to get to Japan.

What was the significance of each of the following battles: Midway, Coral Sea and Guadalcanal.

The Battle of Midway was the turning point and Japan’s first major defeat and the Coral SEa stopped Japanese advance towards Australia. It also was the first battle in which people used airplanes attacking each other in naval warfare. The Battle of Guadalcanal was the first territory loss for Japan.

Why was rationing essential during the war?

It helped the war have more resources.

What groups’ civil rights were violated during the war?

Japanese Americans

How did FDR justify Executive Order 9066?

He claimed Japanese Americans were a threat to the country.

What is the contradiction between the terms “enemy alien” and “Nisei?”

“Enemy alien” implies that the Japanese were foreign enemies but Nisei were born in American and just as American as anyone else.

What evidence exists that Japanese-Americans were loyal citizens?

Many volunteered int he military.

Where did the Allies plan to launch the long-awaited second-front?

They launched it in NOrth Africa and Southern Europe.

  What leader had been urging that the Allies open two fronts for the past two years?

Stalin

Who was the American commander in charge of the D-Day operation?

General Eisenhower

The Germans knew an attack was coming.  What did the Allies do confuse or “keep Hitler guessing?”

They made a dummy army that seemed to be attacking Calais.

 What was the code name for D-Day?

Operation Overlord

After this last German offensive the Germans were in steady retreat.  What battle was it?

Battle of the Bulge

April 12 was cause for great sorrow in the US.  Why?

President Roosevelt died

What did General Dwight D. Eisenhower accept on May 7, 1945?

He accepted Germany’s surrender

After what battle were the Japanese in steady retreat? (The Pacific version of the Battle of the Bulge)

Battle of Guadalcanal

Why did the Japanese eventually begin using the kamikazes?

They had lost the navy

How did Truman justify using the atomic bomb?

Attacking the Japanese homeland would cost half a million lives and the atomic bomb would end the war quicker.

Why were there so many displaced people after the war?

They were survivors of concentration camps, prisoners of war, and many countries changed borders leaving people in the wrong countries.

Why did people in Europe continue to starve or die even after the war was over

The countryside was destroyed and most people weren’t working in agriculture. The meager harvests couldn’t reach people because the transport was destroyed.

 The Nuremberg Trials charged the defendants with what crimes?

They were charged with waging aggressive war, crimes against humanity, and war crimes

Who was in charge of US occupation of Japan? What were his three goals in Japan?

It was General MacArthur and his goals were demilitarization, democratization, and broadening land ownership.

  How did poor tenant farmers benefit from land reform?

They got large sections of land sold to them at reasonable prices. They also got subsidies and price supports.

Who composed the Japanese constitution?  On what was it modeled?

It was composed by General MacArthur and advisers and was modeled off of Great Britain.

How did the outcome of the war affect Emperor Hirohito’s status?

He was no longer divine and became a figurehead.

What does Article 9 of the constitution forbid?

It forbid Japan from declaring war unless attacked first.

Who protects Japan today?

A US military presence