World War II Test Study Guide

Flashcards on the leadup to World War II, major events, and key concepts.

How did Hitler violate the Treaty of Versailles in the 1930s?

Rebuilt the German military, annexed Austria, reoccupied the Rhineland, and demanded and took the Sudetenland.

What was the purpose of the Munich Conference?

Britain and France allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland in hopes of avoiding war (appeasement).

Arguments for Chamberlain making a deal

Avoid another devastating war, belief Hitler would stop, military unpreparedness

Arguments against appeasement

Encouraged Hitler to take more, showed weakness, Hitler had broken past promises.

What steps did Hitler take in expanding German territory?

Took all of Czechoslovakia (1939), invaded Poland (Sept. 1939), invaded Denmark, Norway, France, and Soviet Union

What were early events of WWII?

Appeasement of Czechoslovakia, Spanish Civil War, German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (1939), Battle of Britain, Fall of France (1940), Invasion of Soviet Union (1941)

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

Just War Theory Criteria

Just cause, right intention, last resort, proportionality, probability of success

Vichy Collaboration

Enforced anti-Jewish laws, deported Jews, maintained German control

Resistance in Vichy France

Underground newspapers, sabotage, spying, aiding Allies

Petain’s Ideology

Conservative, authoritarian, anti-communist, pro-tradition

Patriotism Arguments from Vichy Supporters

Claimed to protect France from worse damage

Patriotism Arguments from Resisters

Believed real patriotism meant fighting Nazis

Operation Barbarossa

Germany’s surprise attack on USSR in June 1941

Motives for German invasion of USSR

Destroy communism, gain living space (Lebensraum), access Soviet resources

Importance of Caucasus

Oil fields

Importance of Stalingrad

Industrial center, symbol of Stalin

Soviet Victory at Stalingrad

Harsh winter, Soviet counterattack, German overreach

Turning point of Battle of Stalingrad

First major German defeat, Soviets began pushing westward

Why the Holocaust began in 1941

Invasion of USSR brought millions more Jews under Nazi control, Einsatzgruppen (killing squads) started mass shootings

Victim Locations in Eastern Europe

Poland, Ukraine, Baltic states

Ghetto Locations

Warsaw, Łódź

Camp Locations

Auschwitz, Treblinka, Sobibor

Mistreatment Leading to Holocaust

Nuremberg Laws (1935), Kristallnacht (1938), Ghettoization, Mass killings (1941), Death camps (1942+, Wannsee Conference)

The Holocaust as a gradual process

Shift from discrimination -> segregation -> extermination

Motives for Japanese expansion

Natural resources, Economic/military power, Empire building

Japanese war strategy against the US

Pearl Harbor attack (Dec. 7, 1941), Rapid Pacific takeover

Japanese Expansion Locations

Manchuria, China, SE Asia, Pacific islands

Threat to Europeans by Japanese expansion

Took European colonies in Asia (British, Dutch, French)

Pacific War Phases

1. Japanese expansion (1941–42), 2. Allied defense, 3. US offensive (island-hopping), 4. Final attacks

Coral Sea Battle importance

Blocked advance on Australia

Midway Battle importance

Turning point; Japan lost 4 carriers

US Defensive Phase in the Pacific

Recovering from Pearl Harbor, Holding key locations

Leapfrogging / Island-Hopping

Skipping strongholds, capturing nearby islands to move closer to Japan

End of WWII

Atomic bombs: Hiroshima & Nagasaki (Aug. 1945)