HIST 1302 WWII

What treaty's resentment contributed to the start of WWII?

The Treaty of Versailles, which caused economic hardship and national humiliation in Germany.

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

He rearmed Germany and reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936.

Which territories did Hitler annex before WWII?

Austria (1938) and Czechoslovakia (1939).

What was the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact?

A 1939 agreement between Germany and the USSR not to attack each other and to divide Poland.

When did WWII officially begin?

September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland.

Which countries made up the Axis Powers?

Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Which countries made up the Allied Powers?

United States, Britain, USSR, France, and China.

Who were the major fascist leaders in Europe?

Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany.

What is fascism?

A political system that emphasizes nationalism, dictatorship, and suppression of opposition.

What was the purpose of the Neutrality Acts?

To keep the U.S. out of foreign wars by limiting arms sales and loans to warring nations.

What was the 'Cash and Carry' policy?

Allowed nations to buy U.S. goods if they paid cash and transported them themselves.

What was the Lend-Lease Act?

Allowed the U.S. to lend or lease supplies to Allied nations during WWII.

When did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?

December 7, 1941.

What was the result of the Pearl Harbor attack?

Over 2,300 Americans killed; led to U.S. entry into WWII.

What was Executive Order 9066?

Authorized the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

What were Japanese internment camps?

Facilities where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were forced to live during WWII.

Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?

The first African American military pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Who was A. Philip Randolph?

Civil rights leader who pressured Roosevelt to end discrimination in defense industries.

What did Executive Order 8802 establish?

Prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry and created the FEPC.

What was the FEPC?

The Fair Employment Practices Committee, which enforced anti-discrimination in wartime industries.

What role did women play on the home front?

Worked in factories, served as WACs and WAVES, and symbolized by 'Rosie the Riveter.'

What was the War Production Board (WPB)?

A U.S. agency that directed industrial production for the war effort.

What were 'Victory Gardens'?

Home gardens that provided food to support the war effort.

Who were the Navajo Code Talkers?

Native Americans who used their language to transmit coded military messages.

What were the Zoot Suit Riots?

1943 attacks on Mexican American youth in Los Angeles by white servicemen.

What was the Holocaust?

The systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany.

What were concentration camps?

Facilities used by Nazis for forced labor, imprisonment, and extermination of targeted groups.

What was the Final Solution?

Nazi Germany's plan to exterminate all Jews in Europe.

What was the Battle of Stalingrad?

A Soviet victory in 1943 that marked a turning point on the Eastern Front.

What was the Battle of the Atlantic?

A prolonged naval conflict between Allied convoys and German U-boats.

What was D-Day?

June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Normandy, France, to liberate Western Europe.

What was the Battle of the Bulge?

Germany’s last major offensive (Dec 1944-Jan 1945), ultimately failed.

When did Germany surrender?

May 8, 1945, known as V-E Day.

What was the Tehran Conference?

1943 meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to plan D-Day and Soviet offensives.

What was the Yalta Conference?

1945 meeting to plan postwar Europe; Germany divided and USSR to enter war against Japan.

What was the Potsdam Conference?

1945 meeting confirming Germany’s division and issuing an ultimatum to Japan.

What were the Nuremberg Trials?

Trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity (1945-46).

What was the United Nations and when was it founded?

An international organization formed in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation.

What was the Manhattan Project?

A secret U.S. program to develop atomic bombs (1942–1945).

When and where was the first atomic bomb tested?

July 16, 1945, in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Where were atomic bombs dropped in Japan?

Hiroshima (Aug 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (Aug 9, 1945).

When did Japan surrender?

August 14, 1945, ending WWII.

Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt?

U.S. president during most of WWII; died in April 1945.

Who was Harry S. Truman?

Became U.S. president after FDR’s death; authorized atomic bomb use.

What was the Atlantic Charter?

1941 joint statement by FDR and Churchill outlining war aims and postwar goals.

What was the role of propaganda during WWII?

Used to encourage support for the war, buy bonds, and recruit soldiers.

How did WWII affect the U.S. economy?

Ended the Great Depression through massive industrial production and job creation.

What were women’s military branches called?

WACs (Womens Army Corps) and WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).

What was the significance of the Casablanca Conference?

1943 meeting where Allies agreed to demand unconditional surrender from Axis Powers.

Who led Allied forces in Europe?

General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Who led Allied forces in the Pacific?

General Douglas MacArthur.

What was the Battle of Midway?

A 1942 naval battle where U.S. defeated Japan, turning point in the Pacific War.

What was the Battle of Iwo Jima?

1945 battle where U.S. Marines captured the island; heavy casualties on both sides.

What was the Battle of Okinawa?

April-June 1945 battle near Japan; very high casualties, influencing atomic bomb decision.

What was V-J Day?

Victory over Japan Day, marking Japan’s surrender on August 14, 1945.