History: WWII

(Who were the Axis Powers?)

Germany, Italy, Japan

(Who were the Allied Powers?)

Britain, France, United States, Soviet Union, China

(What was the 1939 Non-Aggression Pact?)

A pact between Germany and the Soviet Union agreeing not to attack each other; Hitler later broke it by invading the USSR.

(What event marked the official start of WWII?)

Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939.

(What was Blitzkrieg?)

A German military tactic meaning "lightning war," involving rapid, surprise attacks with tanks and air support.

(What was the significance of the Battle of Britain?)

Hitler’s Luftwaffe (air force) failed to defeat Britain’s Royal Air Force, preventing a German invasion of Britain.

(What was the importance of the Battle of Stalingrad?)

A major Soviet victory that marked a turning point on the Eastern Front, stopping German advances into the USSR.

(What happened on D-Day?)

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched an invasion on Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.

(What event led the United States to enter WWII?)

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

(How did WWII end in Europe?)

Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, following the Battle of Berlin and Hitler’s suicide.

(How did WWII end in the Pacific?)

The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading Japan to surrender on September 2, 1945.

(What was the Final Solution?)

Nazi Germany’s plan to systematically exterminate the Jewish population through mass shootings, labor camps, and death camps.

(What was Kristallnacht?)

The "Night of Broken Glass" in 1938, when Nazi forces destroyed Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes.

(What was the Wannsee Conference?)

A 1942 meeting where Nazi leaders planned the logistics of the Final Solution.

(What is the difference between a concentration camp and a death camp?)

Concentration camps were for forced labor and imprisonment, while death camps were specifically designed for mass extermination.

(What was the White Rose Movement?)

A non-violent student resistance group in Germany, led by Hans and Sophie Scholl, that distributed anti-Nazi leaflets.

(What was Operation Anthropoid?)

A Czech resistance operation to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, a top Nazi official.

(What was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?)

A 1943 Jewish resistance movement where fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto staged an armed revolt against Nazi forces.

(What was “Megaphone Propaganda” or “Verbal Bullets”?)

Resistance efforts that used spoken messages to spread anti-Nazi sentiment.

(What was the Maginot Line, and why was it ineffective?)

A heavily fortified French defense line that Germany bypassed by invading through the Ardennes Forest.

(What was the Co-Prosperity Sphere?)

Japan’s justification for its imperial expansion in Asia, claiming to promote economic unity while actually enforcing domination.

(Why was the Battle of Berlin significant?)

It was the final major battle in Europe, leading to Hitler’s suicide and Germany’s surrender.

(What was the role of the North African campaign?)

It allowed the Allies to push Axis forces out of Africa and prepare for an invasion of Italy.

(What does "Total War" mean?)

A war in which entire nations, including civilians, are mobilized for war efforts, with economies and societies fully geared toward the conflict.

(How was the civilian experience in WWII similar to WWI?)

Both wars saw rationing, propaganda, bombings of cities, and high civilian casualties.

(How did WWII differ from WWI in its impact on civilians?)

WWII saw greater aerial bombings (e.g., London Blitz, Hiroshima), large-scale genocide (Holocaust), and a more global scope of destruction.