WWII Study Guide

Action causing Britain + France to Declare War on Germany

Germany invades Poland (1939).

Aircraft Carriers

Ships designed to launch and recover aircraft at sea.

Allied Invasion of Italy

Opened another front for Nazis, forcing Hitler to fight on multiple fronts.

Allied Powers

USA, USSR, France, Britain.

Anschluss

Union of Austria + Germany; Austrian chancellor declines German demands.

Appeasement

Conceding to an aggressor in turn for peace.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

A surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. naval base, resulting in 4238 deaths and significant damage to the U.S. Army.

Axis Powers

Agreed to fight Soviet communism; non-interference in each other's expansion.

Axis Powers

Germany, Japan, Italy.

Bataan Death March

Japanese army forced soldiers on a death march resulting in 10K deaths.

Battle at the Coral Sea

A significant battle between the USA and Japan, fought entirely by airplanes over 5 days in May 1942.

Battle of El-Alamein

A significant battle in WWII where Allies led by General Montgomery and Eisenhower pushed Axis troops led by General Rommel

Battle of Coral Sea

A major Allied victory fought in the air against Japan.

Battle of Midway

A turning point in WWII where the USA gained the upper hand by destroying 4 Japanese aircraft carriers.

Battle of Stalingrad

A costly war where Germans were defeated while trying to capture the city.

Battle of Stalingrad

The deadliest battle on the Eastern Front between Germany and USSR.

Battle of the Bulge

A significant battle on the Western Front between Germany and France.

Battle of the Bulge

Germans launched a counterattack against Allies, delaying them by 6 weeks.

Blitzkrieg

Bombed airfields, factories, cities; fast war to strike huge blows.

Cold War

A state of tension between USA and USSR.

Comparison of WWI and WWII

Both wars aimed to stop enemy expansion; WWI focused on general expansion while WWII focused on liberating minorities.

Concentration Camps

Places where 'inferior races' were sent to work to death or executed.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, Allies invaded France to recapture it from Nazis.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Trapped Rommel's troops in Tunisia.

Effects of Hiroshima

Mass destruction of the city occurred on August 6, 1945, after the USA warned Japan.

Effects of Nagasaki

Mass destruction occurred on August 9, 1945, with over 110K deaths in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor of Japan who surrendered after the atomic bombings.

Final Solution

Hitler's plan for the systematic genocide of Jews, including separation by gender and execution in gas chambers.

Franco's Regime in Spain

Created a fascist regime; controlled people for order.

General MacArthur's Impact on Japan

He stopped imperial Japan, established democracy, and maintained peace.

German Acts of Aggression

Builds his military.

Hitler's End

Committed suicide in his underground bunker.

Hitler's New Order

A plan to establish puppet states and promote the superiority of the Aryan race.

Holocaust

The systematic killing of 6 million Jews during World War II.

How France Fell + Vichy + Occupation Zone

Germany came in from North, Italy from South; France surrendered at the same railroad car Germany surrendered in WWI.

Impact on Civilians and Soldiers

Civilians faced sacrifices and shortages; men were drafted, women took factory jobs, and Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps.

Island Hopping Campaign

A military strategy used by the USA to capture islands in the Pacific.

Italian Acts of Aggression

Invaded Ethiopia (1936).

Japanese Acts of Aggression

Japan military leaders = Ultra-nationalists; Seized Manchuria (1931) and captured E. China.

Japanese Internment Camps

Camps where Japanese-Americans were sent due to perceived security risks, resulting in loss of jobs and property.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who crashed planes near enemy targets.

Lend-Lease Act

A U.S. policy allowing aid to foreign nations in WWII, provided they were part of U.S. national security interests.

Luftwaffe

German air force responsible for bombing campaigns.

Manhattan Project

A plan to build an atomic bomb to force Japanese surrender.

Miracle at Dunkirk Beach

British troops left to Britain by civilian ships; 300K soldiers were saved.

Montgomemery

Fought Rummel's troops at El Alamein.

Mussolini's End

Killed by Italian guerillas.

Nations Conquered by Axis Powers in Africa + Balkans

Italy invaded Egypt from Libya; Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary join Axis.

NATO

An alliance of USA, Canada, and 10 other nations against communism.

Neutrality Acts

No sale of weapons to warring nations, no loans, no travel to warring nations.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials to capture war criminals in WWII, with 200 people tried for mass rallies.

Operation Barbarossa

Hitler's invasion of the USSR, nullifying the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

Operation Sea Lion

Invasion of Britain by Germany; London is destroyed but life continues.

Outcomes of Both Wars

Same countries won both wars; WWII was worse due to the Holocaust.

Pacifism

Policy of peace; anti-war & violence; opposition to all war.

Pearl Harbor Bombing

Preserved USA morale and contributed to Allied victory later.

Phases of the Holocaust

1st Phase: Jewish shops robbed and people harmed; 2nd Phase: Concentration Camps and Warsaw Ghettos; 3rd Phase: Death Camps.

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis

Axis Powers

Propaganda in War

Both Axis and Allied Powers used half-truths and lies to manipulate public perception.

Proportion of European Jews Executed

6 million Jews were killed, with Polish Jews sent to camps at a rate of 5000 per day.

Results of the Munich Conference

German army goes there to establish order.

Rosie the Riveter

A symbol representing women who worked in factories and contributed to the war effort.

Siege of Leningrad

A prolonged military blockade by the Germans that resulted in a food shortage and many deaths.

Significance of Charles de Gaulle

Started government in exile in Britain; helped regain French control of France.

Significance of Guernica

Spanish Civil War = 500k deaths; 1000 people were killed; Hitler wanted to test weapons.

Significance of the Nazi-Soviet Pact

Hitler could invade Poland without war with USSR.

Stalin's Goals for Eastern Europe

Soviet dominance, spreading communism, and gaining more power against democracies.

The Berlin Airlift

Western Allies dropped supplies by air into West Berlin after USSR blocked goods and services.

The Marshall Plan

USA provided aid to Western Europe to repair after war and preserve democracy.

The Truman Doctrine

USA's policy to oppose Soviet and Communist expansion while preserving democracy.

Theaters of War

Three main theaters: Eastern Front, Western Front, and Pacific Theater.

Total War

WWII involved all citizens, requiring their help to finance, supply, and fight.

Total War during WWII

The complete devotion of all national resources to the war effort, including factory production and regulation of prices.

UN Security Council Permanent Members

USA, Russia, UK, France, China; every country has one vote.

US Manufacturing vs. Axis Powers

The United States produced 3 times more than the Axis Powers combined.

USA's Entry into WWII

Pearl Harbor instigated USA's entry into the war.

Warfare in WWI vs WWII

WWI used trench warfare; WWII utilized air raids and blitzkrieg tactics.

Warsaw Pact Significance

Divided West and East Europe; USSR formed an alliance with its satellite states against the West.

Women in WWII

Women took jobs traditionally held by men, working in factories and auxiliary roles to support the war.

Worst Losses in WWII

USSR suffered the worst losses with 20 million casualties.

WWII Big 3

Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR), who met to discuss the war's end but distrusted each other.

Yalta Conference

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met to discuss post-war Europe and agreed on dividing Germany into 4 zones.