World War II

Spring Exam

Who was Adolf Hitler?

• Adolf Hitler was a Nazi leader

• He invaded Poland even though it was against the agreement causing World War II

• He had a secret police force and eliminated his enemies

• He offered hope and actual change like jobs to German people → the economy was at an all time low and people wanted to see change and Hitler did that so he got elected into office

• He used people’s hate for the Versailles treaty to his advantage and used manipulation by reading the sane lies over and over again

What were the major events that led up to the outbreak if World War II?

• Hitler remilitarized Germany → able to take over places

• Appeasement allowed Germany to take over places without interference

• Anschluss was Germany taking over austria and saying they were in union

• Studeland: ares were some Germans lived in Chezolvikia (2.5 million)

• Munich conference: letting Germany have Studeland as long as rget don’t keep taking over other places

• Neville Chamberlain wanted to avoid war at all cost because how horrific World War I was and people didn’t want to fight (letters)

What were Hitler’s goals for Nazi Germany and the Third Reich?

• Hitler wanted to make the Aryan race the primary/dominate race and kill all Jewish people

• Nazi Germany: Third Reich lead by totalitarian/dictator Adolf Hitler who caused World War II and the Holocaust

• Allied powers: Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, France, China, etc. (They fought together and were allied)

• Axis Powers: Germany, Japan

What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad, and how did it impact the outcome of the war on the Eastern Front in World War II?

• Stalingrad stopped Germany from getting further into the Soviet Union

• Germany lost and did not have good resources and faced annihilation

• Critical turning point for the Eastern Front and lasted for two years

• Over 1 million people died

• Winter in Russia

• July 1942-February 2, 1943

• 99% of Stalingrad was reduced to rubble

• Destroyed 6th army

Compare the views of the Holocaust of the German Richard von Weizsäcker and Elie Wiesel.

Richard von Weizsäcker:

• President of the western part of Germany

• 1985 speech

• Remembering is important

• Hopes for forgiveness

• Guilty even though people claimed they did not know it was going on even though it was obvious

  Elie Wiesel:

• Guilt is personal not collective

• Remembering is important/never forget

• Only the dead can forgive

• Survivor

• Talks about horrificness of it all

• Jewish

• 1887 speech

• Hold people accountable not the children

What was the Holocaust?

• Genocide that the Nazis carried out

• 6 million Jewish people died and 5 million other people died

• Jewish people, Romani people, homosexuals, polish people, slavish people, disabled people, and anyone that threatened Hitler were killed

• Millions of people died

• Propaganda pushed that Hitler was good and a genius and that Jewish people are barely people and the source of all evil

• T4 was when many disabled people were killed and their families did not know until it was too late

• Concentration camps used forced labor

• Extermination camps were for killing

Who was Neville Chamberlain and why did he pursue the policy of appeasement?

• Prime Minister of Great Britain

• His policy was that people should avoid war (policy of appeasement) because World War I caused so many grievances → this allowed Hitler to grow in power because his army was still growing and he was taking over places

• The death toll in World War I was so high and people were scared according to the letters he was getting

• Hitler was growing in influence over the Germany people and authority

What is total war? What factors helped the US and the USSR to be effective in supporting the war effort?

• Total War: everyone is involved, everything that does not relate to the war basically stops

• In the Us men fought while women worked in factories and were nurses

• In the USSR women worked in factories, were nurses, and fought in the war

• The USSR and the Us were global superpowers

  • They both had strong militaries and everyone was involved

  • Had an advantage over Germany because Germany did not allow women to be involved

What is the significance if D-day invasion?

• June 6, 1944

• Well planned out invasion that ended up being successful because it was pushing back the German army back into Germany

• VE day is Victory in Europe Day (ended the war in Europe)

What was the Manhattan Project?

• August 14, 1945 - Surrender of Japan

• Project that created the first atomic bomb

• The atomic bomb used on Japan was declared by the President of the United States (Truman) so the war could end

• VJ Day: when Japan surrendered

• Was ready to drop as many as 12 bombs

• Little Boy and Fat Man

What is blitzkrieg?

• Lightning war

• German tatict

• Used to shock people