World War 2 Test

Gestapo

The Nazi secret police.

Axis Powers (Which countries?)

An alliance between Germany, Japan, Italy, and Japan.

Allied Powers (Largest participants?)

Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, US

Fascism

A new militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader.

Benito Mussolini

A newspaper editor and politician who boldly promised to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and rebuilding its armed forces.

Founded fascist party in 1919.

Economic conditions worsened -> popularity increased.

Attacked communists and socialists on the streets in black shirts.

Preyed on the fear of a worker's revolution and began winning support from the middle classes.

October 1922 around 30,000 fascist marched on Rome demanding Mussolini gets put in charge -> succeeded.

Franklin Roosevelt

Elected in 1932 because his confident manner appealed to millions of Americans.

Began a program of gov't reform called the New Deal.

Large work projects for the unemployed, gave financial aid to businesses and farms, large amounts of money were spent on welfare and relief programs.

Believed that gov't spending would create jobs and start recovery.

Regulations imposed to reform the stock market and banking system.

Help to reform the American economic system and preserve the country's faith in its democratic political system.

Jessie Owens & Berlin Olympics

In 1936 the olympics was held by Germany in Berlin.

Many countries refused to come however the U.S. was not one of them but they didn't force any of their athletes to compete (gave them the option).

Jesse Owens was an African American athlete who brutally beat Germany which was ironic because Hitler was racist and showed that Germany was not all powerful.

Rome-Berlin Axis

This was an alliance that was formed between Germany and Italy agreeing to let Italy have control of Africa and Germany power over Europe.

Anschluss

Union of Germany and Austria was another step prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles.

Against the treaty of Versailles.

Austria asked for troops.

Austria became a part of Germany.

Great Britain and France did nothing.

Appeasement

Allowing the aggressor to have what they want to attempt to preserve peace.

Lend-Lease Act

(1941) Authorized the president to lend or lease goods to any nation whose defense was deemed necessary to the defense of the United States.

Munich Conference

A Conference that was held in the German city of Munich in 1938.

Neville, Edouard, Hitler, and Mussolini met over dealing with sudetenland.

They decided to give Hitler Sudetenland and in return Hitler promised that he would not attempt to take over anymore territory.

Pearl Harbor (Explain):

On December 7, 1941 Japanese attacked Pearl harbor which was a U.S. naval base in Hawaii.

U.S. military leaders knew from a coded message that the Japanese were going to attack but had no idea where or when.

Within 2 hours the Japanese damaged 19 ships including 8 battleships moored in pearl harbor.

More than 2,300 Americans were killed and over 1,000 wounded.

Led to America's declaration of war.

Holocaust

The systematic mass slaughter of Jews.

Spanish Civil War

In 1931 they changed their gov't from a monarchy to a republic but nationalists in the Spanish army opposed the new gov't.

1936 General Francisco Franco led a revolt against the republic with the support of right-wing elements in Spain.

Franco promised that he would defend Spain against communism and socialism.

Franco received support from Italy and Germany to aid his rebellion however the republicans received little aid from democratic nations because of their fear of starting another war.

Republicans could not hold out against the nationalists and in 1939 Franco became the Dictator of Spain until he died.

Battle of Britain

In the summer of 1940 the Luftwaffe began bombing Britain - they targeted British airfields and aircraft factories.

September 7th began focusing on cities to break British morale.

The Royal Air Force, although outnumbered, had a radar which could tell the number, speed, direction of incoming warplanes as well as an enigma machine which helped decode German secret messages.

Info gained from devices the RAF fliers could quickly launch attacks on the enemy.

Stopped daylight raids and began night raids - Londoners hid out in bomb shelters at night.

Ended on May 10 because Hitler was surprised by Britain's resistance.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

a pact between Hitler and Stalin that agreed to not attack each other, They secretly agreed to divide Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe

Anti-Japanese Trade Ban:

Japanese aggression toward China called for strong protests from U.S. officials. Japan made plans to take over French Colonies in Indochina and so to stop such actions Roosevelt banned the export of materials vital to Japanese industry.

The ban went into effect in July 1940 and covered such materials as petroleum, petroleum products, and scrap metal.

Neville Chamberlin (Appeasement)

former prime minister of Britain whose job was taken by Winston Churchill and while in office he pursued appeasement towards Nazi Germany to avoid war

Winston Churchill:

Prime minister of Britain who declared that his nation would never give in.

Powerful orator despite speech defects when he was younger.

Use his gift as a speaker to rally the people behind the effort to crush Germany.

Blitzkrieg

German military strategy also known as "lightning war".

Involved using air strikes, fast tanks, and artillery, followed by soldiers sped into battle on trucks, to take enemy defenders by surprise and quickly overwhelm them.

A mobile assault that was advanced compared to World War 1.

Selective Service Act / Draft

an act requiring men from ages 21-30 to register for the military draft

Rationing

When there was a short supply of goods so people could buy only small amounts of those items that were also needed for the war effort.

NY Stock Exchange

prices plunged because there were no buyers and people who thought they owned valuable stocks were left with worthless paper

Great Depression

A long business slump.

Island Hopping

They chose key islands to attack and then used them as bases to invade others. Enemy forces on bypassed islands were cut off from supplies and support.

Operation Barbarossa:

Hitler's plan to invade the Soviet Union.

S.U. was not ready for the attack and although they have the largest army they were not well equipped or well trained.

Rolled on week after week until the Germans had pushed 500 miles inside the Soviet Untion.

Russians used scorched earth policy.

September 8th Hitler put Leningrad up for seige and bombed their food warehouses - slowly starving the inhabitants but they refused to surrender.

Turned to Moscow begining on October 2nd and when temperatures failed the Germans tried to retreat but Hitler wouldn't let them.

Found until march in 1943 and Hitler's advance gained them nothing.

Maginot Line

A system of fortifications along France's border with Germany.

Phony War

After declaring war on Germany the French and Britain mobilized their armies along the maginot line where they waited for German attack but nothing happened. The German soldiers were sitting at the siegfried line and no fighting transpired.

Total War Effort

This means that countries devoted all of their resources to the war effort.

Supply & Demand

Supply is the amount of items that are available and demand is the need for those items.

Inflation

When currency is worth less.

Kellogg - Briand Peace Pac

Signed in 1928 renouncing war with China by Japan.

Stock

Piece of ownership in a company.

Unemployment

Not having a job.

Dawes Plan

Provided $200 million loan from American banks to stabilize German currency and strengthen its economy. The plane also set a more realistic schedule for Germany's reparation payment.

Explain the causes of World War II (including appeasement) as discussed in class and what happened in the Rhineland, Sudetenland & Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Austria.

Multiple main causes of World War 2, appeasement where they allowed Germany to have what it wanted to preserve peace. As Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles other people considered Germany a "barrier" to communism and they felt that the treaty was too harsh. They were also terrified of a new "Great War" . The Rhineland was a piece of land that belonged to Germany between France and Germany that Germany wasn't allowed to put any troops into; however Germany sent troops into the Rhineland and Britain and France took no actions. Concerning Sudetenland which was a peice of land in Czechoslovakia the had 3 million germans in its population and Hitler encouraged self gov't within the population. Hitler demanded that he was allowed to send troops to Sudentendland and after the Munich conference with G.B., Fr., Ger, Ita, not Czech or S.U. They allowed troops to occupy but guaranteed indepence for the Czechs. Hitler was encouraged by how easy it was to convince others and took over all of Czechoslovakia. For Poland Germany demanded that the city of Danzig and the Polish corridor be returned. The city gave Poland access to the ocean. Britain and France offered potential aid to Poland and started an increase in Military spending and they restarted the draft. People all negotiated with the Soviet Union but it would only join the allies if they became communist so they refused and the S.U. joined with Germany. And for Austria it formed a union between Germany and Austria which was against the treaty of versailles. Austria asked Germany for troops and became a part of Germany (Anschluss). G.B. and Fr did nothing.

How did Germany and Italy use the Spanish Civil War to their advantage?

Germany and Italy used the Spanish Civil War to their advantage by helping to allow another dictator to take over. If the nationalist party took over (which they did) they Mussolini and Hitler would have an ally in Spain with the same fascist goals. It was a way to instill more power in the dictators of Germany and Italy because by helping Franco in his grab for power they won his trust and alliance and ensured another country was basically under their rule.

Explain how the Nazis in Germany & Mussolini in Italy rose to power (reflect on web diagram created in class)

Remember specifics of what each did when they took power for hitler

Adolf Hitler began the growth of the Nazi Party by taking control of Nationalist Socialist German Workers party. He imposed his anti-communist, nationalistic, and anti-Semitic ideals. He grew from 9 members to 6,000 quickly and eventually expanded to 50,000 by 1923. When he went to jail he wrote his book, Mein Kampf, which outlined his goals for a Nazi Germany. He used the Great Depression to recruit by making promises to poor workers, the middle class, and the wealthy. By 1932, the Nazi party became the largest political party in Germany and President Hindenburg asked Hitler to be Chancellor, the head of the government. Later, when the government headquarters (Reichstag) was destroyed, Hitler used the event to blame communists & to abolish free speech. He became the totalitarian leader of of the country and took full control. He controlled press, religion, schools by playing military music and speeches glorifying Nazis on radios. He created Hitler youth groups to impose the ideals of the Nazi parties, in young children, ensuring they would grow up with these same beliefs. In 1933, Hitler expelled all Jews from teaching jobs, law, & medicine.

Human rights violations, etc. Hitler

Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws that expelled all Jews from teaching jobs, law, & medicine. They lost citizenship & banned interracial marriages. The government killed over 6 million Jews and arrested over 20,000 and placed them into concentration camps where they died of hard labor, starvation, and murder. The Jews were forced to wear a Star of David on clothing for identification, allowing the persecution to get bigger.

How did they each keep their power? Hitler

Hitler kept his power because of his support from his followers. He was also able to do this because of the support of the people. He manipulated them and made false promises, so they would defend him. He also built up the nation's army, and in doing so, took over Europe and caused fear within those who would have gone against him.

Explain how the Nazis in Germany & Mussolini in Italy rose to power (reflect on web diagram created in class) Remember specifics of what each did when they took power

Mussolini

Mussonlini: After he became of fascist post World War 1 he organized many war veterans into the fascist party. He set out to mind Italians together and used reminders of the glory of ancient Rome to inspire patriotism and obedience to authority. Eventually turned the party into a political movement with a key idea of fascism was glorification of the state. They condemned democracy because they felt it destroyed the unity of the state, supported a one party system, despised socialism and communism, defended private property and private enterprise which they felt should be regulated by the gov't. Believed that aggression represented action while a desire for peace merely indicated weakness. Fed on the impatience of some middle and upper class Italians who were impatient with Italy's parliamentary gov't and yearned for a strong leader who would keep order. Marched on Rome to defend the capital from a communist revolution despite there not being one with the hopes that it would frighten the gov't into surrender. He became the prime minister through fear and a manipulation of nationalism.

Human rights violations, etc. Mussolini

Mussolini used his power to ensure fascist reign. He became a dictator, used propaganda, nepotism, terror, fear, censorship, police, violence, and jail sentences against those who opposed him. In 1935, he conquered Ethiopia.

Also he would march with followers in black shirts in the early 1920s that would beat up communists, socialists, and union members. They ousted communists and socialists from the city gov't. Police beat up critics of fascism. Many were held in remote prisons and in schools children were taught fascist ideas.

How did they each keep their power? Mussolini

Mussolini kept his power by using violence to promote his political point of view.

He kept his power through the manipulation of fear and violence that kept people from acting out against him. He took complete control over everything and taught fascists ideas in schools where children wore black uniforms and learned discipline, duty, and obedience. Basically brainwashed the young and used prison and beatings to keep others from acting out. When the Great depression happen he used it as a way to blame Italy's troubles on world economic conditions to distract the people by embarking on an aggressive foreign policy. So through fear and manipulation he was able to keep power.

Explain why Germany struggled so much as a country after World War I (in addition to below)

Germany struggled so much as a country after World War 1 because it was deep into debt, and was severely damaged, while it had to pay billions of dollars in reparations for the war. It did not have the taxes to pay for war and it didn't have to take money from the populations. Began printing money out of thin air .

Value of Deutsche Mark

Began to be printed out of thin air so the value of the mark fell sharply. Severe inflation set in and the Germans needed more money to buy even the most basic foods. Ex. Bread cost less then a mark in 1918 and cost 200 billion in 1923.

Payments for war:

Germany owed billions of dollars to other countries for its loss in World War 1 so the Dawes plan set up a realistic schedule for Germany's reparations payments.

Dawes Plan

A plan set up by a committee in the U.S. headed by Charles Dawes. It provided a $200 million loan from American banks to stabilize German currency and strengthen its economy. It helped slow inflation and the German economy began to recover.

How/why did Japan expand and militarize in Asia

Japan expanded and militarized in Asia by striking against British possessions in Asia. After seizing Hong Kong they invaded Malaya from the sea and overland from Thailand. They eventually reached Singapore and after a fierce pounding the colony surrendered. These colonies in Asia were very desirable because they held much needed oil, rubber, and other raw materials that were needed to defen Japan's expansion. The move westward took Burma and from there planned to launch a strike against India. Before the conquest Japan tried to win the support of Asians with the anti colonialist idea of "East Asia for the Asiatics". But it became clear that they were conquered from the way they treated the people of Asia with extreme cruelty.

Describe the invasions of France by Germany.

It started with France and Britain parallel to German soldiers at the maginot line. It was the phony war where they basically sat and stared at each other doing nothing. G.B. and France wanted to fight a stationary war but Hitler didn't want to. During the time of the phony war Hitler took over norway and the netherlands making its way to France. He reached the Northern coasts of France in 10 days, cutting off British escape. 350,000 troops were evacuated using civilians and military warcraft because the British army was trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk. The French army was defeated which was thought to be the strongest in the world. In June of 1940 after six weeks into the invasion France surrendered to Germany. Hitler employed Blitzkrieg strategy on them. The true French gov't was set up in London and Northern France became a German state and Southern France became a French-German puppet gov't under Nazu directives.

Explain how Germany was defeated

Germany was defeated through D-Day and the battle of Bulge. D-Day allowed the British and American forces to punch a hole in the German defenses allowing the U.S. third army to break out. In the battle of Bulge the soviet army advanced toward germany from the east and Hitler now faced a war on two fronts. He decided to attack the west and broke through the weak American defenses; however they eventually pushed the Germans back. Germany was surrounded by millions of S.U. and American forces. Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrenedered.

Explain how Japan was defeated

Japan was defeated with the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They lost a majority of their forces when the Japanese attempted to get allied forces out of the philippines where they planned on destroying the American fleet however the task required risking almost the entire Japanese fleet, they took this gamble and lost disastrously. This eliminated it as a fighting force in the war. They would then fight as lose while fighting with kamikazes when the American Marines took over Iwo Jima. After these battles the next stop for the allies was Japan however the advisers of the president thought that an invasion of the Japanese would cost the Allies half a million lives. They decided to use Atomic bombs as a way to prevent the loss of more American lives. After bombing two cities in Japan they finally surrendered on the battleship Missouri.