Social Studies Finals

1. What is imperialism, and how did it push Europe towards war?
   The process of extending a country’s power through force. 
   

2. How was Archduke Ferdinand involved in starting WWI?
   Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination sparked World War 1. 
   

3. Who were the main Allied powers during WWI?
   France, Great Britain, and Russia. 
   

4. Who were the main Central Powers during WWI?
   Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. 
   

5. Why did America remain neutral for the first three years of WWI?
   They weren’t interested in the conflict because it mostly had to do with Europe. Since America hadn’t been provoked or anything, they were staying out of it because it wasn’t their business. 
   

6. Why was America concerned with the sinking of the Lusitania?
   It resulted in the loss of 128 Americans, and it heightened tension with Germany. 
   

7. What did the Zimmerman Telegram say, and who was it intended for?
   It was intended for Mexico, and it said that if they joined the cause, then Germany would give them America’s land.
   
   
   

8. What were the advantages and disadvantages of trench warfare?

The trenches were easy to make, easy to defend, cheap to build, and they didn’t need a lot of men to defend them. However, it was hard to get in and out without being seen by the enemy, they were also very dirty and unhygienic. 

9. Who was the President of the United States during WWI?

Woodrow Wilson.

The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression

10. What does it mean to have stock in a company?
    It means that you have ownership in a company; you own part of that company. 

11.  What event triggered the Great Depression in 1929?
    The stock market crash of 1929.

12. Why did so many banks fail during the Great Depression?
    Banks failed because they lacked the resources to stay in business. 

13. How did Roosevelt’s New Deal benefit Americans?

The New Deal helped provide jobs, stabilized the economy, and protected savings.
World War II

14. What country did Germany invade that started WWII?
    Poland.

15. Who was the leader of Germany during WWII?
    Adolf Hitler. 

World War II (WWII)

16.  Who was the President of the United States during WWII?

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) for most of the war; Harry S. Truman became president in April 1945 after Roosevelt’s death.

17. What was the name of Hitler’s political party?

The Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party).

18. When did WWII start and end?

It started on September 1, 1939, and ended on September 2, 1945.

19. What event brought the United States into WWII?

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

20. Where did the D-Day landing take place?

The Normandy coast of France, on June 6, 1944.

21. What group was placed in American internment camps and why?

Japanese Americans, due to fear and suspicion after the Pearl Harbor attack; they were falsely viewed as potential threats.

22. What was the Holocaust?

The systematic genocide of six million Jews by the Nazi regime, along with the persecution of other groups such as Roma, disabled individuals, Poles, and political dissidents.

23. Who were the Navajo Code Talkers, and how did they impact the war?

Navajo Native Americans who used their language to create an unbreakable code used by the U.S. military, especially in the Pacific Theater, helped secure American communications.

24. Who were the Harlem Hellfighters, and how did they change the military?

An African American infantry unit (369th Infantry Regiment) in WWI (not WWII), but they inspired progress toward racial integration in the military, which was officially ordered in 1948.

25.  What roles did women play in the military and at home during the war?

In the military: WAVES, WACs, WASPs (non-combat roles, piloting, nursing, clerical work). At home: Worked in factories, farms, offices—symbolized by "Rosie the Riveter".

26. What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

To provide economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after WWII and prevent the spread of communism.

The Cold War and Korean War

27. What was the Cold War, and who were the main opponents?

A period of political and military tension between the United States (and allies) and the Soviet Union (USSR), lasting from the late 1940s to the early 1990s.

28. How did Communism contribute to the Korean War?

The war was a result of Cold War tensions: North Korea (supported by Communist China and the USSR) invaded South Korea (supported by the U.S. and UN) to spread communism.

The Korean War

29. The spread of what government style was the main issue of the war?

Communism.

30. What did the 38th parallel separate?

It divided North Korea (Communist) and South Korea (Non-Communist).

31. The belief that if one country becomes Communist, others will follow is called?

The Domino Theory.

32. What was the outcome of the Korean War for the Korean Peninsula?

The war ended in stalemate in 1953, with Korea still divided at the 38th parallel—a ceasefire but no formal peace treaty.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

33. Which two world superpowers were involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The United States and the Soviet Union.

34. What was the Soviet Union placing in Cuba that worried the United States?

Nuclear missiles capable of striking major U.S. cities within minutes.

35. What agreement did the United States and the Soviets make to end the crisis?

The Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba. In exchange, the United States secretly agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from Turkey and publicly pledged not to invade Cuba.