History Exam Semester 2 - Multiple Choice Questions

• What three things caused the financial collapse in the U.S.?

  1. Uneven distribution of wealth, over production by business and agriculture, many Americans were buying less post-war

• What did governments turn to post WWI and the beginning of the stock market crash?

  1. Fascism

• What led to fascism in Italy?

  1. Disappointment to gain more territory after the Paris Peace Conference, they wanted a leader who could take action and get them out of their failing democratic government

• Who took over as a fascist leader in Italy?

  1. Benito Mussolini, he formed the Fascist Party and the people convinced the King to put him in charge

• What did Mussolini do when he came to power?

  1. Abolished democracy and all political parties, used secret police, sought to control the economy

• How did Hitler come to power?

  1. After the Depression people turned to him and his growing Nazi party for security, he later was given the role of chancellor by the President who thought they could control him

• What did Hitler do when he came to power?

  1. Banned political parties and had opponents arrested, formed a protection squad, secret police, 

• What did Hitler do in 1933?

  1. Started enforcing anti-semitism, used the Jews as scapegoats for Germany’s troubles since the war

• What was happening in the rest of the world during this time?

  1. Britain and France tried to stay out of war and keep peace, the U.S supported isolationism and tried to keep political ties with other countries at bay

• Who did Hitler sign a 10-year non-aggression pact with?

I. Stalin

• What countries did the non-aggression pact say the USSR could take over?

  • (F.E.L.L.) Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia  

• What happened on September 1, 1939?

  • The start of WW II, at dawn Hitler launched a surprise attack on Poland, and they fell quickly.

• How did WW II start?

  • Germany and Russia took over Poland.

• What happened on September 3, 1939?

  • France and Britain declared war on Germany.

• What happened on September 17, 1939?

  • Stalin sent Soviet troops to occupy the eastern half of Poland.

• What mistake did Stalin make when they went to Poland to fight?

  • They were not prepared for the fight to take long so when it did they were not prepared for the weather killing some of his troops.

• What did Finland use to fight against Russia?

  • Reindeer.

• What happened on April 9, 1940?

  • Hitler launched an attack on Denmark and Norway, eventually winning both countries in 2 months.

• What happened in May of 1940?

  • Hitler took over France by distracting them by attacking several places at once.

• What was the rescue at Dunkirk?

  • Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, involved the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers from the French port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940.

• What happened on June 14, 1940?

  • Germans had taken Paris.

• What war strategy did the Germans and Britain use?

  • Dog fighting or a sortie; shooting at each other through planes or an air fight.

• When did Germany’s air force begin bombing Great Britain?

  • The summer of 1940.

• What two technological devices helped turn the tide in the RAF’s favor?

  • Radar and Enigma Machine.

• What happened in March 1941?

  • British troops retreated to Libya.

• What is General Rommel’s nickname and why is he called that?

  • Desert Fox, this name was given to him when he defeated the British in Libya.

• What happened from March to June 1942?

  • Rommel and the Axis powers continued to fight the British and finally defeated them in Libya.

• What happened on the morning of June 22, 1941?

  • German tanks and aircraft announced the beginning of the invasion of Russia ending their non-aggression pact.

• Did the German’s surprise attack on Russia work?

  • No, even though Russia was not prepared, the Germans also were not and many died from the harsh winter of Russia. 

• What happened on December 7, 1941, and what were the effects?

  • Japan attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, thousands of people were killed and President Roosevelt declared war on Japan

• What was Japan’s reputation at the time and what would they do to war prisoners?

  • They were known for being conquerors as they had seized many places like Malaya, Indonesia, Guam, and the Philippines. They were known for being very cruel and torturing their prisoners

• What was Midway Island and what happened there on June 4, 1942?

  • It was a key American airfield, Adm. Chester Nimitz got word that the Japanese were coming to attack. The American forces hid while the Japanese attacked and finally beat them

• Who led a bombing raid on Tokyo in 1942?

  • Lt. Col James Doolittle

• What happened on November 8, 1942?

  • Operation Torch in Morocco and Algeria, led by Dwight Eisenhower

• What happened during the D-Day invasion?

  • The allies began secretly building up a force to launch an attack on German-held France. When it was ready Eisenhower used a fake army to fool Germany at first. Operation Overlord was the name of the attack and on June 6 1944 Allied troops began their fight on Normandy beach.

• What happened during the Battle of the Bulge?

  • December 16, 1944, the Allies moved back into Germany, and Germany finally retreated

• When was the war officially over in Europe?

  • May 9, 1945, when surrender documents were officially signed in Berlin

• What was still going on with the U.S. during this time?

  • The War against Japan

• How did the U.S. finally defeat Japan?

  • They used two atomic bombs that caused Japan’s general to finally surrender on September 2, 1945

• What were the Nuremberg Trials?

  • An international military tribunel that put high ranking Nazi officers on trial for war crimes and genocide during the Holocaust