WWII Review

World War II Review: People

• Adolf Hitler - facist leader of nazi germany

• Benito Mussolini - Facist leader of Italy

• Joseph Stalin - communist leader of USSR (Soviet Union)

• Emperor Hirohito - Monarch, leader of Japan

• C.D. Howe - Canada’s minister of munitions and supply

• Elsie MacGill - Female aeronautical engineer who oversaw production of Hurricanes

• Tommy Prince - Canada’s most decorated indigenous soldier

• Neville Chamberlain - British PM most known for appeasement towards Germany

• Winston Churchill - British PM during WWII

• Mackenzie King- Canadian PM, led Canada through WWII

• Franklin D. Roosevelt - President of US, led through Great depression and WWIII

World War II Review: Terms

• Fascism - a philosophy of government that glorifies the nation-state

• Nazi - members of the national socialists workers party

• Fuhrer - German word meaning leader

• Aryans - A supposedly “master race”, (blond hair, blue eyes, white)

• Non-Aryans - racially inferior, (jews, blacks, romas, slavs, disabled people)

• Axis Powers - Japan, Italy, Germany

• Allied Powers - UK, USSR, US, China

• Blitzkrieg - Military tactic used by Germany meaning ‘lighting war’

• Luftwaffe- German airforce

• RAF - Royal Air Force, defended Britian’s skies

World War II Review: Symbols & Events

• Swastika - religious symbol strongly associated with Nazism

• Fasces - Roman symbol of power and authority, symbol of Mussolini’s Italy

• Reichstag Fire - Arson attack on parlimentary building, turning point in Hitlers uprising

• Appeasement - Giving into some of an enemy’s demand in hope of keeping peace

• Sudetenland - A small part of Czechoslovakia that is mostly German-speaking

• “Phony War” - a period marked by no real battles

• “Miracle of Dunkirk” - Evacuation of British soldiers from beaches in Dunkirk

• U-Boats - German submarines

• Wolfpacks - Hunted allied ships in groups called

• ASDIC - British listening device that detected U-boat

• Depth Charges - Explosive weapon used to destroy U-boats

• Corvettes - Small fighting ships

• Convoys - Convoys of merchant ships escorted by warships

• Rationing - a government system that set limits on purchasing high-demand items

• Lend-Lease Act - An agreement that saw the US provide war materials to Britain and its allies on a “pay later” basis

• War Measures Act - Gave the government special powers to arrest and detain suspected enemies of Canada, censor news information and regulate vast sections of the economy

  St. Louis - German ship carrying around 900 Jewish refugees. They were denied access into Cuba, South America, Us and Canada and were forced to return to Europe. Many passengers died in concentration camps later.

• Kristallnacht - Night of Broken Glass, a violent attack on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues.

• Spitfires and Hurricanes - British fighter planes used in WWII, especially during the Battle of Britain.

• Messerschmitt Bf 109- Main German fighter plane; fast and heavily armed.

• Stuka (Ju 87): German dive bomber with a loud siren; used for attacks and fear.

• Heinkel He 111: German bomber plane; dropped bombs during air raids, like in the Battle of Britain.

• World War II: Battle of Britain

  • Location: Primarily fought over the skies of Britain.

  • Forces Involved:

    • Luftwaffe (German Air Force).

    • Royal Air Force (RAF).

  • Technology:

    • Spitfires, hurricanes, radar

  • Axis Goal: Invade Britain via destroying the RAF

  • Allied Goal: To defend British airspace and prevent a German invasion.

  • Outcome: The Allies successfully defended Britain, leading to a German defeat.

World War II: Battle of the Atlantic

• Location: North Atlantic Ocean.

• Forces Involved:

  • Navy

• Technology

  • U-boats

  • Corvettes

  • ASDIC

  • Depth charges

  • Enigma

• Axis Goal: Disrupt supply ships to weaken the allies

• Allied Goal: Protect supply ships across the Atlantic Ocean

• Outcome: The Allies won, ensuring that vital supplies could continue to reach Britain.

Events helped Hitler gain power in Germany in the 1930s:

1. Great depression - German economy suffering and Hitler promised a rebuild

2. Hitler becomes leader of Nazi Party and they become the largest political party in Germany

3. The Reichstag fire - Hitler used this event to claim a Communist Revolution and imposed decrees to remove many civil rights

4. Became dictator of Germany

5. Brought Germany out of Great Depression by building roads and factories

Why did the world powers give Hitler the territory in Austria and Czechoslovakia?

World powers granted Hitler territories in Austria (Anschluss) and Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland) through a policy of appeasement, aiming to avoid war with Germany. In both cases, they believed that by giving Hitler what he wanted, they could prevent further aggression and maintain peace.