World War II Review Cards

Rise of Nazism and Hitler's Ideology

  • Hitler believed in the superiority of the German people and sought to create a pure Aryan state.

  • Opposition to the Nazi Party faced severe consequences.

League of Nations and Appeasement

  • The League of Nations failed to stop aggressors (Rhineland, Manchuria, Ethiopia).

  • Britain and France ceded parts of Czechoslovakia to Germany at Munich, which led Hitler to believe he could further expand.

Outbreak of WWII

  • Germany invaded Poland to start WWII.

  • Blitzkrieg, or "lightning war," is rapid warfare intended to overwhelm.

  • Countries falling to Germany in spring 1940 included Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, and France. British army escaped from Dunkirk.

  • The Battle of Britain was crucial; Britain used radar technology to defeat Germany.

US Neutrality and Involvement

  • Neutrality Acts (1935-1937) aimed to keep the US out of conflicts, allowing non-military trade.

  • Roosevelt's Quarantine Speech called for international economic measures against aggressors.

  • "Cash-and-Carry" expanded to allow the selling of arms to allies.

  • The Lend-Lease policy facilitated military aid to Britain.

Four Freedoms

  • Roosevelt promised Americans four freedoms: speech, worship, want, fear.

  • Leaders meeting at the Atlantic Charter included Roosevelt and Churchill, focusing on post-war objectives.

Pearl Harbor Attack

  • Japan attacked Pearl Harbor to weaken US presence in the Pacific. Roosevelt labeled it a “date which will live in infamy.”

  • Following Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the US.

European War Efforts

  • Roosevelt prioritized defeating Germany over Japan.

  • Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day) was pivotal in Western Allied efforts.

  • Surrender of Germany marked the end of the European conflict.

War in the Pacific

  • U.S. forces suffered the Bataan Death March after surrendering the Philippines.

  • Major naval battles included Midway (turning point) and Coral Sea; the strategy was island hopping.

  • Development of the atomic bomb was called the Manhattan Project. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, leading to Japan's surrender.

Florida's Role in WWII

  • Coastal dangers included potential U-boat attacks.

  • A military base in Florida became the state's fourth-largest city.

  • Florida shipyards constructed ships for the Navy.

Home Front Mobilization

  • The draft was overseen by selective service; women enlisted in organizations like WAC and WAVES.

  • War-time production was managed by the War Production Board.

  • War financing came from war bonds and taxation.

  • Maintaining public support was crucial during the war effort.

  • Executive Order 8802 prohibited racial discrimination in defense industries.

  • The Bracero Program brought in Mexican labor to address workforce shortages.

  • Navajo Indians served as code talkers, aiding military communications.

Japanese American Internment

  • Executive Order 9066 led to internment of Japanese Americans; validated by Korematsu v. United States.

The Holocaust

  • The Holocaust was the systematic extermination of Jews and others.

  • Jews were forced into ghettos and required to wear identifiers after 1941.

Aftermath of WWII

  • The "Final Solution" was the Nazi plan to exterminate Jews.

  • Nuremberg Trials held accountable the Nazi leaders for war crimes.

  • Post-war Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allies.

  • The United Nations was established to replace the League of Nations, with assistance from key global powers.