Download World War II Study Guide

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Teacher: ______________________
Study Guide for Unit on WWII
The questions below are directly related to the 5th Grade Social Studies standards and will help you prepare for your tests and
quizzes in this unit.
Standards:
SS5H6 The student will explain the reasons for America’s involvement in World War II.
a) Describe Germany’s aggression in Europe and Japan’s aggression in Asia.
b) Describe major events in the war in both Europe and the Pacific; include Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE
and VJ Days, and the Holocaust.
c) Discuss President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
d) Identify Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hirohito, Truman, Mussolini, and Hitler.
e) Describe the effects of rationing and the changing role of women and African- Americans; include “Rosie
the Riveter” and the Tuskegee Airmen.
f) Explain the U.S. role in the formation of the United Nations.
Vocabulary Focus:
1. Appeasement2. campaign3. theater4. front5. aviation6. internment7. dilemma8. militarism9. alliance10. imperialism11. nationalism12. isolationism13. economyYou should be able to look at a map of the world and identify the major theatres of WWII, including North
Africa/the Mediterranean, Europe and the Pacific.
Questions:
1. Explain the role each of the following played in the events of WWII:
o Adolph Hitler
o Josef Stalin
o Benito Mussolini
o Winston Churchill
o Franklin D. Roosevelt
o Harry Truman
2. What countries made up the Axis Powers in WWII?
3. What countries made up the Allied Powers (or Allies) in WWII?
4. What event began World War II in Europe?
5. What was the “Battle of Britain?”
6. When did Germany invade the Soviet Union?
7. What event brought the United States into WWII? On what date did this happen?
8. How did the U.S. military’s need for war supplies affect the nation’s factories?
9. What were some key developments in technology that impacted WWII?
 aviation

weaponry

communication
10. How did U.S. involvement in WWII impact women? Who was “Rosie the Riveter?”
11. How did U.S. involvement in WWII impact African Americans? Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
12. What was the impact of WWII on Japanese-Americans in the United States?
13. What was D-Day (Invasion of Normandy), and what was its impact on World War II?
14. What was “Pacific Island Hopping,” and how did it help the United States and the Allies in its fight
against Japan in World War II?
15. What was the “Battle of Midway,” and how was it a turning point in the war for the Allies?
16. What was President Truman’s dilemma with using the atomic bomb?
17. What events led to the Allied victory over Japan in August 1945?
18. After WWII, how did the governments in Europe and Japan change?
19. What was V-J (Victory over Japan) Day?
20. What was V-E Day?
You should be able to look at a map of the world and explain the changes in political boundaries that
occurred after WWII.