Download WWII Target- Revised

World War II (1941-1945)
IMPORTANT DATES:
1939 | Adolf Hitler invaded Poland beginning WWII.
1941 | Japan attacked Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. The United States entered the war as a result.
1945 | Germany was defeated to end the war in Europe. The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war in the Pacific.
Allied Powers
Great Britain
United States
Canada
France
Soviet Union
Axis Powers
Germany
Italy
Japan
IMPORTANT PEOPLE:
Franklin Roosevelt:
President during
WWII and declared
war on Japan after
the attack on Pearl
Harbor. He died
while in office in
1945.
Harry S. Truman:
President during
the last months of
WWII. Made the
decision to drop
atomic bomb on
Japan to end the
war sooner & save
U.S. service
member lives.
General Dwight D.
Eisenhower: U.S.
General in Europe
during WWII. He was
in charge of the
Invasion of
Normandy (D-Day).
He later served as
the 34th President
from 1953-1961.
General Douglas
McArthur: U.S.
General in charge
of the Allied forces
in the Pacific
Ocean.
General George
Patton: Outspoken
U.S. General who
led the U.S. Third
Army & helped to
liberate Paris.
General Omar
Bradley: U.S.
General who led the
US 1st Army during
the Invasion of
Normandy.
Winston Churchill:
Prime Minister of
Great Britain.
Joseph Stalin:
Leader of Soviet
Union. Reluctant US
& British ally. Fight
the bulk of the war
against Germany.
Will be US opponent
post WWII (the Cold
War).
General George
Marshall: Chief of
Staff of the U.S.
Army during WWII.
Oversaw all
military operations
( in Europe). After
war, he oversaw
Marshall Plan to
rebuild Europe.
Adolf Hitler:
Leader of the Nazi
party ("Fuhrer ").
Led Germany to
attempt world
domination;
destroyed most of
Europe & inspired
the Holocaust (mass
killing of Jews).
Mussolini: Dictator
of Italy. Inspired
much of Hitler's
fascist policy.
Assassinated
before the end of
the war by his own
people.
Hideki Tojo: Led Japan
thru imperialist
expansion, attack on
Pearl Harbor, the
Pacific war, and
surrender to the US.
Promoted wartime
atrocities: genocide,
prisoner executions,
kamikaze/banzai
attacks.
CAUSES OF WORLD WAR II - The main causes of World War II were nationalistic tensions, unresolved issues, and
resentments resulting from World War I and the interwar period in Europe, in addition to the effects of the Great
Depression in the 1930s. The culmination of events that led to the outbreak of war are generally understood to be the
1939 invasion of Poland by Germany and Soviet Russia and the 1937 invasion of the Republic of China by the Empire of
Japan. These military aggressions were the result of decisions made by the authoritarian ruling Nazi elite in Germany and
by the military leadership of Japan. World War II started after these aggressive actions were met with an official
declaration of war and/or armed resistance.
CAUSES OF WWII SUMMARY
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Harsh treatment of Germany after WWI
The rise of dictators, fascism, extreme nationalism, and totalitarianism in Europe and Japan (Nazi Party in Germany)
Germany’s invasion of Poland
Germany’s aerial attacks on Great Britain
Japans’ invasion of China
Japans’ attack on Pearl Harbor
THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) | On December 7th 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor forcing the U.S. to enter
the war.
Battle of Midway (1942) | Major turning point in the war in the Pacific. This pivotal battle dealt a severe blow to the Japanese Navy.
Island Hopping | Allied naval strategy to reach Japan by taking one island at a time.
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)| Part of the island hopping campaign and major battle in which the U.S. fought for and captured the island
of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, including its three airfields,
to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. This month-long battle included some of the fiercest and
bloodiest fighting of the War in the Pacific of World War II.
The Atomic Bomb (1945) | Powerful weapon dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Harry Truman made the
decision to drop the bomb in an effort to reduce American casualties. WWII ended as a result.
THE WAR IN EUROPE
Blitzkrieg | Germany occupied and controlled most of Europe prior to the Allied invasion on D-Day.
The Holocaust | The mass murder of 6 million Jews and others in Nazi concentration camps.
Two-front War | Germany was forced to fight British and American troops from the West and Russian from the East. This divided
Germany’s army in two and helped the Allies gain the advantage in Europe.
Invasion of Normandy (D-Day, June 6th 1944) | General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allied invasion of Axis-controlled France
across the English Channel. The landings, were part of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II
and the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Battle of the Bulge (December, 1945) | Was the last major German offensive in Europe. German forces in a surprise attack pushed
past U.S. forces through the forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, and France and Luxembourg on the
Western Front.
Soviets Occupy Berlin (1945) | The Soviets captured Berlin, German in Spring 1945. Hitler committed suicide rather than face
capture and WWII ended in Europe. Many senior Nazis were convicted in the Nuremburg Trials of crimes against humanity for the
holocaust and executed.
THE HOME FRONT
Entering WWII helped the U.S. end the Great Depression through massive wartime production. Many new opportunities were
created for women and minorities to enter the work force.
Rationing | restricting the supply of items used by the public during wartime
Internment of Japanese Americans | Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were forced to relocate to crowded prison camps were
they were detained during WWII.
“Double V Campaign” | African-Americans continued to face discrimination at home and pledged to fight for victory over Hitler in
Europe and an end to racism.