Download World War 2 completed study guide15-16

World War II: Study Guide
Name _______________________
You will need to know the meaning of the following terms and dates:
1. blitzkrieg – the German’s swift and fierce attack
2. concentration camp – prison for civilians, Jews were often tortured and starved to
death.
3. fascism – political system headed by a dictator, extreme nationalism and racism.
4. kamikaze – Japanese pilot that crashes into a target to destroy it.
5. isolationism – U.S. policy to stay out of foreign affairs
6. genocide – deliberate attempt to eliminate a racial, political or cultural group.
7. Anti- Semitism – extreme hatred of the Jewish people
8. island hopping – strategy of capturing key islands and jumping to others in order to
defeat Japan.
9. September 1, 1939 – start of WWII.
10. December 7, 1941 – Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
11. June 6, 1944 – D-Day, allies storm the beaches at Normandy, France.
12. May 8, 1945 – V-E day, victory in Europe.
13. August 6, 1945 – atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan
You need to know the following people and their accomplishments:
1. FDR- president during WWII asked Congress for a declaration of war after the attack at
Pearl Harbor.
2. Josef Stalin- communist dictator of Soviet Union, millions died under his reign.
3. Adolf Hitler- German dictator and leader of the Nazi party.
4. Winston Churchill- prime minister of England after 1940, architect for victory in
Europe.
5. Harry Truman- first and only president to drop the atomic bomb on another country.
6. Douglas Macarthur- general in command of the American forces in the Pacific.
7. Benito Mussolini- dictator of Italy, known as II Duce, fascist, nationalist, and racist.
8. Hideo Tojo- prime minister of Japan, engineered attack on Pearl Harbor.
9. Dwight D. Eisenhower- U.S. commander in Europe.
10. Rosie the Riveter- represented the ability for a woman to take on a man’s job during
the war.
11. Jeanette Rankin- only member of Congress who voted against going to war.
12. Robert Oppenheimer- director of the Manhattan project who developed the atomic
bomb.
13. Navajo Code talkers- group of native Americans hired by Marines to use secret
language.
14. Tuskegee Airmen- group of African American fighter pilots who fought in Africa and
Italy during WWII.
You need to know the answers to the following questions:
15. Which countries made up the Axis Powers? Germany, Italy, and Japan
16. Which countries made up the Allied Powers? Great Britain, France, Soviet Union,
United States, and Canada
17. Name three reasons for the rise of dictatorships in Europe during the 1920’s and
1930’s? Germany’s high war debt, worldwide depression, massive unemployment
18. What were the causes of World War II? List at least 4.
German invasion of Poland, Soviet Union invasion of Poland and the Baltic states,
Japan’s need for natural resources, Munich conference
19. How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the outbreak of WWII?
It forced Germany to repay the Allies for WWI damages
20. How was the Munich Conference an example of appeasement?
It gave Hitler the Sudetenland he wanted in order to preserve peace
21. List two ways in which the U.S. supported the allies before 12/7/41.
Lend-Lease Act, Cash and Carry, supplying Great Britain with weapons
22. How did WWII end the Great Depression?
It helped put people to work
23. After WWII broke out in Europe, public opinion in the U.S. generally favored a policy of?
Neutrality, Isolationism
24. Give 3 examples of people or groups who opposed the U.S. entry into WWII.
America First Committee, Pacifists, Isolationists, Jeanette Rankin
25. How did World War II affect American industries?
Women filled the jobs of men in the factories
26. Why did Hitler urge the systematic persecution of the Jewish people? Give at least 3
reasons.
He blamed the Jews for Germany’s defeat in WWI, he blamed the Jews for economic
problems and high inflation, and he felt the Jews should be exterminated
27. What was the Holocaust? Name three things that happened to Jewish people.
It was the systematic attempt to rid Europe of Jews. They were sent to concentration
camps, sent to death camps, segregated from the rest of Germany’s citizens.
28. Define rationing. How did this help the war effort?
Citizens received a fixed amount of foods and goods. It ensured that important
resources were reserved for soldiers.
29. Name 3 ways Americans supported the war effort on the home front.
Participated in blackouts, produced war goods, planted victory gardens
30. Which president gave the order to drop the atomic bomb? What was his reason for
dropping the bomb?
Harry Truman. He said it would shorten the war and save the lives of U.S. soldiers
31. What two cities did the U.S. drop the atomic bomb?
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
32. What does V-E Day stand for? V-J Day?
V-E: Victory in Europe (May 8, 1945) and V-J: Victory in Japan (August 15, 1945)
33. What battle was the first major defeat for the Japanese in the Pacific?
Battle of Midway
34. What battle was the turning point in the fighting in Eastern Europe? It was Germany’s
attempt to capture Moscow.
Battle of Leningrad and Stalingrad
35. What is the difference between a concentration camp and an internment camp?
Concentration camps- prison camp where Jews were forced to do hard labor
Internment camps- in the U.S. where Japanese Americans (Nisei) were held to the
end of the war.