Download American History Final Exam Study Guide WORLD WAR II 1. What

American History Final Exam Study Guide
WORLD WAR II
1.
2.
What were the Doolittle Raids? - attacks on Tokyo led by Jimmy Doolittle to get the Japanese back for bombing
Pearl Harbor.
Germany invaded what country in September 1939 to begin World War II?
Poland
3.
Which two European countries were the first to declare war on Germany in 1939? Great Britain, France
4.
What battle tactic did Germany use when invading countries?
5.
What happened during Operation Dynamo? - Over 300,000 French and English troops were rescued from the
coast of France at Dunkirk using many boats going across the English Channel
6.
During what battle did Hitler order the constant bombing of London for two months?
Battle of Britain - also known as Operation Sea Lion
7.
What countries comprised the Axis Powers?
8.
Who was known as the Desert Fox? Erwin Rommel a German general who led the German troops known as the
Afrika Corps who fought in the North Africa Campaign.
9.
Who was the leader of Italy before and during most of World War II and what was he known as?
Benito Mussolini – il Duce
10.
What happened during Operation Barbarossa?
Germany broke the non-aggression pact with Stalin and invaded Russia with over 3 million German soldiers.
11.
Where did the allies land on June 6, 1944, starting the drive of Nazi’s out of France and what was it known as?
Normandy Beach - D-Day
12.
Why was Iwo Jima considered to be a significant battle in World War II?
Because it was where the American Marines fought the bloodiest battle in Marine history.
13.
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29, dropped the first atomic bomb on what city in Japan? Hiroshima
14.
What was the name of the airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb?
15.
Who was the U.S. General who returned to liberate the Philippines? Douglas MacArthur
16.
Who said, after the loss of the Philippines: “I shall return.”?
17.
Describe Japanese kamikazes? Bomb-laden planes whose pilots deliberately crashed into their targets.
18.
What happened at the Potsdam Conference?
19.
What is the Holocaust? The Nazi campaign to systematically eliminate all of the Jews in Europe.
20.
What was the name of the book that Hitler wrote, and what does it translates to? “My Struggle?” Mein Kampf
21.
What are Victory Gardens? back yard vegetable gardens for home use
22.
What were the Tuskegee Airmen? African-American pilots who distinguished themselves in battle
23.
Why were Navajos selected to be “code talkers”? Their language is so difficult the Germans could not decode it
24.
How did Henry Ford contribute to wartime production? turned his assembly line from cars to airplanes
25.
Why did women return to being full-time homemakers after WWII? – to give their jobs to returning servicemen
26.
What prevented Americans from spending the high wages they earned in wartime jobs?
Shortages of consumer items
Blitzkrieg
Italy, Japan, Germany
The Enola Gay
General Douglas MacArthur
Truman issued an ultimatum to the Japanese to surrender.
27.
Why didn’t more of the Jewish people fight the Nazis? the Nazis used overwhelming military force the Nazis had stripped the Jews of their rights slowly - it was difficult for the Jews to believe that the Nazis
were capable of such brutality - the Nazis lied about relocation and work camps
COLD WAR
28.
What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan? aid the economic recovery of war-torn Europe.
29.
Nations dominated by the Soviet Union were described as what? satellite nations
30.
Who were the men known as the Big Three at the Yalta conference? Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin
31.
Who replaced Chiang Kai-Shek as the Leader of China after World War II? Mao Zedong
32.
What is the philosophy of the domino theory? Must stop the spread of communism—if one country
becomes communist another will follow.
33.
What was the organization the Soviet Union formed in response to the formation of NATO?
created the Warsaw Pact
34.
What was the purpose of the Berlin Airlift? to provide humanitarian aid to citizens of Berlin after
Joseph Stalin placed a military blockade around the city.
35.
Where was Korea divided, separating communist North Korea from non-communist South Korea?
38th parallel
36.
What general commanded the troops in S. Korea during the Korean Conflict? General Douglas MacArthur
37.
What was the turning point in the war which turned the tide against U.S. and S. Korean troops?
Large numbers of Chinese troops entered the war.
38.
Why did President Truman relieve the commander of the troops in Korea of his command?
He publicly disagreed with and criticized Truman’s decision to negotiate a peace settlement with N. Korea.
39.
What was the outcome of the Korean War?
Korea remained divided at almost exactly the same place as before the war
40.
What impact did Joseph McCarthy have on American society?
He encouraged a widespread fear of communism
41.
What is the reason the United States became involved in affairs in the Middle East following World War II?
to prevent oil-rich Arab nations from falling under Soviet influence
42.
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled what in Brown v. Board of Education ?
segregation was no longer permissible in pubic schools.
Possible essay subjects:
Why was it a military disaster for Hitler to invade the Soviet Union in 1942? What major obstacles did the
German Army face during the invasion?
Split his troops fighting on two fronts – long supply lines that were difficult to supply –
A harsh winter froze to death - Russian people dug in and refused to give up Why did President Truman decide to use the atomic bomb against Japan? Do you agree or disagree with this
decision?
He felt that the bomb would save hundreds of thousands of American lives
Why do you believe the German people either accepted or ignored the persecution of the Jews during World
War II? Do you believe that the people did not realize what was happening? Why or why not.
Because the Germans moved slowly in their handling of the “Jewish problem”, many
Germans simply accepted this treatment. Germans were willing to blame the Jewish people for their
economic problems and accepted Hitler’s anti-semitism. Many turned their heads, not wanting to get
involved and not having any power to do anything to stop it from happening.
Foreign Policy – Post WWII domestic
39.
What were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and Alger Hiss accused of?
espionage
40.
What was the Red Scare? anxiety about the spread of communism in America
41.
Who was the first group targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)?
Hollywood directors, writers and producers.
42.
In 1962, which of the following contributed most directly to a crisis in Cuba, causing a major conflict between
the United States and the Soviet Union? Soviets installing missile sites for nuclear weapons
43.
What does the acronym NATO stand for? North Atlantic Treaty Organization
44.
Eisenhower’s foreign policy plan, stated the US would not respond to communist threats using
conventional forces, but would use nuclear weapons. What was this known as? massive retaliation
45.
Why did John F. Kennedy order the Bay of Pigs invasion? Kennedy didn’t order the invasion of the Bay of Pigs,
Eisenhower did.
46.
Why did the Soviet Union build the Berlin Wall? To keep East German citizens from crossing into West Berlin.
47.
What did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorize the president to do? To use whatever military measures were
necessary to stop any aggression toward the U.S.
48.
Which U.S. president sent the largest number of troops to Vietnam?
49.
Which U.S. president brought an end to the Vietnam War?
50.
Who was the communist leader in North Vietnam in the 1950s and 60s? Ho Chi Minh
51.
Who was the long time leader of the PLO, Palestine Liberation Organization? Yasser Arafat
52.
What were the Pentagon Papers?
Defense Department documents which revealed the government’s dishonest in reporting the military progress
and motives for American involvement in Vietnam.
53.
What was the name of the Russian satellite launched into space in 1957, causing Americans to react with alarm?
Sputnik
54.
In America’s race for space, who was the first American astronaut launched into space? Alan Shepard
Johnson
Nixon
KENNEDY/JOHNSON – CIVIL RIGHTS
55.
Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s inspiration for the philosophy of non-violent protest?
Mahatma Gandhi
56.
For what non-violent civil rights organization did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. serve as leader? SCLC
57.
What president was responsible for passing the most civil rights legislations? Lyndon B. Johnson
58.
What happened during Freedom Summer?
A civil rights campaign to promote black voter registration and voting
.
Who were the leader of the Black Panthers and what did they stand for?
A militant group of civil rights protesters, led by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale , who denounced whites as
“devils.”
59.
60.
What did Lyndon Johnson call his domestic policy plan? The Great Society
61.
Where was the first sit-in held? Chicago – the Jack Spratt Coffee House
*most famous in Greensboro, N.C. – Woolworths
62.
What happened when James Meredith entered the University of Mississippi? There was rioting and
President Kennedy sent army troops to restore order and protect Meredith
63.
Which speech was a highlight of the March on Washington? Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream”
64.
What did Malcolm X encourage African Americans to do? to separate themselves from white society
65.
What were legal results of the civil rights movement? Civil Rights Act of 1963 - Thousands of African
Americans could vote for the first time.
66.
Why were many people critical of the Great Society programs? gave the federal government too much authority
VIETNAM
67.
Who was the leader in South Vietnam in the 1960s?
Ngo Dihn Diem
68.
What did the War Powers Act require the president to do?
Report to Congress within 48 hours after ordering combat troops into battle and withdrawing them after 60
days unless given Congressional approval to leave them longer.
69.
What was the Tet offensive? it was an attack on major cities in South Vietnam launched in January 1968 (the
New Year) – it was a psychological victory for N.Vietnam
70.
When did escalation of the war in Vietnam begin? with the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
71.
What did American soldiers fighting in Vietnam have to cope with? tropical infections and booby traps –
guerilla warfare – jungle rot – unseen enemy – no clear objectives – snakes – insects - boredom
72.
What was the tactic that destroyed roads and bridges in North Vietnam? saturation bombing
73.
What effect on the public did television have during the Vietnam war?
bringing the brutality of the war into people’s living rooms
74.
What event brought world attention to the political corruption in South Vietnam?
the suicide burning of Buddhist monks
75.
Why did Kennedy “endorse” a military overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem?
Diem’s policy’s were abusive to the Buddhist population - Diem had appointed family members to positions of
power, and they were corrupt - Diem’s sister-in-law, Madam Nu, made insensitive remarks, which were quoted
internationally
76.
Who were the Viet Cong? South Vietnam guerillas, sponsored by North Vietnam
77.
What did the United States fear would happen if it did not get involved in Vietnam?
Communists would take over the country like China
78.
In 1970, President Nixon announced that American forces would invade which country? Cambodia
79.
How did the Vietnam War finally end in 1975?
with North Vietnam taking Saigon
80.
Where did the National Guard open fire on protesters? Kent State University
81.
Why didn’t President Johnson run for reelection? He believed he had lost his power base
82.
What was the reason for the protest at Kent State University? escalation of the war into Cambodia
83.
Which president developed the policy of Vietnamization?
Nixon
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
84.
What organization had been part of SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), but believed that radical changes
were needed to solve major social problems.? The Weather Underground
85.
What issue made Ralph Nader famous in the 1960s as a “one man lobby for the public”? automobile safety
86.
Who was the founder of the United Farm Workers?
87.
In what way did the civil rights movement help the women’s movement in the 1960s?
It inspired women and provided them with a model for protest
88.
What was a main goal of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in the 1960s and 1970s?
To gain equal job opportunities for women.
89.
What tactic did the United Farm Workers (UFW) use in the fight for higher wages and improved
working conditions? They organized consumer boycotts
Cesar Chavez
NIXON – FORD – CARTER
90.
Why were the “Plumbers” and CREEP formed? to ensure Nixon’s victory in the 1972 election.
91.
What was Nixon’s role in Watergate? He saw to it that the FBI did not investigate the break-in and was
involved in the cover-up.
92.
What was Nixon’s greatest accomplishment? bringing about détente with the Soviet Union and with China.
93.
Why did Iranian students seize the U.S. embassy and take Americans hostage?
Carter’s letting the shah enter the United States for medical treatment.
94.
What economic problems did both Ford and Carter face?
high inflation and high unemployment.
95.
What was a major reason for Jimmy Carter’s winning the presidency in 1976?
the public’s distrust of the Washington establishment after Watergate.
96.
Why did Carter have major problems as President?
lacked the ability to deal well with Congress.
97. What effect did the Bakke decision have on affirmative action?
It signaled the start of a backlash against affirmative action.
98. What final step did Carter take to try to get the U.S. hostages released from Iran?
He attempted a commando rescue of the hostages.
99. What was a result of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
an erosion of Americans’ faith in the idea of nonviolent change.
100. What event dealt nuclear energy a severe blow?
there was an accident at the nuclear plant at Three Mile Island, PA