Download KEY EVENTS OF WORLD WAR II

KEY EVENTS OF WORLD WAR II
In the following reading, you will learn about 14 key events of World War 2. As you read, answer the questions
in the graphic organizer for each section. There will be a small quiz at the end to check your knowledge, but it
will be about the questions in the graphic organizer.
EVENT 1: GERMANY INVADES POLAND- September 1, 1939
In August, 1939, Hitler announces that Germany would take back lands in Poland that belonged
to Germany prior to World War I. Hitler stated Poland must return lands to Germany or it will
be invaded. By doing this, Hitler broke his promise from the Munich Conference that he would
not ask for any more land. This demand by Hitler made it clear to England & France that Hitler
could not be trusted and that appeasement had failed. England & France announced that if Hitler
invaded Poland, England & France will defend Poland by going to war with Germany.
On September 1, 1939, Hitler sent the Nazi Army and Air Force to attack Poland in what was
known as a blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning war” (a fast moving attack). Poland proved to be no
match for the German army. Two days later, on September 3, 1939, England & France declared
war on Germany. England also replaced Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with a new Prime
Minister Winston Churchill.
EVENT 2: BATTLE OF BRITAIN: Summer, 1940
France had not done well in World War 2. They lost to Germany in a matter of 4
weeks. Neither France nor England had prepared for war against Germany, so
Germany was better prepared for World War 2 when it began. When France fell
to Germany in 1940, only England was left to fight against Hitler and Nazi
Germany.
Because England is an island, Germany had difficulty invading England. The
English Navy controlled the seas and the Germany army couldn’t march to
England. Hitler decided to fight against Britain in the air. From July-October,
1940, Germany bombed England from airplanes in what became known as the
Battle of Britain. The British had a new invention called RADAR which let them
know when German planes were coming to England.
For much of the summer of 1940, the Germans bombed England including at night when
the Germans couldn’t see what they were bombing. The Germans were hoping to
terrorize the British population and force them to surrender. British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill rallied the British people and gave them hope by telling them, “we
will never surrender.”
By October, it was clear to the Germans that the British would not surrender. Hitler
called off the attacks on England. Winston Churchill told the British people, “This is our
finest hour”. Of the British pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, Churchill said,
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.
EVENT 3: GERMANY INVADES THE SOVIET UNION: 1941
You might remember that in 1939, German leader Adolph Hitler and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin formed
an alliance called the Nazi-Soviet Pact. This agreement said that Germany and the Soviet Union would not
attack each other. In 1941, Hitler broke that promise when he ordered the Nazi German army to attack the
Soviet Union. The Soviets were not ready for the attack and suffered heavy losses. The German army hoped
for a quick victory, but the cold Russian winter stopped any chances of a quick German victory.
EVENT 4: JAPAN ATTACKS US NAVY @
PEARL HARBOR- Dec. 7, 1941
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy launched a “sneak attack” on the United
States Navy stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to destroy the
entire US Navy so the US couldn’t stop Japan from
attacking areas in southern Asia such as the
Philippines, Burma. Japan wanted to create an
empire in the Pacific and thought the US would be in
the way of that goal.
At Pearl Harbor, the US Navy was not ready for an
attack. Over 3,000 US sailors died in the attack and
dozens of US ships were either destroyed or heavily
damaged. This attack ended US isolationism
(Neutrality). President Franklin Roosevelt asked the US Congress to declare war on Japan because Japan had
attacked the US Navy. President Roosevelt called the date of December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in
infamy”, which means it is famous for a bad reason.
EVENT 5: BATTLE OF STALINGRAD: 1942-43
When the German army invaded the Soviet Union, the Nazis were prepared for a fast battle, not a long one.
Unfortunately for the Germans, Russia had its worst winter in over 100 years (when Napoleon tried to invade)
and it slowed the German army. From 1941-1942 the Germans scored large victories against the unprepared
Soviet army. However, the war improved for the Soviets at the Battle of Stalingrad. For over 10 months, the
Germans & Soviet armies fought at this city. If the Germans won the battle, the Soviet government likely
would have fallen. However, after more than 10 months of fighting, the Soviet Army began to push the German
army back. This began a slow push by the Soviet army that drove the Germans out of the Soviet Union by 1944.
In 1945, the Soviets would push the German army back across Poland and back into Germany. Stalingrad is the
battle where the Soviets started to finally beat the Germans.
EVENT 6: ISLAND HOPPING:
In the war in the Pacific Ocean, the United States could not
attack Japan directly. Japan was too far away from the
United States and the Pacific Ocean was too large for
bombing planes to fly across. The United States military
adopted a plan called “Island Hopping”. Island Hopping
was the idea that the US military move across the Pacific
from island to island until it could reach & attack Japan.
This strategy was slow and it resulted in many battles in the
Pacific like Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Japanese were
determined to not give up any islands that they had taken,
but by the summer of 1945, the US military has used island
hopping to get the islands of Okinawa and Iwo Jima. From
these islands, the United States could prepare to bomb and
invade Japan.
EVENT 7: D-DAY (INVASION OF NORMANDY) June, 1944
By June of 1944, the British, Canadians & Americans were prepared to attack the Germans
in Europe. They planned to cross the English Channel and attack the German army on the
north coast of France called NORMANDY. The invasion of Normandy was very difficult
and risky. It isn’t easy to attack an army on land when you are coming from boats on the
sea. However, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the attack by the United States. Soon,
the British, US and Canadian troops
were pouring into Northern France and
pushed the Germans out of France. The
French were thrilled they were no longer
under Nazi rule. The German army
retreated inside Germany and now they
had a big problem. The combined
armies of England, United States,
Canada & France were attacking
Germany from the west and the Soviet
Army was attacking Germany from the
east. The Nazis were about to lose
World War II.
EVENT 8: YALTA & POTSDAM CONFERENCE: February 1945 & July
1945
As the war in Europe was coming to a close, the leaders of the United States (Franklin Roosevelt), England
(Winston Churchill) and the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) met in the town of Yalta in the Soviet Union. They
wanted to plan how Europe would be shaped after the war ended. At this meeting, Stalin agreed to allow
democratic elections in the European countries he had conquered- Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania &
Bulgaria. This pleased Churchill & Roosevelt.
In July 1945, the leaders met again in Potsdam Germany. The Germans had surrendered and Roosevelt had
died in April. Replacing Roosevelt was new US President Harry Truman. Truman & Churchill were angered to
learn that Stalin broke his promise from the Yalta Conference. Stalin now said he would NOT allow
democratic elections in eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania & Bulgaria) and that they would now
have communist governments. Because Stalin had lied, Truman and Churchill were convinced they could not
trust Stalin or the communists in the Soviet Union. This would lead a “Cold War” after World War 2.
EVENT 9: V-E (Victory in
Europe) DAY
Italy had been defeated by the Americans & British in
1944. Mussolini was removed as leader and was
dead. By 1945, US, British and Soviet armies were in
Germany and were marching on the capital of Berlin.
Germany formally surrendered to the nations of
England, France, United States & Soviet Union on
May 8, 1945. Hitler had killed himself in April, 1945
because he did not want to be captured by the Allied
nations. He especially did not want to be captured by
the Soviet Union. Hitler would not be alive to stand
trial for his crimes, but he war in Europe was over.
EVENT 10: NUREMBERG TRIALS
After the war ended, the Allied Powers (England, United States & Soviet Union) agreed to put Nazi leaders and
Nazi soldiers for war crimes. These crimes were considered “crimes against humanity” and included genocide,
the use of slave labor, starting an aggressive war & operating extermination (concentration) camps. The
Nuremberg Trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany. Of the 20 Nazis put on trial, 17 were found guilty- 10
Nazis Executed, 3 Not Guilty, 7 life in prison.
For the first time, war crimes trials held persons who followed & created immoral orders responsible for their
actions. This is the first time the winners of a war have held trials against the leaders of the losing nation.
EVENT 11: U.S. DROPS ATOMIC BOMBS ON JAPAN August,
1945
On July 16, 1945 the United States successfully tested an atomic bomb. Now that the
US had the bomb, it had to decide if it was going to use it in the war against Japan.
President Harry Truman struggled with this decision. He demanded that Japan
“unconditionally surrender” to the United States. The Japanese ignored this demand.
By August, 1945, the United States was preparing to invade Japan in an attempt to end
the war. Since the Japanese government said it would not surrender and was training
civilians to fight, the US military estimated that an invasion of Japan would cost the US
Army over 100,000 soldiers dead in the first year. The army also believed it would
take 3-4 more years of war to conquer Japan.
President Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to force Japan to surrender without
having to invade the entire country. On August 6, the US dropped an atomic bomb on the
city of Hiroshima shortly before 9am. The city was unprepared for the bomb and the damage
was beyond imagination. The bomb destroyed much of the city and released radiation which
would continue to kill Japanese for years to come. After the bomb was dropped, the
Japanese government denied an atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima. They did not answer
US demands to surrender. On August 9, President Truman ordered a second atomic bomb to
be dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The two bombs killed an estimated 200,000 people.
After the second atomic bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito became
convinced that Japan could not continue the war. He feared the US could continue to drop
atomic bombs until Japan was gone. It was the use of the two atomic bombs that convinced
Japan to surrender to the United States, which they did after the bombing of Nagasaki.
EVENT 12: DIVISION OF GERMANY
After Germany surrendered, the four victorious nations- England,
France, United States & Soviet Union divided Germany into
four zones. Each nation would govern a zone of Germany.
Each would also get a section of the capital city of Berlin, which
was within the Soviet zone. The goal was to remove all traces of
Nazism from Germany’s government, schools, textbooks, public
places & symbols.
For four years, Germany was divided into these four zones. The
English, French and Americans began installing democracy in
their sections and began to help rebuild the economies of these
areas, but the Soviets put a communist government in their
section of Germany. The Soviets did not help rebuild their
section. Instead, anything of value, the Soviets took back to the
Soviet Union, including factory machines.
In 1949, England, France & the US decided to unite their
sections of Germany and make it a democratic nation. The
Soviets refused to allow their section to join because they wanted communism in Germany. The three sections
of the US, French & British became a democracy known as West Germany in 1949. The Soviet section became
known the communist nation of East Germany. The city of Berlin divided the same way. West Berlin was
democratic and East Berlin was communist. This would be argued over throughout the Cold War.
EVENT 13: REBUILDING JAPAN
Japan was forced to “unconditional surrender” to United States after atomic
bombs used on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. This meant the United States military
controls Japan after the war. The Japanese and their Emperor had no power. U.S.
General Douglas MacArthur was put in charge of Japan. He had two jobs as
military governor of Japan. He had to end militarism in Japan & Rebuild Japan’s
economy.
General MacArthur began a process to create a democracy in Japan with a
constitution. Emperor Hirohito was allowed to remain emperor, but he had no
power. Instead, MacArthur created the Constitution of 1947. This constitution
did the following for Japan:
• Japan becomes a DEMOCRACY
• Japan gains a court system similar to US
• Women gain legal equality
• Japan no longer has an army or navy- cannot send troops outside Japan
• United States military will keep bases/troops in Japan- US will defend Japan.
The United States began helping the Japanese to rebuild their country immediately after the war ended. US
money & technology was used in Japan. Additionally, schools & textbooks in Japan had to teach democracy
instead of imperialism or militarism. The US attempted to create a future friend of Japan, instead of a nation
that might attack again the future.
By 1952, the US & Japanese governments decided the rebuild was complete. To this day, the US still has
troops & military bases in Japan to protect the nation. Japan has not fought a war since World War II and has
been friendly with the United States.
EVENT 14: UNITED NATIONS CREATED 1945
It was the idea of President Franklin Roosevelt to create an international organization to maintain peace after
World War II. Unlike the League of Nations, which failed in that job before World War II, the United Nations
would have the authority to enforce its decisions.
The winning nations of World War II- US, Soviet Union, England, France & China would create the United
Nations. Its headquarters are in New York City. The chief mission of the U.N is to maintain peace. There are
several parts to the U.N. In the General Assembly, every nation in the UN gets one vote. However, in the
Security Council, only the 5 founding members (US, England, France, China, Soviet Union) can veto any
decision made by the General Assembly.
GOAL of UN: Prevent future wars
U.N. headquarters are in New York City
Key Events of World War II
Use the reading to answer the questions for each section.
1- Invasion of Poland
Name:
Date:
Period:
~ When did it happen?
~ What country invaded Poland?
~What did England & France do about the invasion of Poland?
2- Battle of Britain
1- What countries fought in the Battle of Britain? ___________________________ When? ____________
2- What invention allowed the British to know when attacks were coming?
3- Who was the leader of England that encouraged the people of England throughout the Battle of Britain?
3- Invasion of Soviet Union
1- What agreement did the Nazis and Soviets make in 1939?
2- Who broke that agreement? When ?
4- Attack on Pearl Harbor
1- Where is Pearl Harbor located?
2- What was at Pearl Harbor that caused the Japanese to attack it?
3- What date did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?
4- How many Americans died at Pearl Harbor?
5- Which President asked Congress to declare war against Japan?
5- Stalingrad
1- What 2 countries fought at Stalingrad? When?
2- Why was this battle important for the Soviet Union?
6- Island Hopping
1- What country used the strategy of Island Hopping?
2- Describe “island hopping”
7- D-Day: Invasion of Normandy
1- When was the invasion of Normandy?
2- In what country is Normandy?
3- What general led the invasion of Normandy?
4- What countries invaded Normandy?
5- Did the Germans win?
8- Yalta & Potsdam Conference
1- What leaders met at Yalta?
2- What promise did Stalin make at Yalta?
3- Which leaders met at Potsdam?
4- Did Stalin keep his promise? What conflict would this lead to after World War 2?
9- V-E Day
1- What is the date of V-E Day?
2- Who won World War 2?
10- Nuremberg Trials
1- Who was put on trial at the Nuremberg Trials?
2- How many people were found guilty?
3- Why are these trials important?
What happened on that date?
Who lost World War 2?
What crimes were they accused of?
11- Atomic Bomb
1- What was the first city to be attacked with an atomic bomb?
2- What was the second city to be attacked with an atomic bomb?
When?
When?
3- How many people died in the two atomic bomb attacks?
4- What president used the atomic bombs on Japan?
5- What did the atomic bomb convince Japan to do?
12-Division of Germany
1- After World War 2, how many sections was Germany divided into? What nations ruled a section?
2- After World War 2, what German city was divided into 4 sections?
3- What country did England, France & US create when they combined their sections in 1949? ____________
What type of government did it have?
13- Rebuilding Japan
4- What type of government did East Germany have? ___________________
1- What US General was put in charge of Japan after World War 2?
2- What type of government did the Constitution of 1947 create in Japan?
3- What happened to Emperor Hirohito after World War 2?
14- United Nations Created
1- Which US President created the United Nations?
2- What is the goal of the United Nations?
3- What 5 countries are permanent members of the Security Council?
4- Where is the headquarters of the United Nations?