Start of WWII
Who was Adolf Hitler?
Leader of the Nazis, dictator of Germany
Name one reason America wanted to remain neutral during WWII
Isolationism, America First Committee, Merchants of Death theory
Name one way fighting in WWII was different than fighting in WWI
Scale of the war, new strategies, new technologies
Name an important American battle of WWII
Battle of Midway, Operation Torch, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa
How did women benefit from World War II?
What was the Holocaust?
What were the Neutrality Acts? How did they change in 1939?
Series of laws to keep America out of WWII. Gradually allowed intervention (1939 Act allows U.S. to sell guns to Allied Powers)
A type of strategy where tanks, trucks, and planes try to surround and overwhelm the enemy
Mobile Warfare/Blitzkrieg
Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
To cripple or destroy America's navy before it could join the war.
What happened to Poland's Jews after Hitler invaded?
Rounded up, some were shot, made to clean streets and kiss Nazis' boots, forced into ghettos, later transported to concentration camps
Name at least three countries in the Axis Powers
Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Thailand
What is the draft AND how did Americans feel about it during WWII?
Men are forced to join the army and go to war by the government. Americans liked it, felt WWII was a just war, felt left out if not selected.
Based on letters, what did fighting in the Pacific look like?
Island hopping, fighting in the jungle, poor weather, muddy/dirty, Japanese ambushes on islands
How is the United States able to beat Japan during the battle of Midway?
Decrypted Japanese attack plans, used aircraft carriers to bomb Japanese ships
What happened to Japanese-Americans during WWII?
Imprisoned in internment camps, forced to sell property and businesses first, not allowed to live on the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington)
Why do Germany and Japan invade their neighboring countries?
Believed other races were inferior, wanted to expand their own populations, need for resources
How does WWII affect the Great Depression?
Ends the depression. The need for soldiers and factory workers reduced unemployment to healthy levels.
What is Guerilla Warfare? Who uses it during World War II?
When outnumbered soldiers hide, use ambushes, and start small battles to pick off their enemies.
Japanese soldiers use it during the Pacific campaign.
Why do the Allied Powers invade Normandy beach on D-Day?
Open a new front, way to then attack Germany, liberate France (Allied Power)
How did Japanese Civilians view American soldiers during WWII?
Convinced by government Americans were monsters. Would kill them if captured. Many civilians committed suicide rather than be captured.
How was the Great Depression in Germany worse than America?
High inflation, higher unemployment, had to repay war debts/reparations, unstable government
What was the Double V Campaign?
Idea created by African American soldiers to push for equality. "Victory against fascism in Europe, and racism in America."
Name a reason soldiers liked fighting in World War II AND a reason they disliked fighting in the war
Positive: Brotherhood, nice accommodations, winning against the enemy, seeing new places
Negative: Poor conditions, lots of death, constant fighting/threats
How does fighting on islands like Iwo Jima and Okinawa convince America to use atom bombs on Japan?
Japanese refuse to surrender, will cost millions of lives to invade Japan, believes atom bombs will convince Japan to give up
Why do the Allied Powers bomb non-military targets in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, and Tokyo?
They believed targeting civilians would turn them against their government. The opposite reaction occurred instead.