Unit 2: World War II
What was the Yalta agreement?
At Yalta, the Big Three agreed that after Germany's unconditional surrender, it would be divided into four post-war occupation zones, controlled by U.S., British, French and Soviet military forces. The city of Berlin would also be divided into similar occupation zones.
What are V-E and V-J day?
At the end of the Second World War, first came VE Day then months later it was VJ Day. VE Day stands for Victory in Europe, while VJ Day celebrates Victory over Japan.
What was the significance of the Battle of the Bulge?
Battle of the Bulge. Called "the greatest American battle of the war" by Winston Churchill, the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes region of Belgium was Adolf Hitler's last major offensive in World War II against the Western Front. Hitler's aim was to split the Allies in their drive toward Germany.
Why did FDR sign this order?
Because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, American Japanese people were suspected to be helping out as spies for their home country. So FDR signed the Executive Order 9066 to send Japanese people to Internment Camp where they are imprisoned, so that they have no chance of going against the United States if they really were spies.
What is Blitzkrieg?
Blitzkrieg is a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support. Such an attack ideally leads to a quick victory, limiting the loss of soldiers and artillery.
What was the ruling of Korematsu v. United States?
Court case arguing that Japanese Interment was unconstitutional. In Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court held that the wartime internment of American citizens of Japanese descent was constitutional. Above, Japanese Americans at a government-run internment camp during World War II.
What was D-Day? What was its significance?
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy. On June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. With a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe.
Who were the leaders of Great Britain, The United States, Russia, Italy, Spain and Germany during WWII?
Great Britain- Arthur Neville Chamberlain United States- Dwight D. Eisenhower Russia- Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill Italy- Benito Mussolini Spain- Francisco Franco Germany- Adolf Hitler Japan- Hideki Tojo
At first, how did FDR respond to the outbreak of war in Europe? Why?
He argued that the United States ought to do more to assist the Allies.
What was the sequence with which Hitler added territory?
He seized Austria and almost all of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and 1939. Germany signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR, and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, launching World War II in Europe. By early 1941, Germany controlled much of Europe. > Start of World War II, invasion of Poland
What event started World War II?
Invasion of Poland
What was the military strategy the United States used to combat Japan in the Pacific?
Island hopping: was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan and the Axis powers during World War II.
What was the Munson Report?
Munson, under Roosevelt's orders, carried out an intelligence gathering investigation on the loyalty of Japanese Americans. His report concluded that Japanese Americans are loyal and would pose little threat.
What were the Nuremberg Trials?
Nürnberg trials, Nürnberg also spelled Nuremberg, series of trials held in Nürnberg, Germany, in 1945-46, in which former Nazi leaders were indicted and tried as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal.
Who was Rosie the Riveter? How did gender roles change during the war?
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of World War II, representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who joined the military. Gender on the Home Front: World War II changed the lives of women and men in many ways. Wartime needs increased labor demands for both male and female workers, heightened domestic hardships and responsibilities, and intensified pressures for Americans to conform to social and cultural norms.
What are the Neutrality Acts and Lend Lease Act?
> The Neutrality Acts were a series of laws enacted by the United States government between 1935 and 1939 that were intended to prevent the United States from becoming involved in foreign wars. > President Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease bill into law on March 11, 1941. It permitted him to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government [whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States] any defense article."
What were the causes of World War II?
> Treaty of Versailles: failed to provide a "just and secure peace" as promised > Failure of the League of Nations: never really asserted its authority; the one who created this never got involved in membership meetings; was never taken seriously; half of league was imperialized by Germans > Rise of Dictatorships: dictators took over countries like Stalin-USSR and Hitler-Germany and Tojo-Japan. > German and Japanese Expansion: Japanese grew their empire in order to gain more resources; invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937; Japanese expansion toward Pacific Ocean > Appeasement: European Powers were eager to avoid conflict and global war; Munich conference; non-aggression pact > American Neutrality: most Americans believed the U.S should not get involved based on experiences from WWI; this reflected FDR's desire to remain neutral > Hitler invades Poland: Sept 1st, 1939: marks the start of World War II
What were the Axis and Allied power member nations?
> World War II was fought between two major groups of nations. They became known as the Axis and Allied Powers. > Allied Powers were Britain, France, Russia, and the United States. Axis Powers were Germany, Italy, Japan, and Bulgaria. > The Allies formed mostly as a defense against the attacks of the Axis Powers.
What was the Non-Aggression Pact?
A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a treaty of friendship or non-belligerency, etc.
What were the arguments for neutrality and for joining the Allied War effort?
Americans didn't want to go back to what happened during WWI. They wanted nothing to do with European affairs after that. However, some argued that it was their duty that they ought to help out the Allies.
What is Fascism? Which leaders are associated with fascism?
Fascism is a form of government that is a type of one-party dictatorship. They work for a totalitarian one-party state. Fascism puts nation and often race above the individual. It stands for a centralized government headed by a dictator. Adolf Hitler, Stalin, and Benito Mussolini were leaders associated with fascism.
Why did the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor? Why were the US caught off guard by the attack?
First, it intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference. The US was caught off guard because it was believed the Japanese lacked the capacity to mount such an operation.
What is appeasement?
Giving in to an aggressor to keep peace.
What order sent the Japanese to Internment camps?
Japanese internment camps were established during World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt through his Executive Order 9066. From 1942 to 1945, it was the policy of the U.S. government that people of Japanese descent would be interred in isolated camps.
What is Kamikaze?
Japanese suicide pilots
What was the significance of the Italian Campaign?
The Allies agreed to help and decided to use Italy (which was aligned with Germany) as a platform to attack enemy territory in Europe and help divert German resources from the Eastern Front. This effort became known as the Italian Campaign.
What was the Battle of Britain?
The Battle of Britain was an important battle in World War II. Germany wanted to invade Great Britain, but first they needed to destroy Great Britain's Royal Air Force. The Battle of Britain was when Germany bombed Great Britain in order to try and destroy their air force and prepare for invasion.
What were internment camps?
The internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II was the forced relocation and incarceration in concentration camps in the western interior of the country of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific Coast.
What was the Manhattan project?
The Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II. ... The Manhattan Project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s—and that Adolf Hitler was prepared to use it.
What were some ways in which FDR tried to assist Allied Nations despite the Neutrality Acts?
The Neutrality Act of 1937 did contain one important concession to Roosevelt: belligerent nations were allowed, at the discretion of the President, to acquire any items except arms from the United States, so long as they immediately paid for such items and carried them on non-American ships. Providing supplies to American and Allied troops fighting the war in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific required the efforts of all Americans. At home, citizens contributed to the war effort by rationing consumer goods, recycling materials, purchasing war bonds, and working in war industries.
What Japanese cities did the US drop the atom bomb on?
The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, with the consent of the United Kingdom, as required by the Quebec Agreement.
How did the Allies respond to Hitler's continual German expansion?
The allies were forced to declare war, especially when Germany started invading.
What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
The first reason is that the Battle of Stalingrad marked the end of Germany's advances into eastern Europe and Russia. The second reason is that this battle was the first major German loss during World War II. After the Germans lost in Stalingrad, they did not advance any further into eastern Europe or Russia.
What was the Munich Conference?
The meeting where leaders of Britain and France appeased Hitler. The conference was held in Munich on September 28--29, 1938, during which the leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy agreed to allow Germany to annex certain areas of Czechoslovakia. Why was this important? Most of Europe celebrated the agreement, because it prevented the war threatened by Adolf Hitler by allowing Nazi Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland, a region of western Czechoslovakia inhabited by more than 3 million people, mainly German speakers.
Why did Truman feel he had to drop the Atom Bomb on Japan?
Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. ... Truman saw little difference between atomic bombing Hiroshima and fire bombing Dresden or Tokyo. The ethical debate over the decision to drop the atomic bomb will never be resolved. The bombs did, however, bring an end to the most destructive war in history.