American History: WWII - Chapter 11.4 Quiz
How many Japanese bombers and planes attacked Pearl Harbor?
- First: 183 Japanese planes ordered to attack; 40 torpedo bombers and 49 high-altitude bombers; bombers and Zero fighters attack airfields - Second: 167 planes attack airfields and ships
What was the consensus among the delegates of the Senate and the House regarding going to war with Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
- Senate: 82:0 (unanimous) - House: 388:1
What was the result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
21 ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet either sank or was damaged, including 8 battleships, 3 cruisers, 4 destroyers, and 6 other vessels; destroyed 188 airplanes and killed 2,403 Americans with 1,178 severely injured
How was the United States alerted that the Japanese had no intention of reaching a compromise or agreement with the United States?
American intelligence had decoded Japanese communications, in which said that the Japanese were not interested in compromise and instead was preparing to go to war against the U.S.
What was one of the major problems Britain faced with Japan?
Britain needed to keep much of its navy in Asia to protect British territories there from Japanese attack; left empire vulnerable
What other country did the U.S. send the lend-lease aid to?
China (Japan had invaded it in 1937, and in 1940, it controlled much of the Chinese Coast)
Why was the U.S. and Great Britain in support of not necessarily the Soviet Union's policy of Communism, but its fight against the Axis nations?
Churchill detested communism and considered Stalin a harsh dictator, but he vowed that any person or state who fights against Nazism will have both the U.S.'s and Great Britain's aid
When was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
December 7, 1941
During WWII, what was Britain fighting for? Why was the U.S. needed for help?
Democracy; the U.S. needed to help Britain with this attempt
What was the Lend-Lease Act? What did it say the U.S. would do?
FDR came up with a new way to remove the cash requirement of the Neutrality Act off of Britain; the U.S. would be able to lend or lease arms to any country considered vital to the defense of the United States
According to Churchill, what would FDR in accordance to the Atlantic Charter?
FDR pledged to "force and incident" which would justify him in opening hostilities with Germany
(True/False): Hitler abided by the rules and treaty of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
False
Why didn't the Congressional approval of the Lend-Lease Act not solve the problem of how to get American arms and supplies to Britain?
German submarines were patrolling the Atlantic Ocean and were sinking hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping each month, and the British navy didn't have enough ships in the Atlantic to stop them; FDR also couldn't order the U.S. Navy to protect British cargo ships as the U.S. was technically neutral in WWII
On December 11, what two Axis nations declared war on the United States?
Germany and Italy (Declared war in response to the United States' declaration of war against the Empire of Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor)
Why did FDR create the Lend-Lease Act?
Great Britain had run out of funds to wage its war against Germany and was unable to provide cash needed to purchase weapons
Why did Hitler (Germany) believe it had come to declaring war against the United States? What was Hitler's mistake on declaring war on the U.S.?
Hitler had grown frustrated with the American attacks on German submarines (U-boats); he underestimated the strength and power of the United States, and he expected the Japanese to easily defeat the Americans in the Pacific
Since Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet pact, what did he do?
Hitler launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union ("Operation Barbarossa")
What incident has happened to the Americans from the Germans?
In early September a German U-boat fired on the American destroyer "Greer", which had been radioing the U-boat's position to the British
What country was primarily attacking Great Britain?
Japan
What was Japan's response to FDR's Export Control Act?
Japan became furious, and signed an alliance with Germany and Italy, formally becoming a member of the Axis nation
Ironically, why did Japan decide to attack the United States?
Japan's decision to attack the United States was a direct result of Roosevelt's effort to help Britain in its war against Germany
What was part of the hemispheric defense zone idea?
National policy, in which Roosevelt declared that the entire western half of the Atlantic was part of the Western Hemisphere, and, therefore, neutral; then, he ordered the U.S. Navy to patrol the western Atlantic and reveal the locations of German submarines to the British
Where in Hawaii, was the army able to radar and track a cloud of aircraft approaching north?
Opana; officer at Fort Shafter concluded it was a flight of B-17s
Where did the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941?
Pearl Harbor, HI
What was the Neutrality Act of 1939?
Roosevelt asked Congress to revise the neutrality laws, and made the Neutrality Act of 1939; he asked Congress to eliminate the ban on arms sales to nations at war; public support was high; isolationists demanded a price; warring nations could buy weapons from the U.S. only if they paid cash and carried arms on their own ships
How did the Export Control Act of 1940 affect Japan?
Roosevelt immediately blocked the sale of airplane fuel and scrap iron to Japan
(True/False): As the Japanese were preparing for war, negotiations with the U.S. continued , but neither side backed down
True
(True/False): As the end of 1941 grew near, Germany and the United States continued a tense standoff in the North Atlantic
True
(True/False): The Lend-Lease Act was still passed despite the America First Committee's opposition
True
(True/False): There was a divide among those who believed in aiding the Allies and those who believed the U.S. should not offer even limited assistance?
True
(True/False): Americans were now more open to the idea of assisting the Allies
True, but offering limited aid
Which part of the U.S. alerted the American commanders at the Pearl Harbor naval base of a war warning? What was its fatal error?
Washington D.C.; Hawaii was not mentioned as a possible target since Hawaii and Japan are of a great distance and Washington officials doubted Japan would try to launch such a long-range attack
What was December 7, 1941 known as besides the attack on Pearl Harbor?
a date which will live in infamy (negatively well known)
What was the Fight for Freedom Committee?
a group that urged the repeal of all neutrality laws and wanted stronger action against Germany
According to FDR, what would happen if Britain fell under Germany?
an "unholy alliance" of Germany, Japan, and Italy would try to conquer the rest of the world and America would be controlled under dictatorship and supreme-Fascist rule
What deal did America make with Great Britain?
destroyers-for-bases deal
While speaking to Congress, in accordance to FDR, what are the four freedoms for which both the U.S. and Great Britain stood by?
freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear
To establish safe shipping in the Atlantic what did FDR do?
he developed the idea of a hemispheric defense zone
What did Hitler hope for since he and Germany, with Japan as its ally, attacked the United States Navy?
he expected that he could count on Japanese support against the Soviet Union once the Americans had been beaten in war
How did Roosevelt respond to Japan's threat to the British Empire in Indochina?
he froze all Japanese assets (valuables and advantages) in the U.S., reduced the amount of oil being shipped to Japan, and sent General Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines to build up the American defenses there
What was FDR hoping for when he gave lend-lease aid to the Chinese?
he hoped it would enable the Chinese to tie down the Japanese and prevent them from attacking elsewhere (despite assistance of weapons by the U.S., it failed)
In response to the British Empire's territorial vulnerability, what did FDR do?
he introduced policies to discourage the Japanese from attacking the British Empire by putting economic pressure on Japan; Japan depended on the U.S. for many key materials, such as scrap iron, steel, and especially oil
What did FDR do as a result of the attack on American warships by the German U-boats?
he responded by ordering American ships to follow a "shoot-on-sight" policy toward German submarines
How does FDR protect Britain under the Lend-Lease Act?
he restricted sale of strategic materials to Japan, he froze Japanese assets, he reduced the shipment of oil
In FDR's war proposal speech to Congress, what did he address?
he said that the U.S. would not only defend itself but it will also stop this kind of attack from ever happening again
During FDR's third campaign, what did he do?
he steered a careful course between neutrality and intervention, as well as Republican nominee, Wendell Willkie, did the same; FDR and Wendell both promised they would stay out of the war but help assist the Allies at the same time
While America was debating whether it should remain neutral or not, what happened with FDR?
he was elected a third term
What did Roosevelt make clear regarding lifting the oil embargo against Japan?
he would lift the oil embargo against Japan only if Japan withdrew (evacuate) from Indochina and made peace with China
What was the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies?
headed by journalist William Allen White; pressed for increased American aid to the Allies but opposed armed intervention
After calling off the invasion of Britain, what did Hitler return to?
his original goal of carving out lebensraum (territory essential for the Nazi's natural territorial development) for Germany in eastern Europe
Was America more isolationist or imperialist in the 1930's thanks to FDR?
internationalist, but still had its neutrality
In July 1940, Congress passed the Export Control Act, what was it?
it gave FDR the power to restrict the sale of strategic materials (materials important for fighting war) to other nations
What is the America First Committee?
it was led by the destroyers-for-bases deal; a staunchly isolationist group that firmly opposed any American intervention or aid to the Allies; attempted to influence elections and public opinion in support of isolationism with speeches and publications
What was the Destroyers-for-Bases Deal?
it was the U.S.'s first test of remaining neutral; Winston Churchill asked FDR to transfer old American destroyers to Britain since it lost nearly half of its destroyers and needed more to protect its cargo ships from German submarines and to block any German attempt to invade Britain; in exchange for the right to build American bases on British property and the Caribbean, Roosevelt sent old American destroyers to Britain (Neutrality Act did not apply); publicly accepted
Despite being neutral, what laws did President Roosevelt support?
laws that allowed him to help Great Britain
Why was the attack of Pearl Harbor a surprise to many Americans?
most believed that Germany posed the greatest danger
What status was the U.S. in after Britain and France declared war on Germany?
neutral (but wanted to help G.B. and France against Germany)
What was the Atlantic Charter?
on August 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill met face-to-face onboard American and British ships anchored new Newfoundland and in these meetings they agreed on the text of the Atlantic Charter; the Atlantic Charter committed the two leaders to a postwar world of democracy, nonagression, free trade, economic advancement, and freedom of the seas
Who was Dorie Miller?
received the Navy Cross and was WWII's first recognized African American hero who bravely operated an antiaircraft gun on his ship during the Japanese attack
What were the Japanese going to do in 1941 to southern Indochina?
since this area was known to be British territory, the Japanese sent troops to pose a threat to the British empire, and assemble Japanese aircraft to strike British shipping as well as bomb Hong Kong and Singapore
What did the president argue that the U.S. should become?
the "great arsenal of democracy" to keep the British fighting and make it unnecessary for Americans to go to war
When the German submarines began sinking British shipping, what was the British's next move?
the British began moving warships from Southeast Asia to the Atlantic, and they left their empire vulnerable
According to FDR, what was the most serious American crisis since the outbreak of the Civil War?
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
What finally brought the United States into World War II?
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
How did the Japanese manipulatively surprise the U.S. before attacking at Pearl Harbor?
the Japanese government appeared to be continuing negotiations with the United States in good faith (honesty/sincerity of intention)
As a result of the Japanese not being able to attack China due to its lack of oil and essential resources from the U.S., what did Japan do next?
the Japanese military began making plans to attack the resource-rich British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, seize the Philippines, and lastly to attack the American fleet at Pearl Harbor
Under what act did FDR decide the U.S. should become an "arsenal of democracy"?
the Lend-Lease Act
What was later used by African Americans for their civil rights?
the Lend-Lease Act
Besides Great Britain, what other country did the Lend-Lease Act include?
the Soviet Union
Why was Roosevelt able to be reelected for a third term?
the U.S. was in a precarious position and state that many people feared it would damage the U.S. possibly if another leader was president
What did the Lend-Lease Act mean for Great Britain and the U.S.?
the United States could send much needed weapons to Britain without cash payment if Britain promised to return or pay rent for them after the war
When did Roosevelt declare war on Japan?
the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 8, 1941)
What left Pearl Harbor an open target for the Japanese?
the failure to collect sufficient information and the failure of the branches of the U.S. military to share the available information
Instead of ordering the U.S. Navy to protect British cargo ships and go against the neutrality of the war of the United States, what did FDR install?
the idea of a hemispheric defense zone
How did the public opinion of helping the allies shift?
the shift began after the German invasion of France and the rescue of Allied forces at Dunkirk
What were the main reasons for the Japanese attack?
the tensions over the Jap-American Open Door Policy, as well as Roosevelt's policies for helping Britain against Germany
Despite Japan being at war with the United States, why didn't Hitler (Germany) declare war on the Americans?
the terms of his alliance with Japan as a member of the Axis Nation specified that Germany only had to come to Japan's aid if Japan was attacked, not if Japan attacked another country
What happened in the Election of 1940?
there was a heated debate regarding neutrality in the midst of the 1940 presidential election campaign; Americans wondered if FDR would follow American tradition and retire at the end of his second term
How did Germans escalate the hostilities with the U.S. even further?
they targeted two more American warships, and destroyed them
While many Jews were facing the Holocaust in Germany, what were many Americans focusing on?
they were debating isolationist policy
Between August 1939 and December 1941, what was FDR's primary goal?
to help Britain and its allies defeat Germany
What was one factor that contributed to FDR winning a third term?
war
What did the U.S. contribute to the Allies?
weapons, vehicles, and other supplies