UNIT: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF WORLD WAR II - VICTORY & DEFEAT
Which graph accurately reflects the Japanese casualty rate in the Pacific War?
A. A bar graph shows that 1,750,000 were killed, 100,000 were wounded.
Which statements correctly characterize the Holocaust and its toll? Check all that apply.
A. About six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. C. German residents were forced to help bury the dead bodies. D. The Nazis led prisoners on death marches as the front moved closer. E. The Nazis tried to hide the truth by evacuating and destroying camps.
How did the war in Europe come to an end?
A. Allied forces seized Germany from the east and west, forcing a surrender.
The International Military Tribunal included judges and prosecutors from which countries? Check all that apply.
A. Britain B. Soviet Union E. France
The Battle of Okinawa had a particularly large death toll because, unlike other islands, many ______ were present on Okinawa.
A. Civilians
The Nazis used mobilized killing units called _______. Auschwitz was a large complex of concentration camps located in _______. The Nazis killed about _______ people at Auschwitz.
A. Einsatzgruppen C. Poland C. 1,000,000
Read the passage from a declaration issued following the Yalta Conference in 1945. The following declaration has been approved . . . . to form interim governmental authorities broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population and pledged to the earliest possible establishment through free elections of governments responsive to the will of the people. Which best states the goal of this declaration?
A. Free elections should be held to set up governments that reflect the will of the people.
Which were outcomes of the Potsdam Conference? Check all that apply.
A. Germany was officially divided, as was the city of Berlin. D. The Allies demanded Japan's unconditional surrender. E. The first war crime trials were scheduled. F. Germany was forced to pay reparations to the USSR.
In their push to retake the Philippines, which territories did the Allies seize? Check all that apply.
A. Guam B. Mariana Islands D. Saipan
Which best describes why Japan surrendered?
A. Its leaders knew it could not win the war.
Which Nazi leaders helped push Germany toward greater anti-Semitism and racism, leading to the Holocaust? Check all that apply.
A. Reinhard Heydrich B. Adolf Hitler C. Heinrich Himmler E. Joseph Goebbels
One way the UN Security Council maintains peace throughout the world is through the adoption of ______.
A. Resolutions
How did Soviet goals at the Potsdam Conference compare with those of Western nations?
A. Stalin wanted to punish Germany, while Western nations did not.
How did the Japanese government respond to the Allies' bombing campaign?
A. They refused to end the war.
US combat casualties for the war in the Pacific were 111,606 killed or missing and 253,142 wounded. Japanese losses were staggering in comparison: an estimated 1.74 million killed or missing and 94,000 wounded. Few Japanese troops surrendered, instead choosing to fight to the death or commit suicide. How many Americans were killed in the Pacific theater?
A. about 100,000
How did some Jews resist Nazi oppression and persecution during the Holocaust?
A. by arming themselves
The Auschwitz Protocols testimonials were used to
A. convict Nazi leaders of war crimes.
The International Criminal Court's main responsibility is to
A. prosecute individuals for human rights violations.
Which groups did the Nazis target for the Final Solution? Check all that apply.
A. the Roma B. homosexuals C. European Jews F. Jehovah's Witnesses
A developing country rebuilding its roads might turn to which UN organization for help?
A. the World Bank
What were the aims of the Allies' island-hopping strategy? Check all that apply.
A. to gain territory in the Pacific B. to move closer to Japan E. to weaken Japanese forces
What were the goals of the United Nations? Check all that apply.
A. to promote human rights B. to solve international disputes E. to maintain international peace and security F. to solve economic, social, and humanitarian problems
______ is the deliberate organization and act of killing a group of people based on their race, culture, or ethnicity.
B. Genocide
Which president decided to use the atomic bomb in the summer of 1945?
B. Harry S. Truman
This passage comes from the memoirs of President Truman, who made the decision to use the atomic bomb. I had then set up a committee of top men and had asked them to study with great care the implications the new weapons might have for us...It was their recommendation that the bomb be used against the enemy as soon as it could be done. They recommended further that it should be used without specific warning and against a target that would clearly show its devastating strength. I had realized, of course, that an atomic bomb explosion would inflict damage and casualties beyond imagination. On the other hand, the scientific advisors of the committee reported . . . that no technical demonstration they might propose, such as over a deserted island, would be likely to bring the war to an end. It had to be used against an enemy target. The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used. —President Harry S. Truman Which of these statements best expresses President Truman's feelings in this passage?
B. He believed that using the bomb was absolutely necessary to end the war.
After arriving at Auschwitz, male and female prisoners are separated. The SS officers then instruct the group of men to form "ranks of five" to be interrogated. "Hey, kid, how old are you?" The man interrogating me was an inmate. I could not see his face, but his voice was weary and warm. "Fifteen." "No. You're eighteen." "But I'm not," I said, "I'm fifteen." "Fool. Listen to what I say." Then he asked my father, who answered: "I'm fifty." "No." The man now sounded angry. "Not fifty. You're forty. Do you hear? Eighteen and forty." -Night,Elie Wiesel Which inference can a reader make about the man who interrogates young Elie?
B. He helps Elie by telling him to lie to survive.
Why is Elie Wiesel's Night valuable to a historian?
B. It is an eyewitness account of the atrocities committed at concentration camps written by a former prisoner who experienced them firsthand.
Which statements describe Auschwitz? Check all that apply.
B. It was the largest concentration camp. D. Prisoners there were often used for forced labor. F. Medical experiments were performed on prisoners there. G. Up to six thousand people there were killed each day.
Read this passage from the Potsdam Declaration. We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction. Which best summarizes the intent of this passage?
B. Japan must surrender without any conditions, or face destruction.
The Battle of _________ resulted in the highest casualties for the United States and Japan. The Japanese had at least 40,000 casualties in _________ of the battles shown on the graph.
B. Okinawa B. Two
What was the state of the war in Europe in 1943?
B. The Allies had turned the tide of the war in their favor.
Which statement best describes why divisions started to arise among the Allies in 1945?
B. The Soviet Union wanted to impose communist governments in Eastern Europe.
Which best describes why the United States wanted to avoid invading Japan in a ground war?
B. The US wanted to prevent more war casualties.
The photograph shows Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The International Criminal Court has been unable to prosecute al-Bashir for war crimes because it cannot
B. arrest him due to the court's limited authority.
How did the results of the Tehran conference compare with the goals of Allied leaders?
C. Allied leaders compromised and agreed to open a second front in France.
The photo shows a Nazi leader. [A photo of a man wearing a Nazi Gestapo officer uniform and cap. He has a weak chin and wears a small mustache and small, round eyeglasses.] Which Nazi leader is this?
C. Heinrich Himmler
The highest-ranking Nazi leader tried at Nuremberg was
C. Hermann Goring.
Why might this evidence be useful at trial?
C. It is a detailed record that helps prove genocide was committed.
Which best describes why the Battle of Guadalcanal was a significant victory for the Allies?
C. It put Japan on the defensive.
What happened to Germany as a result of the Potsdam Conference?
C. It was divided into four occupation zones.
When the Soviets entered the war in August 1945, which Japanese-occupied territory did they invade?
C. Manchuria
Which statement best describes the state of the war Europe in 1943?
C. The tide of the war had shifted in favor of the Allies.
In 1943, Jews led an uprising in a ghetto in _______. This was a form of _______ Jewish resistance. The uprising lasted _______, and when it ended, _______ Jews were sent to death camps.
C. Warsaw A. armed B. about a month B. 7,000
By the time they met at Yalta in February 1945, the Big Three believed that
C. World War II would soon be over.
As a result of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany
C. faced certain defeat.
In 1948, the United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to
C. recognize people's basic rights.
Which act of Jewish resistance resulted in the most convictions of Nazi war criminals?
C. the Auschwitz Protocols
Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa of Japan died at age 22 when he conducted a kamikaze attack against the US aircraft carrier Bunker Hill in May 1945. Which statement characterizes Ogawa's feelings about his mission?
D. He was proud that he was going to die for his country.
The photo was taken during World War II. How does the photo reveal evidence that it was taken during Operation Overlord?
D. It shows ships along the coastline.
Why was Okinawa the last step in the Allies' island-hopping campaign?
D. It was the staging area for the invasion of Japan.
Those German officers and men and members of the Nazi party who have been responsible for or have taken a consenting part in the above atrocities, massacres and executions will be sent back to the countries in which their abominable deeds were done in order that they may be judged and punished. -Moscow Declaration,1943 Whom did the Allies plan to prosecute after World War II ended?
D. Nazis who took part in the Holocaust
US combat casualties for the war in the Pacific were 111,606 killed or missing and 253,142 wounded. Japanese losses were staggering in comparison: an estimated 1.74 million killed or missing and 94,000 wounded. Few Japanese troops surrendered, instead choosing to fight to the death or commit suicide. Which of these claims is supported by evidence in the passage?
D. The relatively small number of wounded Japanese troops was related to their unwillingness to surrender.
Violent resistance to Nazi persecution took place at which concentration camps?
D. Treblinka and Sobibor
What was the purpose of the chamber shown in the photograph?
D. cremating prisoners
The introduction of kamikaze pilots during the Battle of Leyte Gulf were most evident of Japan's
D. increasing desperation.
The Allies created the United Nations after World War II to
D. maintain international peace and security.
Auschwitz Protocols
Escapees wrote eyewitness accounts of atrocities in concentration camps.
Place these events related to anti-semitism in Nazi Germany in the correct order.
Hitler rose to power in Germany. The Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of rights. Jewish property was destroyed on Kristallnacht. Jews were forced to relocate to ghettos.
Partisan Groups
People lived together in forests to avoid capture by the Nazis.
Treblinka
Prisoners attacked guards with stolen weapons and set fire to a camp.
Sobibor
Prisoners killed eighteen SS guards and officers at a concentration camp.
Kamikaze
a Japanese pilot who attempted to crash his plane into an enemy ship
Humanitarian
a person promoting human welfare and social reform
Partisan
a person who takes part in an organized fighting group
Atomic Bomb
a powerful bomb that splits an atom of uranium or plutonium
Stronghold
a secure place
Sanction
an action taken to try to force a country to behave in a lawful way
Inhumane
cruel; without mercy or consideration for others
Security Council
issues revolutions deploys peacekeepers calls for sanctions
World Health Organization
monitors global health and tracks diseases
UNICEF
provides assistance to mothers and children living in poverty
World Bank
provides financial assistance to developing nations
Systematic
purposefully carried out step by step
Liberation
the act of being set free
Persecution
the act of mistreating other due to their characteristics or beliefs
Genocide
the deliberate act of killing a group of people because of their race
Initiate
to begin or start
Demoralize
to cause someone to lose hope
Use the highlighting tool to identify text that shows Admiral Leahy's opinion on dropping the atomic bomb to end World War II. The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. . . . In being the first to use it, we . . . adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children. . . . I voiced . . . my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary and . . . no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of "face." -Admiral William E. Leahy Which of these statements best summarizes Admiral Leahy's opinion of the decision to drop the bomb?
A. He was opposed to the decision because he believed Japan was ready to surrender.
Fifty years after the bombing, the decision to use the atomic bomb is still hotly debated. On one side are those who believe the bomb spared American lives and was necessary to end the war; on the other, those who believe the bombing was delivered as a warning to the Soviet Union, rather than to defeat Japan. According to Gar Alperovitz, a historian critical of the decision, "The president fully understood and was advised that there were other ways to end the war." Another historian, Robert Cowley has a different opinion. "If you were in Truman's shoes and had this weapon and had the chance to end the war then and there, there's no question you would use the bomb. The problems of continuing the war were enormous." Professor Barton J. Bernstein of Stanford University, however, says that people should be careful to judge the decision within the context of its time. Many questions raised now "often fail to recognize that, before Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the use of the A-bomb did not raise profound moral issues for policymakers." What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Historians still debate whether using atomic bombs on Japan was morally wrong.
With respect to the Jewish Question, the Führer has decided to make a clean sweep. He prophesied to the Jews that if they again brought about a world war, they would live to see their annihilation in it. That wasn't just a catch-word. The world war is here, and the annihilation of the Jews must be a necessary consequence. —Joseph Goebbels December 1941 What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Hitler had intended to kill Germany's Jews from the early days of the war.
Why was the Battle of Midway important to the war in the Pacific? Check all that apply.
A. It turned the war in the Allies' favor. B. It stopped Japanese expansion in the Pacific E. It was a turning point in the war in the Pacific.
When did the Allies liberate the Philippines?
A. January of 1945
Which was a significant outcome of the end of the Warsaw Uprising?
A. Other uprisings were inspired.
Use the drop-down menus to complete the statements. This photograph is a _________ source. It most likely shows the _________. During this battle, Allied forces took control of an area of coastline in _________.
A. Primary C. Normandy Landings B. France
Which reason does Elie Wiesel give for writing his story?
B. He believes he has an obligation to share his experiences.
Why did Harry Truman represent the United States at the Potsdam Conference?
B. He had become president after the death of Franklin Roosevelt.
After Hitler came to power in 1933, how was anti-Semitism seen in Germany?
B. It was encouraged and supported.
What was the significance of the Battle of Guadalcanal?
B. It was the first Allied victory in their island-hopping strategy.
Based on the video, what can be inferred about why Japan surrendered after the bombing of Nagasaki?
B. Japan knew it could not win the war.
As the Allies close in on the Germans, concentration camps are evacuated and prisoners are forced to go on death marches by SS officers. "Faster, you filthy dogs!" We were no longer marching, we were running. Like automatons. The SS were running as well, weapons in hand. We looked as though we were running from them. The night was pitch-black. From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. They had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace. Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog. -Night,Elie Wiesel What happens to most of the prisoners who cannot keep up on the march?
B. They are shot immediately.
Young Elie and his father are placed with a group of prisoners near a gas chamber. "The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible, even the crematoria . . ." His voice broke. "Father," I said. "If that is true, then I don't want to wait. I'll run into the electrified barbed wire. That would be easier than a slow death in the flames." He didn't answer. He was weeping. His body was shaking. Everybody around us was weeping. Someone began to recite Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. I don't know whether, during the history of the Jewish people, men have ever before recited Kaddish for themselves. -Night,Elie Wiesel Why do the prisoners recite the Jewish prayer known as the Kaddish?
B. They believe they are about to die in the crematorium.
Which best describes why kamikaze pilots were willing to go on suicide missions?
B. They were devoted to Japan and its emperor.
Which of these events occurred first during the summer of 1945?
B. Truman gave Japan an ultimatum to surrender.
The largest single Jewish revolt occurred at the
B. Warsaw ghetto.
"The vans became so well known, that not only the authorities but also the civilian population called the van 'death van', as soon as one of these vehicles appeared. It is my opinion the van cannot be kept secret for any length of time, not even camouflaged." . . . "The application of gas usually is not undertaken correctly. In order to come to an end as fast as possible, the driver presses the accelerator to the fullest extent. By doing that the persons to be executed suffer death from suffocation and not death by dozing off as was planned. My directions now have proved that by correct adjustment of the levers death comes faster and the prisoners fall asleep peacefully. Distorted faces and excretions, such as could be seen before, are no longer noticed." -Report by Dr. Becker,SS Untersturmführer This passage was most likely written by
B. an official who was in charge of the "Nazi death vans."
The main goal of the Allied leaders at the Potsdam Conference was to
B. finalize the decisions made at Yalta.
In response to a 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed 100,000 people, UNICEF
B. helped the many mothers and children in need of assistance.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. -Article 2,Universal Declaration of Human Rights This passage from the declaration explains
B. that human rights apply to all the people of the world.
In 1945, which country developed the first atomic bomb?
B. the United States
Who were the Big Three?
B. the leaders of the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States
ARTICLE 1 In pursuance of the Agreement signed on the 8th day of August 1945 by the Government of the United States of America, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, there shall be established an International Military Tribunal (hereinafter called "the Tribunal") for the just and prompt trial and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis. -Charter of the International Military Tribunal,1945 According to the passage, what was the purpose of this charter?
B. to declare the plan to punish those who had committed war crimes
Most Jews, along with other persecuted groups, were forcibly relocated to concentration camps by means of
B. trains.
The letter explains the treatment of prisoners of war. Of 3.6 million prisoners of war, only several hundred thousand are still able to work fully. A large part of them has starved, or died, because of the hazards of the weather. . . . The camp commanders have forbidden the civilian population to put food at the disposal of the prisoners, and they have rather let them starve to death. -Letter to defendant Wilhelm Keitelfrom Alfred Rosenberg The letter helped prosecutors at the Nuremberg Trials prove that Soviet prisoners were
B. treated poorly.
Based on the video, the majority of Nazi leaders tried at Nuremberg
B. were sentenced to death.
This passage comes from the memoirs of Admiral William Leahy, one of President Truman's top advisers. Use the highlighting tool to identify text that shows Admiral Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb. The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. . . . In being the first to use it, we . . . adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children. . . . I voiced . . . my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary and . . . no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of "face." -Admiral William E. Leahy Which phrase from the passage gives Admiral Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb itself?
C. "barbarous weapon"
Which shows the correct order of the events of the Holocaust?
C. A flowchart showing order of events with arrows between each event. Event 1, German leaders increasingly supported the idea of genocide. Event 2, The Wannsee Conference confirmed the final solution. Event 3, Escapees from Auschwitz wrote the Auschwitz Protocols. Event 4, Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies.
How many Nazis were convicted of war crimes in Europe from 1945-1949?
D. 5,000 to 6,000
Which is the best example of a crime against humanity?
D. A Nazi corporal who executed thousands of Jews in a concentration camp.
The following declaration has been approved . . . . to form interim governmental authorities broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population and pledged to the earliest possible establishment through free elections of governments responsive to the will of the people. -Declaration on Liberated Europe, February 11, 1945 Whose goals does this declaration represent?
D. Britain and the United States'
A goal of the United Nation's International Court of Justice is to
D. settle disputes between nations without the need of war.
Which event marked the end of the war in Europe?
D. the capture of Berlin
What was Joseph Stalin's main goal at the Yalta Conference?
D. to gain additional territory in Eastern Europe
It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued at Potsdam. Their leaders promptly rejected that ultimatum. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware. -President Harry Truman, Aug. 6, 1945 What is Truman's purpose in delivering this speech?
D. to threaten Japan with further attacks if it fails to surrender
Nonviolent Defiance
Jews continued to observe their holidays and traditions in secret.
Entrench
to place something or someone in a position that is difficult to change
Internation Court of Justice
settles legal disagreements rules on international cases resolves border disputes
Precedent
something that serves as an example to be followed in the future