American History

Module 20

World War II

The Test will come from the following areas:

1.       Terms/Names:  Good Neighbor Policy, Fascism, Totalitarian, Mussolini, Hitler, Nazis, Third Reich, Mein Kampf, Stalin, Concentration Camp, Appeasement, Neville Chamberlain, Axis Powers, Winston Churchill, Emperor Hirohito, “China Incident”, Maginot Line, Blitzkrieg, Lend-Lease, Atlantic Charter, General Tojo, Pearl Harbor, Field Marshall Rommel, General Eisenhower, General Macarthur, General Patton, Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Halsey, D-Day, “Rosie the Riveter”

2.       Causes of WWII:

• How did the aftermath of WWI contribute to political problems in Europe?
• How did the problems facing Europe in the post WWI years lead to the rise of Fascist and Communist dictatorships?
• What events were examples of the use of military force and violence by dictatorships to gain power/wealth in Europe?
• Why did the League of Nations and the policy of appeasement not work to stop Fascist expansion in Europe, Asia and Africa?

3.       War in Europe Erupts:

• How did Germany’s actions in 1939 start WWII?
• Where did German forces turn after capturing Poland?
• What events increased tensions between the US and Japan?

4.       The US Enters the War:

• Why was isolationism so strong in America in the 1930’s?
• How did FDR gradually ready America for involvement in WWII?
• What did the US do to aid the Allies and prepare for war in 1940-41?
• What were the causes and effects of the attack at Pearl Harbor?
• How did the US population and its industries mobilize for WWII?

5.       WWII in Africa and Europe:

• How did the Allies fight for and win control of the Atlantic?
• How did the USSR get involved in WWII?
• What did the Allies accomplish in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy?
• What did the Allies accomplish with the D-Day invasion?

6.       The War in the Pacific:

• Why did the Allies experience a slow start against the Japanese in the Pacific?
• What events/changes turned things around for the Allies in the Pacific?
• What battles marked the progress of the Allied forces toward Japan?

7.       Ending WWII:

• How did the Allies defeat Germany and win the war in Europe?
• How did the Allies defeat Japan and win the war in the Pacific?
• What challenges faced the US after WWII?

8.       Atrocities of WWII:

·         Allied Atrocities

·         Soviet Atrocities

·         Italian Atrocities

·         Japanese Atrocities

·         Nazi Atrocities