World War II Study Guide
Explain how the Treaty of Versailles led to World War II.
It punished Germany too harshly and led to economic depression. It explains why the German
people were desperate to follow a strong leader like Hitler.
Prior to the outbreak of WWII, how did Hitler violate the treaty?
Built up the army, marched troops into the Rhineland, annexed Austria.
Identify the Rhineland:
30 mile demilitarized zone between France and Germany
Identify appeasement:
Policy the Allies followed with Hitler at first; giving in to his demands to avoid war.
Identify Anschluss:
The union of Germany with Austria
Identify the Sudetenland:
A region of Czechoslovakia that Hitler demanded and eventually got.
Identify the Munich Conference:
The Conference where Hitler met with the Allies to discuss his takeover of the Sudetenland. The Munich
Pact allowed Hitler to have the Sudetenland in exchange for his promise that he would not take over
anything else.
Identify the Nonaggression Pact:
Hitler and Stalin signed this Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact – an agreement not to attack each other and
they secretly divided up Poland.
World War II officially began on September ___, 1939, when France and Great Britain declared war on
Germany. 3rd
The war declaration was in response to Hitler’s invasion of _____Poland_____________ on Sept 1, 1939.
Blitzkrieg means ______lightning war________________________.
Name the city on the English Channel where over 300,000 Allied soldiers were rescued from German
capture in 1940: _____Dunkirk_________________
By 1940, all of western Europe was either under Nazi control or neutral with the exception of
__________________________. Great Britain
Why did Hitler break the Nonaggression Pact with Stalin and invade the USSR in 1941?
For land, grain, and oil; to ultimately defeat Communism; to put more pressure on Great Britain
Explain what the Lend-Lease Act was and why President FDR persuaded Congress to pass it even though
it was a reversal of the Neutrality Acts.
It allowed the president to lend or sell war materials to any nation he deemed vital to our defense.
What is the significance of December 7, 1941?
The bombing of Pearl Harbor
What prompted the Japanese to attack the US?
We cut off their oil supplies after they became more aggressive taking over islands in the Pacific
What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?
Significant turning point battle in the war in the Pacific. Japan lost so many ships and planes they could
not launch any more offensive attacks against the US
Identify D-Day:
June 6, 1944 – the invasion of the Allies in Europe. (5 Normandy beaches.)
Who were the 3 main Axis Powers?
Germany , Italy, Japan
Who were the 3 main Allied Powers?
US, Soviet Union, Great Britain
Identify the main leaders of the US, USSR, GB, Germany, and Italy during WWII.
US- FDR
USSR – Joseph Stalin
Italy - Mussolini
GB – Winston Churchill
Germany – Hitler
Which US president ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945?
Harry S Truman
What was the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima? Enola Gary; Colonel
Paul Tibbetts
Name the 2 bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki:
Little Boy and Fat Man
What was the code name for Hitler’s invasion of Russia in 1941?
Operation Barbarossa
What was the code name for the research and development of the atomic bomb in the US?
Manhattan Project
Which country suffered the highest death tolls from WWII?
Identify the importance of the following dates:
September 1938 –
Sept 1, 1939 –
Sept 3, 1939 –
Dec 7, 1941 –
June 6, 1944 –
May 8, 1945 –
Aug 6 and 9, 1945 –
A more powerful peacekeeping organization of countries called the _____________________ was
formed in 1945 to replace the League of Nations.
The 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council are: ___________________
________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________
The aid package the US gave to Western Europe to help them rebuild after WWII was
called….____________________________
The hearings where Nazi leaders were tried for their crimes against humanity during the war were called
the…._______________________________
Even though they had been allies during WWII, ______________________ and
______________________ faced off in the emerging “Cold War” because of their different ideologies.
The Truman Doctrine was rooted in the idea of containment, which was to stop the spread of
_____________________________.
How was Germany divided after WWII?
Why did the East German government construct the Berlin Wall?
How did the Allies get food and supplies to West Berliners after Stalin blockaded the city?
In response to the new Soviet threat, the US formed an alliance with Canada and other democratic
nations called _____________________________.
Stalin’s counter alliance was called ______________________.
The overall death toll for WWII is estimated at __________________.