World War II and the Holocaust STUDY GUIDE KEY
People: Briefly describe the following people.
Dwight D Eisenhower: American general who led Allied troops on D-Day; later became president
Franklin D. Roosevelt: US president during the Great Depression and most of WWII
Harry Truman: US president at the end of WWII, ordered the dropping of the atomic bomb
Winston Churchill: British prime minister during WWII, who vowed to “never surrender”
Adolf Hitler: German dictator who committed suicide
Josef Stalin: communist dictator of the Soviet Union, renamed a city after himself
Benito Mussolini: fascist dictator of Italy, who was hanged by his own men during WWII
Emperor Hirohito: Japanese emperor during WWII
KNOW THE TURNING POINTS BATTLES/EVENTS!!!!!!!!
1. What were the causes of World War II (WWII)? (3)
a. The Treaty of Versailles failed to keep international peace.
b. Strong dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan wanted to expand their territory.
c. The Great Depression created economic hardships that the people wanted their leaders
to fix.
2. List the nations (and dates, if applicable) for the following 2 powers:
Axis
Allies
Germany
Great Britain
Japan
France
Italy
China
United States (FROM 1941)
Soviet Union (UNTIL 1941)
Soviet Union (FROM 1941)
3. Key Dates Timeline: Enter the events below & the dates they occurred on the timeline:
VJ Day
Germany invades Poland
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of Guadalcanal
Battle of Normandy (D-day)
VE Day
Battle of Stalingrad
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Battle of Britain
Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Germany
Pearl
Battle of
Battle of the
Hiroshima &
Invades
Harbor
Stalingrad
Bulge
Nagasaki
Poland
_________________________________________________________________________________________
1939 Battle of
Battle of
D-Day
1945
VE Day
VJ Day
Britain
Guadalcanal
4. What did the Munich Pact do? Britain and France tried to appease Hitler by allowing him to keep
the territory in Czechoslovakia, Sudetenland, as long as he didn’t take any more territory
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5. What was the Non-Aggression Pact? Who broke it and when? The Non-Aggression Pact was an
agreement b/w the Soviet Union and Germany that neither nation would attack the other. Germany
broke it in 1941 when they invaded the Soviet Union.
6. What happened on D-Day? Why was it a turning point? The Allies liberated France and pushed
Germany east, essentially shrinking Germany territory.
7. What happened on Dec. 7, 1941? Why was it a turning point? The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,
which led to the US’s entry in the war.
8. What were the names of the two “theatres?” European & Pacific
9. Describe the importance of oil in WWII (include embargos & the Suez Canal): The Suez Canal is in
the Middle East, which is rich in oil. So, If Hitler controlled the Suez Canal, he had access to the oilrich Middle East, which would give Germany oil to fuel their planes, tanks, ships, etc. Also, because
it connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, Hitler would also be able to see and/or control
what supplies made it to the Allies.
10. Discuss the outcomes & results of the Battle of Coral Sea & the Battle of Midway:
At the Battle of Midway, the US successfully destroyed most of Japan’s aircraft carriers. Both
battles were in the Pacific, and led the US to “island hop” with the goal of making it to mainland
Japan.
11. Describe how women’s roles changed during WWII: They went to work in the factories, to
replace the men who went to war; Some women became pilots in the US Air Force; Women, as well
as others, had to carefully ration food and other supplies.
12. What were the results of WWII?
◦ The Allies won. They stopped the spread of fascism.
◦ The United Nations was created to promote world peace and security
◦ The European Economic Community (EEC) was created to remove trade barriers and
improve relationships between European nations
◦ Many nations were brought out of the Great Depression
◦ 60 million died
◦ Germany was divided into 2 nations, and 4 occupation zones
◦ Cold War began
 United States & Soviet Union became superpowers
 Europe divided into communist and anti-communist nations
 Eastern Europe occupied by Soviet military
13. What was the “Final Solution?” Hitler’s plan to eliminate all Jews from Germany
14. What were the Nuremberg Trials? What were the outcomes? Trials held by an international jury
to prosecute former Nazi officials for their roles in the Holocaust; 19/22 were found guilty; 12 were
sentenced to death; rest were imprisoned
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15. How many Jews died during the Holocaust? 6 million
How many people total died during the Holocaust? 11 million
16. What happened to Jews at the end of WWII? Most left Europe for the United States or Israel
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