World War II (1939-1945)

Vocabulary
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Dictator- a ruler who has complete power over a country
Isolationist- country who wants to stay out of the affairs of other countries
P.O.W.- Prisoner of war
Nazi- claimed German nation represented most racially pure people. Jewish nation was greatest threat to
German race.

Start of WWII
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September 1, 1939, Germany invades
Poland.
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Hitler (Germany) was trying to take back land they lost to Poland after WWI.
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France and Great Britain declare war on
Germany on September 3, 1939.

Pearl Harbor
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American naval base in Hawaii in which Japan launched a surprise attack on
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December 7, 1941
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More than 3,400 people died or suffered wounds in the attack.
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The attack brought the U.S. into
World War II.

Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941)

Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941)

Axis Powers
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Germany, Italy, and Japan

Adolf Hitler
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Nazi dictator of
Germany who committed suicide at the end of the war.

Benito Mussolini
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Fascist’s Party leader who became dictator of Italy.
Was captured and executed in April
1945.

Hideki Tojo
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Prime Minister of
Japan who ordered to go to war and attack
Pearl Harbor.
Was executed for his responsibility in
Japan’s war crimes.

Allied Powers
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U.S., Great Britain, France, Russia, and
China

Winston Churchill
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Prime Minister of
Great Britain.

Joseph Stalin
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Communist dictator of
Russia.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
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President of the U.S. during WWII.
32nd President of the
U.S.
Only president to serve more than two terms in office.
Elected to four terms, but passed away in the first year of fourth term.

22 nd Amendment (1951)

Set the term limits for the President of
U.S.
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Can serve no more than 2 terms and no more than 10 years total.

Harry S. Truman
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FDR’s vice-president who became president in April
1945 when FDR passed away.

Texans in WWII
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More than 750,000 Texans served in war including 12,000 women.
22,000 Texans died
40 P.O.W. camps with more than 50,000 prisoners - more than any other state
15 major military bases and 40 airfields.
Naval flight-training base in Corpus Christi was the largest in the world.
Texans at home rationed (cut back) items such as food, shoes, and gasoline to support
American soldiers.

Doris (Dorie) Miller
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Born in Waco, TX
First African American hero of WWII.
Sailor on the U.S.S.
West Virginia at Pearl
Harbor.
Fired at the Japanese aircrafts as they attacked Pearl Harbor until his ship sunk.
Was later killed in action.

Oveta Culp Hobby
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Born in Killeen, TX
Was the organizer and first commander of the
Women’s Army
Corps.
Women’s Army
Corps- Put women in positions to serve in the Army.

Chester Nimitz
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Born in
Fredericksburg, TX
Commander in chief of the Pacific
Fleet.
In 1942, he led the
Allies to victories in the Battles of Coral
Sea and Midway.

Audie Murphy
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Born in Farmersville,
TX
Most decorated soldier in WWII with
33 awards.
Received every U.S. medal awarded for personal bravery.

Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Born in Denison, TX
Supreme commander of
Allied forces in
Europe.
Under his command, the
Allies successfully invaded France on
D-day in June
1944. His forces defeated Germany.

D-Day
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Turning point of war.
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Marked the beginning of the Allied invasion of western Europe.
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The Allies invaded German occupied
France on June 6, 1944, along the beaches of Normandy, France.

D-Day

D-Day

U.S.S. Texas
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Was the only U.S. battleship to serve in both WWI and
WWII and that still survives today.
It is located in the port of the San
Jacinto Monument and became a historic landmark.

Hiroshima
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U.S. dropped a nuclear bomb “Little
Boy” on August 6,
1945, on the city of
Hiroshima in Japan.
Killed over 100,000 people over a few months.

Atomic Bomb

Atomic Bomb Video
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=
-6974472576991137411#

Nagasaki
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U.S. dropped the second nuclear bomb
“Fat Man” on the city of Nagasaki in Japan on August 9, 1945.
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Killed between 60,000-80,000.
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Japan surrendered 6 day later to the
Allies.

Nagasaki

WWII Over
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Ended on September 2, 1945, with Japan signing surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri in
Tokyo Bay.
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Over 22-25 million soldiers killed.
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Between 60-70 million people killed during
WWII.

Texas after WWII
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Many Texans moved from rural areas to cities
(urban) during the war to take industrial jobs .
People from other countries and states and soldiers returning from the war also moved to cities in Texas.
TX changed from a rural state to an urban society.
The TX economy used to be dominated by farming and oil.
TX started to change to large industries.