World War II
1939-1945
World War II Study Guide
1.
Identify at least 3 causes of World War II: (1)rise of Hitler/fascism; (2)
appeasement; (3) Japanese military aggression/nationalism in the Pacific
2. Explain the concept of Appeasement: the policy of giving concessions in
exchange for peace; Europeans “appeased” Hitler’s aggression prior to the start
of WWII
3. Explain why Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor, forcing the US into the war:
Japan wanted to dominate South East Asia.
4. What was the purpose of the Neutrality Act? The United States wanted to avoid
international conflicts in Europe that might drag the nation into war.
5. Explain the concept of isolationism.
6. What separated WW I and WWII in regards to fighting on multiple fronts?
7. What was the Holocaust?
8. Why was Island Hopping a major key for the US victory in the pacific theater?
9. What was the importance of the Normandy Invasion?
10. What was the Manhattan Project and what was its’ importance in ending WWII?
Sponge Activity
• Identify three events or people related to
World War II:
1.
2.
3.
Sponge Activity
• Identify three events or people related to
World War II:
1. Pearl Harbor
2. Holocaust
3. Atomic Bomb (Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
WWII: The Rise of Dictators
World War II
• Fascism: an aggressive kind of nationalism;
• Fascists believe that the nation was more
important than the individual
• Fascists believed a nation became great by
expanding its territory and building up its
military (very militaristic)
• Fascism was fiercely anti-communist.
• Fascism was anti-labor union, pro-private
property and pro-middle class
World War II
• The Rise of Dictators
– Mussolini and Fascism in
Italy
– Stalin and the USSR
– Hitler and Nazism in
Germany
– Militarism in Japan
Mussolini and Fascism in Italy
• One of the first places
in Europe where
fascism took hold was
Italy.
• In 1919, Benito
Mussolini founded
Italy’s Fascist Party.
• Once in office,
Mussolini worked to
destroy democracy and
establish a dictatorship.
Hitler and Nazism in Germany
• Adolf Hitler was a
fervent anticommunist
and an admirer of
Mussolini.
• Germany’s defeat in
WWI left Germans with
a deep hatred of the
“Allies” and the peace
terms.
Hitler and Nazism in Germany
• After WWI, Germany
suffered economic
depression and chaos.
• Germans blamed the
extremely harsh war
reparations (war damages)
they had to pay the Allies
for much of their problems.
• New political parties
emerged during this period
including the National
Socialist German Workers’
Party or the NAZI Party.
Hitler and Nazism in Germany
• He referred to these Germans
as the Aryans “master-race.”
• He argued that Germans
needed more Lebensraum or
living space, and called for
Germans to expand east into
Poland and Russia.
• He believed the Slavic people
of Eastern Europe were an
inferior people and should be
enslaved.
• He was especially antisemetic-- he deeply hated the
Jews, and blamed them for
German’s defeat in WWI
Hitler and Nazism in Germany
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Hitler was arrested in November
1923 for trying to overthrow the
democratically elected government in
Germany.
In prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kamph
(My Struggle), his autobiography.
In the book, Hitler called for the
unification of all Germans, especially
blond, blue-eyed Germans.
By 1933, many Germans supported
Hitler’s nationalism and politics.
Hitler was appointed as chancellor,
or prime minister.
By 1934, he became dictator., and
took the title the “fuhrer, or
“leader.”
Key Terms
• Use your notes to write a short definition or
sentence using the following key terms:
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Pearl Harbor:
Benito Mussolini:
Fascism:
Nazis:
Adolf Hitler:
Holocaust:
Stalin and the USSR
• The Bolsheviks, a group of
Communists led by Vladimir
Lenin, seized power in the middle
of WWI (1917).
• They renamed the territories of
Russia the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR).
• In 1926, Joseph Stalin became
the new Soviet dictator. He
began a massive effort to
industrialize his country.
• Stalin tolerated no opposition;
his policies brought about the
death of some 8 to 10 million
peasants who resisted his
policies.
Stalin and the USSR
• Socialism is the belief that
business should be publicly
owned and run by the
government.
• Communists believed that a
political party led by them
should use whatever means
necessary to gain and hold
power to created a socialists
government.
• The Bolsheviks, or
Communists in Russia,
established one-party rule
over this territory, suppressing
individual liberties and
punishing opponents.
Militarists Gain Control of Japan
• Emperor Hirohito
• Difficult economic times in Japan
created political problems in
Japan in the 1920’s.
• Japan had to import many of the
resources it needed for its
economy.
• Japan did not earn enough
money from its exports for a
strong economy.
• The Great Depression hit Japan
especially hard as tariffs limited
its ability to export its industrial
products. Unemployment grew
worse over the 1930s.
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Militarists Gain Control of Japan
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Japanese military leaders led by
Hideki Tojo and others believed the
only way for Japan to get the
resources it needed for a stronger
economy was to seize territory.
The resource-rich province of
Manchuria in northern China was a
perfect place to conquer.
In 1931, the Japanese army invaded
Manchuria. The military assassinated
the Japanese prime minister when he
tried to end the conflict and took
control of the government.
The new government the military
formed supported a nationalist
policy of expanding the Japanese
empire , and appointed military
officers to head the Japanese
government.
Sponge Activity: Identify the country
each of these individuals were from:
• Person
Country
Politics
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_________
_________
_________
_________
_______
_______
_______
_______
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Joseph Stalin:
Hirohito:
Identify the country each of these
individuals were from:
• Person
Country
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Germany
Fascism
Italy
Fascism
USSR(Russia) Communism
Japan
Fascism
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Joseph Stalin:
Hirohito:
Politics
Sponge Activity
• Identify three causes of World War II and
explain why they occurred.
– 1.
– 2.
– 3.
Sponge Activity
• Identify three countries the United States
fought in World War II?
1.
2.
3.
America and Neutrality
• The rise of new dictators
and militarism after WWI
discouraged many
Americans.
• Americans were
preoccupied with the
Great Depression
• Americans supported
isolationism—the belief
that the United States
should avoid international
commitments that might
drag the nation into war.
American Turns to Neutrality
• Nye Committee: in 1934, a
congressional committee
uncovered how arms
factories had amassed huge
profits during WWI.
• Many Americans believed
that they were tricked into
WWI by businesses and
arms manufacturers.
• Neutrality Act of 1935: a
law that made in illegal to
sell arms to any country at
war.
• Spanish Civil War: began in
1936; a rebellion began in
Spain following the election
of a coalition of Republican,
Socialist, and Communists;
the rebellion led by General
Francisco Franco and
Spanish Fascists, the army,
landowners, etc.
America Turns to Neutrality
• Axis Powers
– After the Spanish Civil
War began in 1936,
Hitler and Mussolini
signed an agreement on
cooperation.
– Japan later aligned itself
with Germany and Italy.
– Together, they became
known as the Axis
Powers
Roosevelt and Internationalism
• Internationalism: the
idea that trade between
nations creates
prosperity and helps to
prevent war.
• Roosevelt supported
internationalism and
warned that the nation
should not allow
“lawlessness” infect the
world.
World War II Begins
• By 1940, Hitler was bent on
conquest and the German army
had been rebuilt.
• European leaders had not tried
to stop Hitler when he was much
weaker.
• Appeasement: the policy of
giving concessions in exchange
for peace
• Most Europeans refused to stop
him earlier because:
– Memories of WWI
– Many believed German should be
allowed to control Germanspeaking regions of Europe
– They believed Hitler would stop
once they gained more territory.
Appeasement and Hitler’s Aggression
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Hitler takes Austria (March, 1938)
• Munich Conference
(September 29, 1938);
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Czechoslovakia:
After the Munich Conference,
Hitler turned his attention to Poland.
Hitler demanded return of Danzig
region of Poland. France and
England announced they would
defend Poland
August 23, 1939: Nazi-Soviet
Nonaggression Pact
September 1, 1939: Germany
invades Poland.
September 3, 1939, Britain and
France declare war on Germany,
WWII begins
U.S. Entry into War II
Key Terms
• Lend-Lease Act: December, 1940 act by which the US was
able to lend or lease arms to any country considered “vital
to the defense of the US;
• Atlantic Charter: a charter written following a meeting of
Winston Churchill and FDR in August, 1941; this charter
committed the US and England to a postwar world of
democracy, non-aggression, free trade, economic
advancment, and freedom of the seas.
• Pearl Harbor: site of a devastating surprise attack by Japan
on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in December 7th, 1941; 21 US ships
sank or damaged; 188 airplanes destroyed; aand 2,403
Americans killed; the next day, the US declared war on
Japan; days later, German and Italy declared war on the
USA
FDR and the “Four Freedoms”
• Following his reelection in
1940, F.D. Roosevelt
called on the US to
support England’s fight
against Hitler
• In 1941, FDR listed “Four
Freedoms” upon with the
US stood—a rallying cry
for the US:
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Freedom of speech
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear
Lend-Lease Act
• By December 1940, Great
Britain had run out of money
to wage war against Germany.
• In 1940, the US began to lend
or lease arms to any country
considered to be “vital to the
defense of the US.”
• England agreed to return or
pay rent for the arms after
WWII.
• Under this program, the US
sent over $50 billion in
weapons, vehicles and
supplies to the Allies.
Atlantic Charter
• In August 1941 F.D.
Roosevelt and Winston
Churchill (GB) met face-toface on board American
British warships anchored
near Newfoundland.
• Agreed on text of the
Atlantic Charter
– Committed leaders to a
postwar world of democracy,
nonaggression, free trade,
economic advancement and
freedom of the seas
U.S. Entry into War II
Key Terms
• Lend-Lease Act: December, 1940 act by which the US was
able to lend or lease arms to any country considered “vital
to the defense of the US;
• Atlantic Charter: a charter written following a meeting of
Winston Churchill and FDR in August, 1941; this charter
committed the US and England to a postwar world of
democracy, non-aggression, free trade, economic
advancment, and freedom of the seas.
• Pearl Harbor: site of a devastating surprise attack by Japan
on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in December 7th, 1941; 21 US ships
sank or damaged; 188 airplanes destroyed; aand 2,403
Americans killed; the next day, the US declared war on
Japan; days later, German and Italy declared war on the
USA
FDR and the “Four Freedoms”
• Following his reelection in
1940, F.D. Roosevelt
called on the US to
support England’s fight
against Hitler
• In 1941, FDR listed “Four
Freedoms” upon with the
US stood—a rallying cry
for the US:
–
–
–
–
Freedom of speech
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear
Lend-Lease Act
• By December 1940, Great
Britain had run out of money
to wage war against Germany.
• In 1940, the US began to lend
or lease arms to any country
considered to be “vital to the
defense of the US.”
• England agreed to return or
pay rent for the arms after
WWII.
• Under this program, the US
sent over $50 billion in
weapons, vehicles and
supplies to the Allies.
Atlantic Charter
• In August 1941 F.D.
Roosevelt and Winston
Churchill (GB) met face-toface on board American
British warships anchored
near Newfoundland.
• Agreed on text of the
Atlantic Charter
– Committed leaders to a
postwar world of democracy,
nonaggression, free trade,
economic advancement and
freedom of the seas
Japan Attacks the US
• The Japanese attack on
the US finally drew the US
into World War 2.
• Japan wanted to
resources for its industry.
• The Japanese military had
seized the resource-rich
province of Manchuria in
northern China in 1931.
• Japan invaded China in
1937.
Japan Attacks the US
• Roosevelt put pressure on
Japan in 1939 and 1940 to
keep Japan from attacking
British territory in South East
Asia
• Export Control Act (1940):
restricted sale of strategic
materials to Japan (airplane
fuel, scrap metal).
• Japan joined the Axis shortly
after
• Japan attacked southern
Indochina in 1941 and
threatened English and French
colonies.
Japan Attacks the US
• Because Japan had decided
to attack British and French
regions of southeast Asia,
they needed to destroy the
American fleet at Pearl
Harbor.
• On November 26, 1941, six
Japanese aircraft carriers,
two battleships and several
warships set sail for Hawaii.
• Surprise attack on the US
Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor
occurred on December 7th,
1941.
Japan Attacks the US
• The Japanese attack on
the US finally drew the
US into World War 2.
• Roosevelt put pressure on
Japan in 1939 and 1940 to
keep Japan from attacking
British territory in South
East Asia
• Export Control Act (1940)
• Japan attacked Indochina
in 1941
Chapter 19: Key Terms
• Appeasement: the policy of giving concessions in exchange
for peace
• Blitzkrieg: lightning war; German used large numbers of
massed tanks to break through and rapidly encircle enemy
positions; waves of aircraft supported the tanks
• Dunkirk: small town in northern France where British and
French troops were rescued from Hitler’s army in June, 1940
• Luftwaffe: German air force
• Battle of Britain: air battle between England’s Royal Air Force
and Germany’s Luftwaffe in Fall, 1940;
Key Terms (Holocaust)
• Holocaust: name given to the mass slaughter to the Jews and
other groups by Hitler and the NAZIs during WW2
• Nuremberg Laws: German laws passed in September, 1935 that
took citizenship away from Jewish Germans; banned marriage
between Germans and Jews; prohibited Jews from voting or holding
political office; also Jews were restricted from certain occupations
• Kristallnacht: “night of broken glass”; anti-Jewish violence and riots
that swept through Germany and Austria in November, 1938
• Concentration camps: detention centers where Jews worked as
slaves until they died from exhaustion, disease, or malnutrition
• Extermination camps: next to the concentration camps; camps
where Jews were executed in massive gas chambers
• Auschwitz: massive extermination camp, housed about 100,000
people in 300 prison baracks; 1.6 million Jews, Gypsies, Soviet
prisoners of war and other people died at this camp.
Key Terms
• Lend-Lease Act: December, 1940 act by which the US was
able to lend or lease arms to any country considered “vital
to the defense of the US;
• Atlantic Charter: a charter written following a meeting of
Winston Churchill and FDR in August, 1941; this charter
committed the US and England to a postwar world of
democracy, non-aggression, free trade, economic
advancment, and freedom of the seas.
• Pearl Harbor: site of a devastating surprise attack by Japan
on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in December 7th, 1941; 21 US ships
sank or damaged; 188 airplanes destroyed; and 2,403
Americans killed; the next day, the US declared war on
Japan; days later, German and Italy declared war on the
USA
Sponge Activity
What is the
photo to the
right?
What does it
have to do
with World
War II?
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• Industrial output
during WWII
astounded the world
and brought the US out
of the Depression.
• Roosevelt moved the
US onto a war path
following Hitler’s
blitzkrieg attack into
France in 1940.
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• Shocked by the success of
Hitler’s attack on France,
Roosevelt announced a
plan to build 50,000
warplanes a year.
• The government agreed
to pay a company
whatever it cost to make
a product plus a
guaranteed percentage of
the costs as profit
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• Reconstruction Finance
Corporation: a
government agency set
up during the
Depression that made
loans to companies to
help them cover the
cost of converting to
war production
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• The Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor changed
everything in terms of the
economy.
• By the summer of 1942,
almost all major
industries had converted
to war production.
• Automobile factories
began to produce tanks,
jeeps, and trucks.
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• Henry Ford launched one
of the most ambitious
projects when he created
an assembly line for the
enormous B-24 bomber
known as “the Liberator.”
• The automobile industry
produced nearly onethird of the military
equipment manufactured
during the war.
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• Liberty Ship
• Built at Henry Kaiser’s
shipyard.
• The Liberty ship was
the basic cargo ship
used during the war.
Mobilizing for War: Converting the
Economy
• War Industrial
Board: a
government agency
created to set
priority and
production goals
and to control the
distribution of raw
materials and
supplies.
Building the Army
• The USA also needed to
build up its armed forces.
• Selective Service Training
Act
– Established the first
peacetime draft in
American history
established after
Germany’s defeat of
France, August 1940.
Life in the Home Front
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The war finally put an end to the
Great Depression.
The war generated almost 19 million
new jobs and nearly doubled the
average family’s income.
With so many men in the military,
employers began to recruit women
and minorities.
The great symbol of the campaign to
ire women was Rosie the Riveter, a
character from a popular song by the
Four Vagabonds.
Eventually 2.5 million women went
to work in shipyards, aircraft
factories and other manufacturing
plants.
World War II: Key Terms (p. 610-648)
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Rosie the Riveter
Bracero Program
Great Migration
Zoot Suit Riots
Japanese American Relocation
(internment camps)
Korematsu v. the United States
Rationing
Victory Gardens
Omar Bradley
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Douglas MacArthur
George Marshall
George Patton
Admiral Chester Nimitz
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Bataan Death March
Battle of Midway
Battle of Stalingrad
Island-Hopping in the Pacific (p.
635)
Normandy (D–Day)
Iwo Jima
Harry Truman
Manhattan Project
atomic bomb
Hiroshima, Nagasaki
V-J Day
Zoot Suit Riots
• Caused by racism and
fears of juvenile crime
during World War II.
• Zoot Suit: very baggy,
pleated pants with an
overstuffed, kneelength jacket with wide
lapels; wide-brimmed
hat and long key chain;
Zoot Suit Riots
• Mexican American
teenagers adopted the
zoot suit as a form of
self-identity and ethnic
expression.
• The excessive use of
fabric with the zoot-suit
seemed unpatriotic to
white Americans
Zoot Suit Riots
• Rumors that Mexican
American zoot suiters had
attacked a group of sailors in
Los Angeles triggered racial
tension and violence in the
city in June 1943.
• 2500 sailors stormed into
Mexican neighborhoods in LA,
attacked Mexican American
teenagers, cut their hair, tore
off their zoot suits.
• Police stood buy
• The city of LA banned the zoot
suit.
Zoot Suit Riots
“pachuco” Zoot-suiters
Japanese Internment
• United States Executive Order
9066 : a United States
presidential executive order
signed and issued during
World War II by U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt on
February 19, 1942.
• The order cleared the way for
the relocation of Japanese
Americans to internment
camps.
• Korematsu v. the United
States: a Supreme Court
decision allowing for the
internment of JapaneseAmericans during WWII
Japanese Internment
Japanese Internment
Japanese Internment
Japanese Internment
Racism against the Japanese
WWII: Pushing the Axis Back
• If the allies were going to win
WWII, they had to land their
troops in Europe and on the
islands of the Pacific.
• The first large Allied invasion
of the war occurred in
November, 1942 in North
Africa.
• Its success led to the
Casablanca Conference in
January, 1943. At this
meeting, Roosevelt and
Churchill met and agreed to
increase their bombardment
of Germany
Allies Invasion of North Africa
WWII: Pushing the Axis Back
• Strategic Bombing: gave
the Allies command of
the skies in Germany by
the D-Day invasion in
1944.
• Between January 1943
and May, 1945, the Royal
Air Force and the US Eight
Army Air Force dropped
53,000 tons of explosive
on Germany every
month.
WWII: Pushing the Axis Back
• The allies next planned
for an invasion of Sicily
(Italy). General Dwight D.
Eisenhower was placed
on command of the
invasion.
• General George Patton
was put in command of
US forces on the ground.
• Invasion began on July 10,
1943.
WWII: Pushing the Axis Back
• Patton’s rapid success
brought about the
surrender of Italy on
September 8, 1943.
• Germany dug in and held
onto northern Italy.
Fighting continued until
late 1944 when they
captured Rome.
• 300,000 Allied casualties ,
the bloodiest campaign of
the war.
Pushing the Axis Back
• In late 1943, President
Roosevelt met with
Joseph Stalin and
Winston Churchill in
Tehran, Iran. They
agreed:
– Stalin agreed to launch
offensive against German
when Allies invaded
France.
– Break up German after the
War
– Soviet Union to help Japan
after German defeat
WWII: The Invasion of Europe
• General Eisenhower selected
to command the invasion of
France following the meeting
of the Big Three in Tehran
(1943).
• Operation consisted of 1.5
million American soldiers,
12,000 airplanes and 5 million
tons of equipment.
• The date for the invasion came
to be known as D-Day. Based
on tide, moon, and weather
conditions, the date chosen
was June 6th, 1944.
• Target: Normandy, France
WWII: The Invasion of Europe
• D-Day (the Longest Day):
• Involved 7,000 ships carrying
100,000 men
• 23,000 paratroopers
• Beach landing at “Utah” beach
went well, only 200 casualties.
• “Omaha” Beach much
different, over 2500 Americans
killed or wounded.
• A total of 9,000 Allied soldiers
lost their life on D-Day.
• Invasion succeeded
nonetheless as over 150,000
troops landed .
Utah Beach June 6th, 1944
Omaha Beach
The Third Reich Collapses
• Following D-Day, Allied troops
advanced across France.
• The French Resistance —
French civilians who had
organized to resist German
occupation of their country—
staged a rebellion in Paris after
the Normandy invasion.
• Allied troops liberated Paris,
France on August 25, 1944.
• Three weeks later, American
troops were within 20 miles of
the German border.
The War Ends
• By end of February, 1945,
American troops had
fought their way to the
Rhine River, Germany’s
last line of defense.
• German defenses
crumbled quickly.
• Hitler commits suicide on
April 30, 1945.
• On May 7th, 1945,
Germany surrendered.
Japan is Defeated
• On April 12, 1945,
President Roosevelt
died.
• His vice-president Harry
S. Truman becomes
president.
• Germany surrendered a
few weeks later; the
war with Japan
continued.
Key Terms
• Stalingrad: key battle and turning point of WW 2 fought in second half of
1942; puts Germans on the defensive in eastern Europe.
• D-Day: June 6, 1944 marking date of Allied invasion of western Europe at
Normandy, France; “Operation Overlord”
• V-E Day: May 8th, 1945, Victory in Europe day; Germans accept
unconditional surrender
• Manhattan Project: the American program to build an atomic bomb led by
General Leslie R. Groves. Robert Oppenheimer led a team of engineers
and scientists at secret lab in Alamos, New Mexico that succeeded in
building the first atomic bomb.
• Hiroshima: On August 6th, 1945, a B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay
dropped an atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan;
three days later, the US drops a second atomic bomb— “Fat Man” on the
city of Nagasaki.
• V-J Day: August 15, 1945, Japan accepts unconditional surrender
• Nuremberg trials: trial of German leaders suspected of committing war
crimes held after WWII held by the International Military Tribunal; led to
the execution of 36 German leaders; many others sentenced to prison.
Defeat of Japan
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Battle of Midway (June 4, 1942): turning
point in the War with Japan;
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Island-Hopping (Fall, 1943)
– Marshall Islands
– Mariana Islands
MacArthur Returns to the Philippines
– Guadalcanal: (August 1942)
– Philippines: October, 1944
– Tokyo bombed: Nov 24, 1944
Iwo Jima: February 19, 1945; 6,800
American troops killed taking the island;
provided US an nearby air base for
bombing Japan
Okinawa (April 1, 1945): 12,000 American
soldiers, sailors, and marines die in the
fighting; June 22, 1945 captured
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Defeat of Japan
• Hiroshima: On August
6th, 1945, a B-29
bomber named the
Enola Gay dropped an
atomic bomb, codenamed “Little Boy” on
Hiroshima, Japan
• Three days later, the US
drops a second atomic
bomb— “Fat Man” on
the city of Nagasaki.
V-J Day
Taks Review: World War II (1939-1945)
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Atlantic Charter: a charter written following a meeting of Winston Churchill and FDR in
August, 1941; this charter committed the US and England to a postwar world of democracy,
non-aggression, free trade, economic advancement, and freedom of the seas.
Appeasement: the policy of giving concessions in exchange for peace
Battle of Midway (June 4, 1942): turning point in the War with Japan
General Eisenhower selected to command the invasion of France following the meeting of
the Big Three in Tehran (1943).
Korematsu v. the United States: Supreme Court decision allowing for the internment of
Japanese-Americans during WWII
D-Day: day of invasion of Europe by the US; June 6th, 1944: Target: Normandy, France;
liberate Europe from the Nazis; also referred to as Operation Overlord or the Normandy
invasion
Hiroshima: On August 6th, 1945, a B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped an atomic
bomb, code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan
Iwo Jima: February 19, 1945; 6,800 American troops killed taking the island; provided US an
nearby air base for bombing Japan
Manhattan Project: the American program to build an atomic bomb led by General Leslie R.
Groves; Robert Oppenheimer
Pearl Harbor: site of a devastating surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in
December 7th, 1941;
Stalingrad: key battle and turning point of WW 2 fought in second half of 1942; puts
Germans on the defensive in eastern Europe.
Rationing: government controls the availability of goods and services to consumers for the
war effort