according to the website, what event(s) led to or caused ......1. according to the website, what...
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© Copyright History Matters 2015.
Social Studies Name: _________________________
Directions: Complete the following questions using the website listed below.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history
Answer the following questions based on the video that plays at the top of the website and the
text contained on the website.
1. According to the website, what event(s) led to or caused World War II?
2. Who rose to power in Germany in the years before World War II?
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3. After becoming _____________________________, Hitler swiftly consolidated
power, anointing himself Führer (_________________) in 1934. Obsessed with
the idea of the _________________________________________________________
__________ Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary
___________________________________________________________________.
4. What did Hitler begin to do in the mid-1930’s?
5. How did the western powers respond to Hitler’s aggression in the years
before World War II?
6. What was the “Nonaggression Pact” AND who signed it?
7. On ______________________, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days
later, _________________________________________________________________
_______________.
8. Explain what is meant by “phony war”.
9. What is blitzkrieg? Explain its use during World War II according to the
website.
10. What was the Maginot Line?
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11. What happened on April 9, 1940?
12. On June 14, _____________________________; a new government formed by
Marshal Philippe Petain (France’s hero of World War I) requested an
armistice two nights later. _____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________.
13. Explain the events of the Battle of Britain.
14. Who was Germany allied with during World War Two?
15. What was Operation Sea Lion?
16. Who was the Prime Minister of Britain during World War II?
17. What was the Lend-Lease Act?
18. What was Operation Barbarossa?
19. Why did Hitler want to carry out an invasion of the Soviet Union?
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20. Though Soviet tanks and aircraft _____________________ the Germans’, their
air technology was largely obsolete, and the impact of the surprise
invasion helped Germans ______________________________________________.
Arguments between Hitler and his commanders delayed the next
German advance until October, when it was stalled by a Soviet
counteroffensive and the onset of ______________________________________.
21. Identify and explain the event that brought the United States into World
War II.
22. Why was the Battle of Midway so significant?
23. What was the “island-hopping” strategy? Explain.
24. In North Africa, ____________________ forces had defeated the Italians and
Germans by 1943. _______________________________________ followed, and
______________________________________, though Allied fighting against the
Germans in Italy would continue until 1945.
25. According to the website, what caused the Germans to ultimately lose
their advantage in the Soviet Union and during the Battle of Stalingrad?
26. What occurred on June 6, 1944?
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27. What three Allied nations attacked the beaches of Normandy on D-Day?
28. How did the invasion of Allied troops in D-Day affect the German war
effort?
29. Explain the significance of the Battle of the Bulge.
30. Explain the fate of Hitler.
31. Who attended the Potsdam Conference?
32. What was discussed and decided at the Potsdam Conference?
33. Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at ________________________
_____________________________________, and fears of the even costlier land
invasion of Japan led _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________.
34. When did Japan surrender?
35. How many people died during World War II?
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36. What is the legacy of World War II?
© Copyright History Matters 2015.
Teacher Key Name: _________________________
Directions: Complete the following questions using the website listed below.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history
Answer the following questions based on the video that plays at the top of the website and the
text contained on the website.
1. According to the website, what event(s) led to or caused World War II?
The devastation of the Great War (as World War I was known at the time) had
greatly destabilized Europe, and in many respects World War II grew out of issues
left unresolved by that earlier conflict. In particular, political and economic
instability in Germany, and lingering resentment over the harsh terms imposed
by the Versailles Treaty, fueled the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and his National
Socialist (Nazi) Party.
2. Who rose to power in Germany in the years before World War II?
Adolf Hitler
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3. After becoming Reich Chancellor in 1933, Hitler swiftly consolidated
power, anointing himself Führer (supreme leader) in 1934. Obsessed with
the idea of the superiority of the “pure” German race, which he called
“Aryan,” Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary
“Lebensraum,” or living space, for that race to expand.
4. What did Hitler begin to do in the mid-1930’s?
In the mid-1930s, he began the rearmament of Germany, secretly and in
violation of the Versailles Treaty.
5. How did the western powers respond to Hitler’s aggression in the years
before World War II?
Hitler’s open aggression went unchecked, as the United States and Soviet Union
were concentrated on internal politics at the time, and neither France nor Britain
(the two other nations most devastated by the Great War) were eager for
confrontation.
6. What was the “Nonaggression Pact” AND who signed it?
It was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, which the two
nations used to divide the country of Poland.
7. On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days
later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War
II.
8. Explain what is meant by “phony war”.
During the six months following the invasion of Poland, the lack of action on the
part of Germany and the Allies in the west led to talk in the news media of a
“phony war.”
9. What is blitzkrieg? Explain its use during World War II according to the
website.
Blitzkrieg translates to “lighting war” and was a Nazi attack strategy that
involved the use of tank divisions, plane and troop movements that were
remarkably quick.
10. What was the Maginot Line?
A French defensive line along the border between France and Germany.
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11. What happened on April 9, 1940?
On April 9, 1940, Germany simultaneously invaded Norway and occupied
Denmark, and the war began in earnest.
12. On June 14, German forces entered Paris; a new government formed by
Marshal Philippe Petain (France’s hero of World War I) requested an
armistice two nights later. France was subsequently divided into two
zones, one under German military occupation and the other under
Petain’s government, installed at Vichy.
13. Explain the events of the Battle of Britain.
The German bombing raids of Britain. It was a battle marked by air superiority as
the two countries fought for control of the skies. The Royal Air Force (RAF)
eventually defeated the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in the Battle of Britain,
and Hitler postponed his plans to invade.
14. Who was Germany allied with during World War Two?
Italy and Japan
15. What was Operation Sea Lion?
The German planned invasion of Britain.
16. Who was the Prime Minister of Britain during World War II?
Winston Churchill
17. What was the Lend-Lease Act?
With Britain’s defensive resources pushed to the limit, Prime Minister Winston
Churchill began receiving crucial aid from the U.S. under the Lend-Lease Act,
passed by Congress in early 1941.
18. What was Operation Barbarossa?
On June 22, 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed
Operation Barbarossa.
19. Why did Hitler want to carry out an invasion of the Soviet Union?
The Soviet Union, whose vast territory would give the German master race the
“Lebensraum” it needed. The other half of Hitler’s strategy was the extermination
of the Jews from throughout German-occupied Europe.
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20. Though Soviet tanks and aircraft greatly outnumbered the Germans’, their
air technology was largely obsolete, and the impact of the surprise
invasion helped Germans get within 200 miles of Moscow by mid-July.
Arguments between Hitler and his commanders delayed the next
German advance until October, when it was stalled by a Soviet
counteroffensive and the onset of harsh winter weather.
21. Identify and explain the event that brought the United States into World
War II.
On December 7, 1941, 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the major U.S. naval
base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, taking the Americans completely by surprise and
claiming the lives of more than 2,300 troops. The attack on Pearl Harbor served
to unify American public opinion in favor of entering World War II, and on
December 8 Congress declared war on Japan with only one dissenting vote.
22. Why was the Battle of Midway so significant?
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in that Japan could not keep pace
with the American war effort after this point.
23. What was the “island-hopping” strategy? Explain.
In mid-1943, Allied naval forces began an aggressive counterattack against
Japan, involving a series of amphibious assaults on key Japanese-held islands in
the Pacific. This “island-hopping” strategy proved successful, and Allied forces
moved closer to their ultimate goal of invading the Japanese homeland.
24. In North Africa, British and American forces had defeated the Italians and
Germans by 1943. An Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy followed, and
Mussolini’s government fell in July 1943, though Allied fighting against the
Germans in Italy would continue until 1945.
25. According to the website, what caused the Germans to ultimately lose
their advantage in the Soviet Union and during the Battle of Stalingrad?
The approach of winter, along with dwindling food and medical supplies,
spelled the end for German troops there, and the last of them surrendered on
January 31, 1943.
26. What occurred on June 6, 1944?
On June 6, 1944–celebrated as “D-Day”–the Allied began a massive invasion of
Europe, on the beaches of Normandy, France.
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27. What three Allied nations attacked the beaches of Normandy on D-Day?
The United States, Britain, and Canada
28. How did the invasion of Allied troops in D-Day affect the German war
effort?
In response, Hitler poured all the remaining strength of his army into Western
Europe, ensuring Germany’s defeat in the east.
29. Explain the significance of the Battle of the Bulge.
Hitler gathered his forces to drive the Americans and British back from Germany
in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945), the last major German
offensive of the war.
30. Explain the fate of Hitler.
Hitler committed suicide as Allied forces invaded the German capitol of Berlin.
31. Who attended the Potsdam Conference?
President Harry S. Truman (who had taken office after Roosevelt’s death in April),
Churchill and Stalin.
32. What was discussed and decided at the Potsdam Conference?
They discussed the ongoing war with Japan as well as the peace settlement
with Germany. Post-war Germany would be divided into four occupation zones,
to be controlled by the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and France.
33. Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at Iwo Jima (February 1945)
and Okinawa (April-June 1945), and fears of the even costlier land
invasion of Japan led Truman to authorize the use of a new and
devastating weapon–the atomic bomb–on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August.
34. When did Japan surrender?
On August 10, the Japanese government issued a statement declaring they
would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and on September 2, U.S.
General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal surrender aboard the
USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
35. How many people died during World War II?
35 to 60 million people
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36. What is the legacy of World War II?
The legacy of the war would include the spread of communism from the Soviet
Union into Eastern Europe as well as its eventual triumph in China, and the global
shift in power from Europe to two rival superpowers–the United States and the
Soviet Union–that would soon face off against each other in the Cold War. As
well, it proved to be the most devastating international conflict in history.