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World War II (5-4.4 – 5-4.7) Name ________________________________

The United States was not the only country to suffer through an economic depression. Other countries in Europe and Asia also suffered through depressions. These countries leaders, called dictators, said they could solve their country’s problems by invading and conquering other countries. Explain the role of each of these men in the events that led to World War II.

What is a dictator? A dictator is a leader who gains complete control of a country’s government.

Three countries began forcibly taking over other countries around them in order to expand their country’s borders and make them more powerful. Benito Mussolini (Italy) and Tojo (Japan) were also dictators of their countries. They joined forces with Adolf Hitler (Germany) to try and take over Europe and parts of Asia. Explain how Adolf Hitler’s actions lead to the start of World War II.

Hitler and Mussolini signed a treaty to support each other. German forces prepared to invade the neighboring country of Poland. Britain and France decided it was time to try to stop Hitler. They warned Hitler that if he attacked Poland, it would mean war. Hitler ignored this threat. On September 1, 1939 German troops rushed into Poland.

Once war began in Europe, two distinct alliances began to form. They were known as the Axis and Allied powers. List the countries that comprised these two alliances.

Germany United States

Italy Great Britain

Japan Soviet Union

France

As it had at the beginning of WWI, the United States stuck with its policy of isolationism at the onset of WWII. While US troops weren’t fighting in the war, we were helping the Allies. Describe how the US helped the Allies at the beginning of WWII.

President Roosevelt decided to help Britain without joining in the actual fighting. The United States let Britain borrow all the military supplies it needed to fight the axis in the war. This policy was known as the “lend-lease” policy.

Identify the following leaders and explain their role/goals in WWII. (SD)

President Franklin Roosevelt: Congress passed laws that required FDR to remain neutral. However, FDR tried to help Britain, France, and the Soviet Union by sending supplies.

Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of Britain

Charles de Gaulle: Leader of France

Joseph Stalin: Leader of the Soviet Union

What event finally led the United States to enter WWII?

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japanese bombs sank many US warships and destroyed hundreds of planes. More than 2,300 soldiers, sailors, and civilians were killed.

Once the United States was drawn into WWII, the country had to do many things to prepare for war. One was to enact the military draft in order to have enough men to fight in the war. The other was to begin making war supplies for ourselves and the Allied Powers. Every American was urged to “Do Your Part” for the war effort. Explain how these actions helped the war effort.

“scrap drives” Children organized “Scrap Drives” where they would go door to door to collect tin cans and old cooking pots. Some children even turned in their toy cars and trucks so the metal could be recycled.

Rationing With millions of soldiers to feed, the US government decided to place a limit on the amount of food people could buy. People had to purchase food and fuel with ration stamps.

Victory gardens Small vegetable gardens that people planted in their backyards to help increase food availability.

Describe how WWII helped to end the Depression in the US. Roosevelt called on factory owners and workers to pour their energy into making military equipment.

The country responded to Roosevelt’s call and automobile companies started making tanks and military trucks. Shipyards operated 24 hours a day. All of this production created millions of new jobs and the Great Depression finally came to an end.

The roles of women changed during WWII. Describe how women’s roles changed during and after the war.

Women went to work making war weapons and other war-related products. Seven million women war workers joined the workforce. Even the grocery store began to stay open late so that working mothers could buy food. Rosie the Riveter became a symbol for women.

African Americans experienced new opportunities during WWII. Explain how life changed for those on the home front as well as those fighting in the war.

They were able to go to work in the factories because they needed workers so bad, even though they were still discriminated upon. More than 1 million African Americans also served in the military during WWII although they were separate from the white soldiers.

Some United Stated military officials feared that Japanese Americans would help Japan invade the United States during the war. Describe how the U.S. government treated Japanese Americans after we declared war on Japan.

The military removed any Japanese American seen as a threat. They were forced to leave their homes and move to internment camps around the country.

World War II was fought much differently than World War I. Because of new technology, soldiers did not have to fight in trenches as they had before. Describe some of the new technology that became available during World War II. (p.354-355 and SD)

Medical advances – Medical advances in the treatment of infection and disease such as penicillin have helped to prolong the lives of many Americans and contributed to an aging population

Aviation -Aviation innovations included improved bombers that were able to fly farther and the use of radar to track planes and to spot enemy planes. By the end of the war jets were being developed

Communication – Secret communication codes developed during the war contributed to the development of computer systems that were designed to break the codes. The first computers were room sized machines.

Weaponry- The atomic bomb was in the process of being built. The “Manhattan Project” was the code name given to the effort to build an atomic bomb at top-secret labs around the country.

World War II was fought on two fronts (areas) – the European front and the Pacific front. The Axis powers fought Germany and Italy on the European front, and the United States fought the Japanese on the Pacific front. All of this fighting was going on at the same time. Describe the following strategies and how they aided the United States during WWII.

Pacific island hopping – The goal of island hopping was to capture the most important islands from the Japanese. Islands farther out would be captured first and then these islands could be used as bases for attacks on islands located closer to Japan

Invasion of Normandy, France – June 6, 1944- It was the largest invasion by sea in history. The invasion cost many lives but it was a success. The Allies captured the beaches of Normandy and history was in the making

As the British and American forces were fighting the Germans, the Soviets were also fighting in Germany. Hitler knew that soon his forces would be defeated. What was his reaction to the thought of losing the war to the Allied Powers? (p.360)

Hitler killed himself as the Allied Powers neared the German Capital of Berlin.

As a result of this, what did the German army do?

The German Army Surrendered

Even though the war was over on the European front, fighting continued on the Pacific front. In 195, FDR died suddenly. Vice president Harry Truman became President of the United States. He faced many tough decisions; however the hardest was about the use of the atomic bomb. Why did President Truman decide to use the bomb and what was the effect?

To force Japan to surrender and save American lives. On Aug. 6, 1945 an Air Force bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It destroyed the entire city and killed 80,000 people in just a few seconds. Three days later a bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan killing 60,000 people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 14, 1945.

After WWII was over, the United States helped to establish a democracy in Japan. Explain how the boundaries of the following countries changed after the end of WWII.

Germany – divided into 4 zones and occupied by the four allied powers. Soon, the US, Great Britain, and France united their zones and helped to create a democratic government which became known as West Germany.

Soviet Union – established a communist government in East Germany. Berlin, the former capital of Germany was divided although it was located entirely in the Soviet Zone. The Soviet Union also set up puppet regimes in the eastern European nations that they liberated from German occupation.

After WWII, the United States began actively trading with other countries throughout the world. Explain this worldwide economic interdependence. (SD) Use the back of this page if you need more space.

Trade barriers were being lowered around the world as nations negotiated trade agreements. Wages for workers in China and other nations were lower than in the US and as a result some companies began to move their businesses to China. Consumers have benefitted from this in many ways like lower prices for goods, but American workers have been impacted negatively by job losses.

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Allies

Axis

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