American History II Goal 4 Essential Questions/Skills

Goal 4: World War II - The learner will analyze United States involvement in World War II and the wars influence on international affairs in following decades.

Essential Questions

  1. Identify causes of World War II & reasons for U. S. involvement.
  2. What were the key military, political, and diplomatic turning points of the war?
  3. How did WWII impact the economic, political, & social life of the U.S.?
  4. What effect did WWII have on the roles of women & African Americans?
  5. How did the aftermath of WWII change the role of the U.S. in world affairs?
  6. Evaluate how U.S. foreign policy changed following WWII.

10.01 Elaborate on the causes of World War II and reasons for United States entry into the war.

 understand how reparations were a contributing factor in the outbreak of World War II in Europe

 explain how a worldwide depression played a role in the beginning of World War II

 describe the rise of totalitarian regimes, especially Adolf Hitler in Germany

 analyze the reaction of Franklin Roosevelt to the outbreak of war

10.02 Identify military, political, and diplomatic turning points of the war and determine their significance to the outcome and aftermath of the conflict.

 trace the major battles in Europe and the Pacific and explain their significance to the outcome of the war

 describe the major strategic offensives launched by the Allies during the war

 identify the major wartime diplomatic conferences and the decisions made there

 describe the Manhattan Project and its impact on the war and the American and Japanese people

 discuss the Holocaust and world reaction to it

10.03 Describe and analyze the effects of the war on American economic, social, political, and cultural life.

 understand the role of minorities in the war at home and abroad

 describe the issues surrounding the suspension of civil liberties especially regarding Japanese Internment camps

 examine how the US demobilized after the war and the problems that occurred as a result

 analyze the impact of the war on the home front and GIs after the war

Goal 10 Vocabulary

appeasement
totalitarian
reparations
isolationism vs. interventionism
Holocaust
propaganda

suburbanization
migration
internment
conscription
rationing

containment
massive retaliation

alliance
treaty
United Nations

Security Council
NATO

Warsaw Pact

Third Reich

fascism

Emperor Hirohito

Neutrality Acts

Pearl Harbor

Lend-Lease Act

blitzkrieg

Operation Overlord

D-Day

V-E Day

Nuremberg trials

Iwo Jima

atomic bomb

Manhattan Project

V-J Day

War Production Board

War bonds

internment camps

Selective Service Act of 1940

GI Bill of Rights

baby boom

Study Guide WWII
  1. Identify the types of government instituted by the following dictators:
  2. Germany/ Adolph Hitler
  3. Italy/ Benito Mussolini
  4. Japan/ Tojo
  5. Soviet Union/ Stalin
  6. Identify the Axis powers and the major Allied Powers of WWII.
  7. Where did each of the following totalitarian governments want to expand?
  8. Germany
  9. Japan
  10. Italy
  11. What was appeasement?
  12. Why did appeasement not work?
  13. Who initiated it?
  14. Identify the long-term causes and the short-term causes of WWII.
  15. List the areas of conquest or annexation by Adolph Hitler.
  16. What actions were taken by Germany in 1939 led Britain and France to go to war against Germany?
  17. What is “blitzkrieg” fighting?
  18. What saved Britain in the Battle of Britain?
  19. Who was the Prime Minister of Britain during WWII?
  20. How did the Americans help the British without declaring war on Germany?
  21. What was the United States’ official position after the outbreak of WWII in Europe?
  22. What did Winston Churchill and FDR agree to in the Atlantic Charter?
  23. How were Japanese Americans treated in the US during WWII?
  24. Describe the African campaign led by the United States.
  25. Describe the Italian campaign by America.
  26. What was “island hopping” and where was it used?
  27. Complete the following WWII battle chart:

Battle / Location / Winner
Coral Sea
Midway
Iwo Jima
Battle of the Bulge
D-Day
Stalingrad
Berlin
  1. Who attended the Yalta Conference and what was their decision?
  2. Why and when did Harry S. Truman become president?
  3. What was the Manhattan Project and who was in charge?
  4. Why did Truman decide to use the atomic bomb on Japan?
  5. What two Japanese cities were victims of the A-bomb?
  6. What was a kamikaze pilot?
  7. What role did “Rosie the Riveter” play in WWII?
  8. What was the WWII experience like for African Americans?
  9. In what way were white and black men treated equally during WWII?
  10. What was Hitler’s “Final Solution”?
  11. What does the term “Holocaust” mean?
  12. How did the government allocate resources to US citizens during WWII?
  13. Describe the role each of the following played in WWII:

a. Eisenhower

b. Patton

c. MacArthur

d. Rommel