American Cultures Chapter 17 – Study GuideName______
Mr. Gatz/Mrs. Gilbert - Fall 2014
Be familiar with the vocab from the puzzles
Be sure you are familiar with the rise to power of: Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin
Stalin:
What did Stalin do to achieve political domination in the Soviet Union (How did he get to the top)?
- Stalin implemented a series of 5-year plans to get the country back on track, which included:
* Collective Farms – farmers were forced to work together or starve, flee, or go to labor camps
* Industrialization (forced labor)
* Purges to anyone who resisted or opposed him (7 million arrested, 1 million executed, millions to
labor camps)
How was industry modernized?
- Stalin poured money into industries (rather than housing, clothing, and consumer goods) and
assigned millions of laborers from rural areas to build and run new industrial centers where iron,
steel, oil, and coal were produced. Although the Soviet people endured severe shortages as a
result, Stalin had achieved his goal of turning the Soviet Union into a modern industrial power by
1940.
How was farming changed?
- Stalin modernized agriculture by forcing Soviet farmers to combine their small family farms into
huge collective farms owned and run by the state. Anyone who resisted was forced off their land
and/or was punished by having much or all of the food they produced confiscated (resulting in
deaths from starvation) or being sent to labor camps in Siberia and northern Russia. Collectivization
caused agricultural production to fall dramatically. Food shortages forced Stalin to ration the food
throughout the country.
What did Stalin do to consolidate his power into a dictatorship (What did he do with the opposition)?
- Stalin completed his political domination and “purified” the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
through a series of purges, the process of getting rid of enemies and anyone else he believed to be
a threat to his power or to his ideas. By 1939, more than 7 million people from all levels of society
had been arrested, 1 million were executed, and millions more ended up in forced labor camps as a
result of Stalin’s Great Purge.
Mussolini:
What qualities did Mussolini have that attracted people to him?
-Mussolini was a great public speaker and promised to restore economic prosperity to U.S.S.R.
What beliefs did he hold and what type of people supported him?
- He believed that Italy should have received more land by the Versailles Treaty
- Former WWI vets, opponents of the monarchy, Socialists, and anarchists supported him
What was Mussolini’s dream?
- Mussolini’s dream was to rebuild a new Roman Empire. As the slogan implies: “The Country Is
Nothing Without Conquest.” He put those words into action by invading and taking over Ethiopia in
1935.
How did Mussolini come to power?
- Mussolini believed strongly that the Versailles Treaty should have granted Italy more territory, and
he would later seek it himself. His talent as a public speaker attracted followers and led to the
founding of the Italian Fascist party. Through terror and threats by the “Blackshirts” (Fascist thugs),
his power grew. Mussolini also threatened to march on Rome. The king panicked and appointed
him Prime Minister. In the name of efficiency and order, Mussolini and the Fascists suspended all
elections, outlawed all other political parties, and established a dictatorship.
Hitler:
What political party did Hitler join and what was the nickname of that party?
- Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (nicknamed the Nazi party).
What ability did Hitler posses that was also in common with Mussolini?
-Like Mussolini, Hitler was a talentedpublic speaker and promised to restore economic prosperity to
his country.
How did Hitler come to power?
- Germany was suffering economically at the time, and Hitler attracted Germans with promises of
stabilizing the country, rebuilding the economy, and restoring the empire of Germany that had been
lost. Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi party). The growing strength
of the Nazi party forced President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor in January 1933. After
Hindenburg died, Hitler became Chancellor and President of Germany. He then named himself “Der
Fuhrer” (the leader).
Like Stalin in the Soviet Union, what did Hitler set about to do to consolidate power?
- He set goals of:
* Strengthening the German military
* Expanding Germany’s borders to include Germans living in other countries
* Soon after becoming Chancellor, Hitler suspended freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Thousands of “Storm Troopers” or “Brown Shirts” (Nazi thugs) waged a violent campaign that
silenced those opposed to Hitler’s policies. This allowed the Nazis to gain enough seats to
dominate the Reichstag
* Purifying the Aryan race (blond-haired, blue-eyed Germans) by removing any group he deemed
undesirable. In time, removal came to mean the mass murder (genocide) of millions of Jews and
other peoples.
Getting Ready for War
What agreement did Hitler sign with Stalin before invading Poland?
- Hitler and Stalin signed a 10-year Non-Aggression Pact, which eliminated the danger of a Soviet
invasion from the east.
What were the benefits for each of them making this agreement?
- Hitler was able to rearm and strengthen his military and attack France and Great Britain without the
fear of being attacked by the Soviet Union in the East.
- This gave Stalin enough time to prepare to fight Germany.
- Under the secret terms of the Pact, independent states of Eastern Europe would be divided up
between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was able to seize eastern Poland.
What countries did Hitler go through to invade France and why did he go that way?
- Hitler orderedthe attack of France by going north through Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium,
and Luxembourg in order to get around the Maginot Line, a fortified area that protected the Eastern
French border (facing Germany).
Where did the British troops get trapped and have to evacuate by boat from? Dunkirk
Battle of Britain
What did the Germans do to try and break the spirit of the British?
- Germansengaged in a series of massive bombing raids on London and other cities of Britain from
August 1940 to May of 1941. These attacks included firebombs, which carried a mix of chemicals
that burned at a temperature high enough to set buildings on fire.
Did it work? No, the British people kept their will to fight. Also, by February 1940, scientists in
Britain had cracked the code that Germany used for top-secret communications and
were, therefore, able to get a general idea of Hitler’s battle plans.
Why did the Germans never invade Great Britain? Give two reasons why this will be a mistake.
- The Luftwaffe (Germanair force) was never able to establish air superiority, which was necessary in
order to neutralize Britain’s navy so that German troops could invade with some hope of success.
Japan Builds an Empire
Why were the Japanese so interested in expanding their empire?
- Japan shifted to a Democratic form of government
- Worldwide depression put pressure on the new government
- Japan’s population was booming
- Japan needed to expand for resources and land
What was the Manchurian Incident all about?
- The Japanese military invaded and took over Manchuria against the government’s wishes, which
increased the military’s power over the civilian gov’t.. Japan then declared Manchuria independent
(under its protection).
How did China fight back against Japan and who helped?
- Warring factions of China (Gen Jieshi – Chinese National Army - and Mao Zedong – Communist
Forces) joined to fight Japan
- The Soviet Union helped by sending weapons, planes, and military advisors to China
- Britain also helped by sending supplies, via the Burma Road (India), to China
Why did the Japanese feel it was important to attack at Pearl Harbor?
- Japan’s actions in China and Indochina led the U.S. to freeze Japanese assets in the U.S. and stop
exporting raw materials to Japan, such as steel, iron, and oil, in an effort to limit Japan’s aggression
in Southeast Asia. Thisslowed and/or got in the way of Japan being able to expand their Empire.
General Tojo Hideki then became prime minister in Japan and supported war against the U.S.
Thus, his regime planned and carried out the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The intention of this
attack was to cripplethe U.S. Pacific fleet and complete the Empire before the U.S. could rebuild.
Neutrality in the U.S.
What did Congress do to try and keep the U.S. from getting involved in Europe?
- Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts, which prevented the U.S. from selling arms even to
nations that were trying to defend themselves:
a. The 1st one in 1935 banned the U.S. from providing weapons to nations at war
b. The 2nd one in 1936 banned loans to nations at war
c. The 3rd one in 1937 permitted trade with fighting nations in nonmilitary goods as long as those
nations paid cash and transported the cargo themselves (cash-and-carry)
What policy did the U.S. use initially to help support the Allies with supplies?
- The cash-and-carry policy was initially used, which allowed nations, such as Great Britain, to buy
goods with cash and transport the cargo themselves.
What policy was adopted as the Allies became more desperate for help (after the fall of France)?
- The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was adopted, which provided aid to any country that was vital to
American security by lending supplies without immediate payment in return. The idea was that
these nations would pay back their debts to the U.S. at a later date.
What were Americans’ attitudes toward war prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor?
- FDR was leading the U.S. out of the Great Depression
- Americans didn’t want to fight in another European war (still many visual reminders of WWI)
What was FDR’s biggest concern before Pearl Harbor?
- FDR’s biggest concern before Pearl Harbor was improving the American economy before becoming
involved in foreign affairs. He also felt he needed the support of the American people before taking
action. In addition, FDR was focused on winning the 1940 Presidential election and getting
legislation passed that would provide more aid to Great Britain in their fight against Germany.
U.S. at Pearl Harbor? 2,400 Americans were killed, 1,200 were wounded, nearly 200 American
warplanes had been damaged/destroyed, and 18 warships (including 8 of the
fleet’s 9 battleships) had been sunk or heavily damaged.
Japanese losses from Pearl Harbor? Japan had lost just 29 planes.