CHAPTER 26
The Second World War, 1933–1945
TRUE/FALSE
1. Hitler portrayed himself as Germany’s savior from the humiliation of having lost the Great War.
2. An incident at the Marco Polo Bridge in 1937 triggered a full-scale war between Japan and
French Indochina.
3. American isolationism declined in the turmoil of the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
4. The Nye Committee concluded that the United States should only enter the Second
World War if it was directly attacked first.
5. The cash-and-carry provision of the Neutrality Act of 1937 permitted belligerent nations to
purchase American goods, including arms and munitions, as long as they were transported on
the belligerent nation’s own ships.
6. The Manhattan Project was a secret U.S. government project to develop the atomic bomb
before the Germans did.
7. France rapidly fell to the Nazis, shocking the world and causing complacency toward the
Nazis in the United States to turn to fear.
8. During the presidential election of 1940, Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term.
9. The Atlantic Charter stated definitively that the United States would remain neutral in
Britain’s war against Germany.
10. During the 1940s, Congress passed the Revenue Act, which expanded the income tax to
include most working Americans.
11. The government initially had plans to develop a Women’s Army Corps (WAC) but never
received enough funding or interest for it to officially take off.
12. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 without plans for holding trials and despite the fact
that not a single incident of espionage involving Japanese Americans was found.
13. The agreements at the Yalta Conference included Stalin’s pledge to enter the war against Japan,
but he demanded territories from Japan and China in exchange.
14. The United States opened its ports to all Jewish refugees who fled the Holocaust during the
Second World War.
15. The Japanese use of the kamikaze began with the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.
16. During the Second World War, presidential authority expanded at the expense of state
and local authority.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The global scope and scale of the Second World War ended America’s ________ during the previous two decades.
a.
lack of involvement in global trade
b.
isolationism in terms of global conflicts
c.
determination to be part of international disputes
d.
overwhelming preference for interventionism
e.
efforts at industrialization and urbanization
2. How did developments in Germany and Japan compare leading up to the Second World War?
a.
Whereas Japanese leaders came to experience the rapid rise of violent ultranationalist patriotism,
Adolf Hitler remained quiet about his nationalist intentions for Germany due to the drastically
increasing number of democratic nations and the pressure they exerted.
b.
Whereas Adolf Hitler remained incredibly unpopular among the masses in Germany and only rose
to power through sheer force, Japanese leaders were idolized by the masses and easily brought them
to their side when, all the while, they were creating a totalitarian regime.
c.
At the same time as Adolf Hitler professed his intention to use Germany’s supposed racial
supremacy to dominate Europe, Japanese leaders purported their intention for their “master race” to
direct a resurgent Asia.
d.
Whereas Adolf Hitler tried to keep a low profile by refusing to use any sort of violence or force
against his opponents until the war had officially begun, Japanese leaders created a secret police
force to do their bidding and often had their opponents jailed or killed.
e.
At the same time as Adolf Hitler saw the rise of civil war in Germany and capitalized on the
fragmentation of various aspects of society, Japanese leaders faced their own civil war and took
advantage of the divisions between Communists and nationalists.
3. What did the governments of Italy and Germany have in common by the 1930s?
a.
Both had established communist forms of government.
b.
Both had thriving liberal democracies.
c.
Both had strong monarchies.
d.
Both had established fascist forms of government.
e.
Both had gone to war with the United States.
4. Which of the following contributed to Hitler’s rise to power?
a.
his positioning himself as a leader who worked hard behind doors for the benefit of the people,
rarely appearing before public gatherings
b.
his building trust with the German people by his openness with them and refusal to engage in any
sort of censorship
c.
his diplomatic efforts and adherence to the Versailles Treaty, which helped transform Germany into
the strongest industrial power at the time
d.
his use of showmanship and organization of a police state employing tyranny, terrorism, and
propaganda to impose absolute control
e.
his embrace of communism as the heart of the Nazi ideology and his strong alliances with other
world leaders since after the First World War
5. What was the result of the invasion of Manchuria, China by Japanese troops in the 1930s?
a.
They sought to seize control of the railroad in Manchuria into Russia but were immediately
thwarted by Russian forces.
b.
They took advantage of China’s weakness during a civil war by proclaiming Manchuria’s
independence.
c.
They used Manchuria as a staging ground to invade Russia, thereby marking the beginning of the
Second World War.
d.
They easily took control of this unclaimed land because it had such little value economically but
transformed it into an area that was strategic militarily.
e.
They intended to prevent the Chinese from using the port there as a launch point to invade Japan
but were thwarted by Chinese forces.
6. What was the significance of America’s “good neighbor” policy as the Second World War
grew more imminent?
a.
The policy promoted free trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico and deepened
Americans’ commitment to interfering in world affairs.
b.
The policy promised aggressive military actions against any “bad neighbors” in both the Western
and Eastern Hemispheres.
c.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and most Americans continued to support the policy’s
sentiment of noninterventionism.
d.
Most Americans rejected the policy due to the escalating foreign crises, signaling the immediate
onset of a new period in American history.
e.
The policy had been implemented as part of the Great War and represented how most Americans
supported the deep involvement of banks and businesses.
7. In 1935, Hitler, in flagrant violation of the Versailles Treaty, began rebuilding Germany’s
a.
economy.
d.
new opera halls.
b.
infrastructure.
e.
armed forces.
c.
spy service.
8. The Spanish Civil War began when
a.
the Roman Catholic Church condemned the Nationalist movement.
b.
Hitler attacked Spain to show he was more powerful than Mussolini.
c.
Spanish Nationalists revolted against a fragile new democratic government.
d.
Italy attacked Spain as a rebuke against Hitler.
e.
Francisco Franco defected to the United States.
9. Which of the following statements about the involvement of various nations in the Spanish
Civil War is accurate?
a.
Franklin Roosevelt advocated official U.S. support of the Nationalist faction, sending a large
number of troops to the Iberian Peninsula.
b.
The United States, Britain, Germany, and Italy all supported the republican movement but
experienced a falling out that led to the Second World War.
c.
Hitler and Mussolini helped the armed fascist uprising led by Nationalist Francisco Franco, adding
to the sense of crisis in Europe.
d.
Whereas the European democracies helped the armed uprising, Germany and Italy broke alliances
by refusing to intervene and thereby saving their resources.
e.
The Soviet Union refused to play any role, thereby ensuring that it would join the side of the Axis
powers during the Second World War.
10. What was the role of the Nye Committee?
a.
It investigated and criticized the role that bankers and munitions makers played in America’s entry
into the Great War.
b.
It wrote a convincing recommendation letter that European nations appease Hitler by allowing him
to annex Czechoslovakia.
c.
It compiled an official list of America’s international obligations under existing treaties and ensured
that they were met during the Second World War.
d.
It helped initiate a close relationship between businesses and the military to protect national
security during the Second World War.
e.
It sounded the alarm in regard to Hitler’s rise to power and encouraged greater U.S. involvement in
international affairs to stop the spread of fascism.
11. Which of the following statements accurately describes the purpose of the Neutrality Act of 1935?
a.
It was directed predominantly against Japanese aggression in China.
b.
It allowed the U.S. Navy to stop and search German ships on the high seas.
c.
It gave citizens greater freedom in regard to how they traveled.
d.
It stopped German military aid to Francisco Franco.
e.
It forbade the sale of arms and munitions to warring nations.
12. Winston Churchill, who would become the British prime minister in 1940, predicted that an
agreement would not end Hitler’s assaults, saying that, “This is only the beginning of the
reckoning.” Which of the following agreements was this?
a.
the Kellogg-Briand Pact
d.
the League of Nations charter
b.
the Nine-Power Treaty
e.
the Munich Pact
c.
the Trade Agreements Act
13. What effect did the German occupation of Czechoslovakia have on Roosevelt?
a.
It intensified his isolationist sentiments and desire to stay out of Europe’s problems.
b.
It caused him to no longer profess impartiality in the impending European struggle.
c.
It led him to work to appease Hitler to avoid further conquests.
d.
It propelled him to publicly blame Czechoslovakia for provoking the attack.
e.
It resulted in his immediately requiring that Congress rescind the Neutrality Acts.
14. Germany’s invasion of what country triggered the beginning of the Second World War in Europe?
a.
Czechoslovakia
d.
Poland
b.
the Soviet Union
e.
Austria
c.
Britain
15. At what point did Congress revise the 1935 Neutrality Act to do more to stop “aggressor” nations?
a.
after the annexation of Czechoslovakia
b.
after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War
c.
after the invasion of Poland
d.
after the attack on Pearl Harbor
e.
after the Anschluss
16. Which of the following statements accurately describes the German blitzkrieg?
a.
It was another name for the months–long stalemate at the beginning of the war as Hitler’s generals
waited out the winter.
b.
It was a relatively ineffective and slow war tactic, which led to the extended length of the Second
World War.
c.
It began during the invasion of the Sudetenland, which triggered French and British declarations of
war.
d.
It was based on espionage, with spies and agents undermining enemy governments ahead of an
invasion.
e.
It was centered on speed and stunned defenders who faced coordinated air and land forces in
western Europe.
17. What was the result of the Battle of Britain in 1940?
a.
Winston Churchill’s approval ratings as prime minister plummeted as Great Britain grew convinced
that it would lose the war.
b.
The British gave up control of a number of their ports to the Germans, as the Germans had
launched a primarily naval attack.
c.
The British managed to avoid major civilian casualties and experienced little damage to their major
cities, thereby boosting the morale of the Allied forces.
d.
Although German air strikes killed many British civilians, the Royal Air Force used new radar
technology to win the battle and postpone German invasion plans.
e.
Thanks to the launching of their Luftwaffe air force, the German military won its first victory during
the war after a series of major losses.
18. In late summer 1940, President Roosevelt agreed to send fifty “overaged” destroyers to
Britain in return for
a.
Republican promises not to ask for a peacetime draft.
b.
the ability to build U.S. naval and air bases on British islands in the Caribbean.
c.
congressional approval of a draft registration act.
d.
fifty “outdated” British aircraft carriers that U.S. factories could copy.
e.
a renegotiated payment schedule of the Allies’ war debt from the First World War.
19. Which of the following were members of the America First Committee likely to be?
a.
advocates for the United States to demand a steep price from allies for war materials and military
assistance
b.
liberals who urged “military preparedness” as an alternative to the United States going to war
outright
c.
supporters of isolationist policies who often included midwestern and western Republicans
d.
interventionists who supported Roosevelt and helped ensure that his presidency was free of heated
political debate
e.
imperialists who wanted the United States to acquire further territories in the Pacific by first
establishing military bases
20. In the 1940 presidential election, Roosevelt promoted ________, whereas his opponent
favored ________.
a.
isolationism; intervention
d.
isolationism; preparedness
b.
intervention; isolationism
e.
warmongering; preparedness
c.
preparedness; isolationism
21. Who was Franklin Roosevelt’s opponent in the 1940 presidential election?
a.
Thomas Dewey
d.
Herbert Hoover
b.
Wendell Willkie
e.
Robert Taft
c.
Theodore Roosevelt
22. Through the Lend-Lease bill, passed in January 1941, “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the
defense of the United States”
a.
could receive American military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials only if they
rented them at fair market value.
b.
could purchase only the American military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials that
had been made available through Canada.
c.
must declare war on Germany in order to be eligible for American material support since the United
States had already entered the war.
d.
could receive military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials even if that country
lacked the funds to pay for those items.
e.
was nevertheless prohibited from receiving any American military equipment, supplies, and other
necessary materials.
23. The passage of the Lend-Lease bill in 1941 signaled what about American opinion?
a.
Internationalist sentiment was weakening.
b.
The president lost control over Congress.
c.
Isolationist strength was weakening.
d.
Americans paid little attention to the European war.
e.
Pacifism was resurgent.
24. In June 1941, Germany widened the war by ________ as part of Operation Barbarossa.
a.
declaring war on the United States
d.
invading Britain
b.
invading the Soviet Union
e.
declaring war on Poland
c.
attacking Spain
25. What was the Atlantic Charter?
a.
a joint British-American statement of anti-Axis war aims
b.
an official proclamation of American neutrality in the wars in Europe and Asia
c.
another name for the American declaration of war against Germany
d.
the promise to fight communism by expanding the war in Europe
e.
the rejection of the self-determination of all peoples
26. Which of the following occurred by the autumn of 1941 after the signing of the Atlantic Charter?
a.
The U.S. Congress declared war on Germany.
b.
The U.S. Navy was engaging the German Navy in the Atlantic.
c.
Roosevelt ordered ships to avoid combat zones.
d.
Roosevelt broke diplomatic relations with Germany.
e.
Congress passed legislation outlawing naval convoys.
27. During the summer of 1941, the United States attempted to restrain Japanese expansion by
a.
restricting oil exports to Japan and freezing Japanese assets in the United States.
b.
ordering the strategic bombing of Japanese military sites.
c.
sending many troops to China and stationing a large naval force in the South Pacific.
d.
establishing a protectorate over China and positioning many American leaders there.
e.
declaring a naval blockade of Japan and building airfields in Indochina.
28. What significant objective motivated Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific
during 1940–1941?
a.
the intention of provoking the United States to attack Japan first at all costs
b.
the priority of defeating Chinese guerrilla fighters operating in Indochina
c.
a desire to reacquire the Philippines from the Americans who had seized the islands from Japan
d.
the hope of the Japanese army to stage an invasion of Australia
e.
the expansion’s provision of access to vitally needed raw materials
29. By November 1941, the United States insisted it would reopen trade with Japan only after
that country
a.
gave up its recently acquired territory in New Zealand.
b.
signed an agreement not to attack Russia.
c.
withdrew completely from China.
d.
paid Britain for the oil and other resources it had taken from its colonies.
e.
joined the Allies in the Tripartite Pact.
30. Why was the attack on Pearl Harbor significant?
a.
It demonstrated the Japanese naval commander’s belief that the only way Japan could defeat the
United States was through a long war.
b.
It showed that the United States was too quick to lift embargoes on Japan and other warring
nations.
c.
It was a surprise attack that immediately caused the United States to enter the war and brought the
isolationist movement to an abrupt end.
d.
It was a highly successful victory for the Japanese militarily due to its destruction of U.S. aircraft
carriers.
e.
It caused the war henceforth to become more localized in the Pacific and much less of a global
conflict.
31. Which agency was created to direct industrial conversion to war production?
a.
Commerce Department
b.
Department of the Treasury
c.
War Production Board
d.
Office of Scientific Research and Development
e.
Office of War Information
32. What was the role of the Office of Price Administration?
a.
to combat the serious wartime deflation due to high unemployment rates
b.
to raise consumer prices so that allies would pay more for goods than everyday Americans
c.
to ration and set price ceilings on high-demand items such as tires, sugar, and gasoline
d.
to lower or remove taxes using the authority of the Revenue Act of 1942
e.
to promote massive increases in American consumerism to help finance the war effort
33. Which of the following accurately describes wartime opportunities of American women during
the Second World War?
a.
Many women served in the armed forces as well as in the civilian workforce, in part thanks to
recruitment efforts by the government.
b.
Many women served in the civilian workforce, but all were prevented from putting on a uniform
due to the public sentiment that it was too dangerous.
c.
Women largely maintained traditional domestic roles due to laws limiting their involvement, with
only a few thousand entering the workforce.
d.
Despite strong discouragement from the government, several women defied wartime norms and
entered the workforce.
e.
Nearly all women opposed the conflict for fear of what would happen to their sons and husbands
and participated solely as nurses.
34. Which of the following was one of the ironies of the Second World War?
a.
As Hitler promoted the spread of communism in Germany, so too did Roosevelt in the United
States in an effort to earn support from other countries.
b.
While Hitler allowed many African Americans and other minorities to fight for the Germans,
Roosevelt outlawed African American military participation.
c.
While allowing women to fight in the war as part of the armed forces, the United States still had not
granted women the right to vote and choose their leaders.
d.
While fighting racism celebrated by fascism abroad, the United States tolerated racism at home,
continuing to racially segregate the military.
e.
Despite Roosevelt’s campaign promises that the United States would stay out of the war, the nation
was one of the first to formally declare war.
35. Who were the Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War?
a.
American women pilots who attended flight school in Tuskegee, Alabama, and joined a reserve
faction of the air force but were prevented from entering real combat
b.
the largest division of the Royal Air Force that ensured the defeat of the Nazis during the Battle of
Britain and later on in France
c.
a group of American pilots who volunteered for the Royal Air Force and suffered terrible defeat,
convincing Roosevelt that the United States was unprepared to enter the war
d.
African American pilots trained in Tuskegee, Alabama whose performance in the war helped
inspire the eventual desegregation of the armed forces after the war
e.
a group of American military men who organized in Tuskegee, Alabama to protest the war,
questioning Roosevelt’s motives for entering it
36. Which of the following occurred as a result of the bracero program in 1942?
a.
Violence and prejudice toward Hispanics in the United States subsided, especially in southern
California.
b.
A large number of Mexican Americans were deported because of an overabundance of
farmworkers.
c.
Due to labor shortages in American farm counties, Mexico agreed to send seasonal farmworkers to
the United States on yearlong contracts.
d.
Mexican Americans, along with other minority groups, were forbidden from joining the U.S.
military.
e.
The populations of western cities fell dramatically as Mexican Americans moved to urban areas on
the East Coast.
37. Which of the following statements accurately describes the Native American experience
in the armed forces during the Second World War?
a.
Native American servicemen fought in segregated units with African Americans.
b.
Native American servicemen were integrated into regular units.
c.
Native Americans were ineligible for service in the armed forces.
d.
Native Americans refused to serve in the armed forces.
e.
Native Americans served but were exempt from fighting on the front lines.
38. What were “war relocation camps”?
a.
They were bases that housed American servicemen before they were sent to the front lines and
joined European troops.
b.
They were prisoner of war camps for captured Germans in Europe that used brutal tactics and had
terrible conditions.
c.
They were the German euphemism for Nazi concentration camps, as no American officials were
aware they existed.
d.
They helped the families of American servicemen cope with the absence of husbands and fathers
and provided a sense of community.
e.
They were essentially internment camps for over 100,000 Japanese Americans during the war due
to racial and fear-based prejudice.
39. British and American differences over where to attack Germany first were resolved with the
decision to launch an offensive
a.
across the English Channel.
d.
in the Middle East.
b.
against Japan.
e.
on the eastern front.
c.
in North Africa.
40. In early 1942, the biggest challenge the United States faced in the Atlantic was
a.
German-American disloyalty.
d.
German espionage.
b.
German aircraft carrier attacks.
e.
German submarine warfare.
c.
German blitzkrieg.
41. Which of the following occurred during the Tehran Conference where Churchill, Stalin, and
Roosevelt all met together for the first time?
a.
They discussed the importance of developing an atomic weapon before Nazi Germany did and
agreed to consult one another before using it.
b.
They argued the entire time over how territories should be divided after Hitler’s defeat, as
Roosevelt felt Russia was no longer an important ally.
c.
They formed a bond of genuine trust and warmth that would prove important to the future of the
continued alliance long after the war ended.
d.
They discussed the planned invasion of France and Russian offense across eastern Europe as well
as made early plans for the United Nations.
e.
They agreed on the importance of defeating Japan first before turning their attention to defeating
Hitler’s forces in Europe.
42. In what way was Operation Overlord a turning point in the war?
a.
It opened a western front in the war around the same time the Soviets advanced on Germany from
the east.
b.
It led to the defeat of Britain and, as a result, delayed the ability of the United States to stage troops
near Europe.
c.
It led to the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa and, due to the certainty of the Allies, was one of
the least complex invasions.
d.
It led to the fall of Mussolini’s regime in Italy, opening a door for Allied forces to Germany from
the south.
e.
It brought China into the war against Japan, making it impossible for Japan to continue to dominate
the Pacific.
43. Which of the following occurred during the presidential election of 1944?
a.
Franklin Roosevelt chose not to run for a fourth term due to progress toward winning
the war.
b.
Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Franklin Roosevelt in his run for a fourth term as
president.
c.
Harry Truman was elected president, in part because presidencies were limited to two
terms.
d.
Franklin Roosevelt won a fourth term as president despite his secret that his health
was failing.
e.
Democrats and Republicans agreed to postpone the election until after the war.
44. What was the significance of the 1945 Yalta Conference?
a.
Roosevelt’s unwillingness to compromise led to the end of Allies’ cooperation in the final months
of the war.
b.
Roosevelt yielded to some of Stalin’s territorial desires in order to secure Soviet help to defeat
Japan and Soviet participation in the United Nations.
c.
It is a symbol of the genuine trust and confidence that Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin had in one
another despite their ideological differences.
d.
Roosevelt acknowledged that the United States had developed an atomic bomb in order to maintain
the confidence of the British and Soviets.
e.
Harry Truman met with Churchill and Stalin for the first time following Roosevelt’s death and
proved to them his commitment to ending the war.
45. What was Hitler’s “Final Solution”?
a.
another name for the blitzkrieg, a military strategy Hitler primarily employed at
the end of the war
b.
a last-minute alliance between the Nazis and the Japanese to maintain control of
the Pacific
c.
the military tactic of liberating the most important islands in the Pacific and
bypassing others
d.
the wholesale extermination of the Jews, who Hitler blamed for most of Germany’s
problems
e.
his decision to force all Jews to join the German military because so few Nazi
soldiers were left
46. What did American soldiers discover upon reaching the interior of Germany in 1945?
a.
the Soviet decision at the end of the war to switch sides and support the Axis Powers
b.
concentration camps where the Nazis systematically murdered millions of Jews
c.
trials during which Hitler was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death
d.
the Nazi victory over the Soviet troops that had infiltrated and attacked Berlin
e.
the continuation of the Nazi Reich following Hitler’s suicide
47. From late 1941 into early 1942, the Second World War in the Pacific included
a.
a succession of Japanese victories that saw numerous Allied outposts fall.
b.
a string of American victories that put Japan on the defensive.
c.
the Japanese in the Philippines surrendering to General Douglas MacArthur.
d.
the successful Japanese invasion of Australia and installation of a Japanese government.
e.
the final surrender of China to Japan and the installation of a Japanese government.
48. General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz developed the ________ strategy
to defeat the Japanese in the Pacific war.
a.
anaconda
d.
guerrilla
b.
blitzkrieg
e.
“shock and awe”
c.
island-hopping
49. Which of the following statements about the Battle of Okinawa is true?
a.
It took place early in the war and involved the capture of American civilians, turning the United
States against Japan.
b.
It preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor, but Roosevelt did not learn of the fighting until later.
c.
It was the first American victory of the war in the Pacific and resulted in such few casualties that
Truman felt the end of the war was imminent.
d.
It was the largest amphibious operation of the war in the Pacific and the staging area for a planned
invasion of Japan.
e.
It was a quick and decisive Japanese victory that convinced the United States to withdraw all
American troops from the Pacific.
50. Which of the following statements accurately describes the decision-making process behind
the use of atomic bombs against Japan?
a.
American military planners reasoned that use of the bombs would prevent the Soviets from entering
the war in Asia.
b.
American military planners reasoned that use of the bombs would shock Germany into surrendering
before facing the same fate.
c.
American military planners believed that the use of the bombs would kill only the Japanese
emperor and most of the government but keep all civilians safe.
d.
American military planners reasoned that use of the bombs would prevent the necessity of a
conventional invasion, which they believed would cost more than a million lives.
e.
American military planners convinced a highly reluctant and unbending Truman to drop the bombs
by appealing to Congress.
51. What was the role of the Potsdam Declaration?
a.
It accepted the Japanese surrender and allowed the emperor to remain on the throne.
b.
It is the formal name for the Soviet Union’s declaration of war against Japan.
c.
It threatened the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
d.
It demanded that Japan surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction.”
e.
It presented Japan’s terms for surrendering to the Allied powers.
52. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the two most powerful nations in
the world were
a.
the United States and Britain.
d.
Germany and Britain.
b.
Japan and Germany.
e.
the United States and Japan.
c.
the United States and the Soviet Union.
53. Which of the following was a result of the Second World War?
a.
The United States became more deeply committed to international affairs.
b.
Germany occupied Poland until 1962.
c.
Japan became a communist country.
d.
Britain’s empire expanded in Africa and Asia.
e.
The United States suffered greater losses than the other major Allies.
54. What combination of factors turned the tide and led to the Allied victory?
a.
American industrial productivity and the Soviet Union’s ability to absorb and ultimately repel the
German invasion
b.
frequent use of superior American tanks and British planes that outmatched their German
equivalents
c.
Japan’s defection to the Allies after the dropping of the atomic bombs and Germany’s invasion of
Britain
d.
the decrease in size and power of the federal government and the expansion of federal and state
power
e.
President Roosevelt’s loss of the 1944 Democratic nomination to Harry Truman and Hitler’s failing
health
ESSAY
1. Describe the Atlantic Charter and explain its significance.
2. Discuss America’s industrial and economic mobilization for the Second World War and
explain how it proved essential to the eventual Allied victory.
3. What was the Good Neighbor policy? How did it reflect the general foreign policy mood of the nation?
4. Describe the major steps in America’s move away from neutrality between 1935 and 1941.
5. Discuss the negotiations between the United States and Japan in 1940 and 1941. How did the
actions of each contribute to war?
6. What role did the issue of war debt and reparations play in the heightening American
isolation and anti-American feeling after the Great War?
7. How significant a role did the demand for strategic and military resources like oil play in
the origins of the Second World War? How did decisions about strategic and military
resources influence the road to war?
8. What were the most significant factors in bringing about the Allied victory in the
Second World War?
9. Compare the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. How did these figures come to power and why did
they enjoy support among the people of their countries?
10. What consequences did the war have on the civil rights of Americans at home between
1941 and 1945?
11. What factors influenced the Allied victory in the Pacific? Which factor do you think was the
most significant? Explain your position.
12. What justifications were given for America’s use of the atomic bomb on Japan?
13. Is it fair to describe the United States as a “reluctant ally” to Great Britain and the Soviet
Union? Why or why not?
14. Detail how the United States financed the Second World War and what impact the war had
on the U.S. economy.
15. Discuss the details of the Yalta Conference and its importance to the postwar world.
MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
a.
was an American admiral in the Pacific
b.
was secretary of war during the Second World War
c.
was Democratic presidential candidate in 1940
d.
ordered the use of atomic bombs against Japan
e.
directed the construction of atomic bombs
f.
led the invasion of the Philippines during the Second World War
g.
planned the invasion of Normandy
h.
drew up the Atlantic Charter with an American president
i.
was the senator who led the committee that coined the term “merchants of death”
j.
became the leader of the Soviet Union following Vladimir Lenin’s death
1. Harry S. Truman
2. Douglas MacArthur
3. Chester Nimitz
4. Josef Stalin
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower
6. Winston Churchill
7. J. Robert Oppenheimer
8. Gerald Nye
9. Franklin D. Roosevelt
10. Henry L. Stimson