All Flashcards
What caused the US to impose economic sanctions on Japan?
Japan's expansionist ambitions in China and Southeast Asia.
What was the effect of the US economic sanctions on Japan?
They escalated tensions and were a major cause of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.
What was the cause of the Bataan Death March?
The Japanese conquest of the Philippines in early 1942.
What caused the US to develop the atomic bomb?
The need to end the war quickly and avoid a costly invasion of Japan.
What was the effect of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Japan surrendered three weeks later on the USS Missouri.
What caused the US to prioritize the European theater?
Germany was seen as the greater threat.
What was the effect of the Allied air forces firebombing German cities?
It weakened German infrastructure and morale, contributing to their eventual surrender.
What caused the US to use the island-hopping strategy?
To advance towards Japan without retaking all of Southeast Asia.
What was the effect of the US government's isolationist sentiment and limited immigration policies?
It hindered the US response to the Holocaust.
What caused the US to enter World War II?
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)?
The US President during most of WWII, known for his wartime rhetoric and leadership.
Who was Harry S. Truman?
The US President who decided to use the atomic bomb on Japan.
Who was Winston Churchill?
The Prime Minister of Great Britain during WWII, who formed a strong partnership with FDR.
Who was Joseph Stalin?
The leader of the Soviet Union during WWII, part of the 'Big Three'.
Who was George C. Marshall?
A US General who favored a direct invasion across the English Channel.
Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower?
A US General who led the D-Day invasion.
Who was George Patton?
A US General who led troops in the North Africa Campaign.
Who was Douglas MacArthur?
A US General driven from the Philippines, vowing, 'I shall return.'
Who was Clement Attlee?
British Prime Minister who replaced Churchill at the Potsdam Conference.
Who was Adolf Hitler?
The leader of Nazi Germany who committed suicide in April 1945.
What happened on December 7, 1941?
Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor, leading to the US entry into WWII.
What was D-Day?
The Allied invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.
What was the North Africa Campaign?
A series of battles in North Africa, where General Patton led troops to drive Germany out by May 1943.
What was the Bataan Death March?
The forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war by the Japanese, resulting in many deaths.
When were Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombed?
Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
What was the significance of the Casablanca Conference (January 1943)?
Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to invade Sicily and Italy and demand unconditional surrender from the Axis powers.
What was the significance of the Tehran Conference (1943)?
The Big Three agreed that Britain and America would liberate France, and the Soviets would invade Germany.
What was agreed at the Yalta Conference (February 1945)?
Germany would be divided into occupation zones; free elections would be held in liberated Eastern European countries; the Soviets would enter the war against Japan; a new world peace organization (the United Nations) would be formed.
What was agreed at the Potsdam Conference (July 1945)?
Truman, Stalin, and Attlee demanded Japan's unconditional surrender and agreed to hold war-crime trials of Nazi leaders.
When did Germany surrender unconditionally?
May 7, 1945.