Lesson 12: The USA and the Second World War

Question 1

How was there more support for joining the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Answer 1

The American first committee who were initially strong supporters of isolationism declared full support for the war
They had 800,000 members

Question 2

When did USA move to the offensive during the war?

Answer 2

1943

Question 3

How were Japan advancing in the pacific?
How many sqaure kilometers had they taken?

Answer 3

1.March 1942: took phillipine islands from America
2.over 2.5 million square kilometers of land in Pacific ocean

Question 4

How were USA successful in dealing with Japanese in the Pacific?

Answer 4

1. Battle of Midway 1942: us planes bombed japanese battleships to slow them down
2. America’s new Radar System meant code breakers were able to read U Boat signals on daily basis and detective positions

Question 5

How did the US positively contribute to the war in Europe?

Answer 5

1. 11.2 million soldiers
2. Armed forces (USAAF) began mass daylight bombing raids on German factories
3. June 1944 D-Day landing: 156,000 allied soldiers pushed Germans out of Paris

Question 6

What is meant by US providing an ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ ?

Answer 6

America is responsible for victory

Question 7

How did the US defeat Japan follwing German surrender?

Answer 7

The Atomic bomb
August 1945
Under President Truman
Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Question 8

What were US weaknesses during the second world war?

Answer 8

1. Stalin unhappy that US didnt open second front - 27 million soviet soldiers
2. Stuggled to defeat German U boats and secure sea-route across Atalantic = shipping losses were 8 million tonnes a month
3. Stalin angry that he was uninformed about atmoic bomb
4. Took until 1943 to be offensive