Lecture 15- Second World War Flashcards
(26 cards)
What event marked the beginning of Japan’s expansionism in 1931?
Japan’s seizure of Manchuria
This event escalated global tensions and undermined the League of Nations.
What was Mussolini’s goal during Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1935?
To conquer Africa
This invasion deepened divisions with the UK and France and exposed the weakness of the League of Nations.
When did Germany leave the League of Nations?
1933
What major action did Germany take in 1936 that violated the Treaty of Versailles?
Remilitarised the Rhineland
What was the Anschluss?
Invasion of Austria in 1938
What was the pretext for German aggression towards Czechoslovakia?
Alleged mistreatment of ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland
What agreement did Neville Chamberlain negotiate to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland?
Munich Agreement
What significant pact did Germany sign with the Soviet Union in August 1939?
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
When did Germany invade Poland, prompting the UK and France to declare war?
1 September 1939
What was the outcome of the Battle of France?
France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg fell by mid-June 1940
What was Operation Barbarossa?
The invasion of the Soviet Union by German forces on 22 June 1941
Which city did German forces reach in December 1941, close to the Soviet capital?
Moscow
What was the main consequence of underestimating the Soviet response during Operation Barbarossa?
Germans faced a counterattack and were forced onto the defensive
What was the fate of over 3 million Soviet prisoners of war held by the Wehrmacht?
They died in captivity from executions, starvation, and disease
What role did Einsatzgruppen play during the invasion of the Soviet Union?
Mobile killing squads that followed the Wehrmacht to eliminate perceived threats
What was the ‘Holocaust by bullets’?
The murder of nearly 1.5 million Jews by Einsatzgruppen
What marked the turning point of the Second World War for Germany?
Failed Operation Barbarossa
When did Japan attack Pearl Harbor, leading to US entry into the war?
7 December 1941
What significant event occurred at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942?
Planning for the Final Solution
When did Germany surrender at Stalingrad?
February 1943
What date marks the D-Day landings in Normandy?
June 6, 1944
What event occurred on 30 April 1945?
Hitler commits suicide
What was the official end date of the Second World War?
2 September 1945
Fill in the blank: The German forces reached the outskirts of _______ in December 1941.
Moscow
