WWII Effects

Question 1

What was the debt for the US at the end of the war?

Answer 1

$560B

Question 2

How was the US’s war debt paid back and how long did this take?

Answer 2

The war bonds needed to be paid back and were paid back in 5 years.

Question 3

What other economic factors changed after the war?

Answer 3

• GNP tripled

- Standard of living went up

Question 4

When was the GI bill passed?

Answer 4

1944

Question 5

What is the other name for the GI bill?

Answer 5

Servicemen’s Adjustment Act

Question 6

What does GI stand for?

Answer 6

Government Issue

Question 7

What did the GI bill do?

Answer 7

If you were a soldier your life was issued by the government. It was their war bonus reward for winning the war, provided low interest loans for them to go to college, get a house, or start a business.

Question 8

How did the GI bill change America?

Answer 8

It opened doors for working class families with bonds to send people to college, manufacturing economy turns into service economy, suburbs grow from GI bill, leads to interstate highways to connect cities.

Question 9

How was our economy different than the typical post-war economy?

Answer 9

In most wars you get a post war recession for economics, but in WWII, our economy improves and becomes consumer driven

Question 10

How did women and blacks earn more respect after the war?

Answer 10

They do their part to bring the US the victory and feel great that they won. Women will take a lesson from the African Americans, they feel this glory from winning as they feel power to bring change.

Question 11

What inspired blacks to move out of the south?

Answer 11

They get to go into other countries that had less racism than the US during the war.

Question 12

Where do blacks start moving to?

Answer 12

They will start moving out of the south, move to west coast or northeast, finding more jobs and opportunities in these new areas, escape racism of deep south.

Question 13

How many people die in WWII?

Answer 13

72M

Question 14

Of the deaths, what percent were civilians?

Answer 14

2/3

Question 15

Why were cities targets in the war?

Answer 15

It is because of industry and war good production, modern war becomes more about weapons, which are produced by civilians.

Question 16

What are the top four countries based on deaths?

Answer 16

• USSR 29M dead -China about 10M dead

- Poland 6M dead -Germany just under 6M dead

Question 17

How many deaths did the US have?

Answer 17

415,000, under 20,000 civilians died

Question 18

Where were the War Crime Trials at?

Answer 18

Nuremberg for Germany and Tokyo for Japan.

Question 19

How many Nazis and Japanese were put on trial?

Answer 19

24 Nazis

28 Japanese

Question 20

What was the punishment breakup of the Nazis?

Answer 20

12 executed
3 life sentences
4 less sentences
3 acquitted 
2 suicides

Question 21

What was the punishment breakup of the Japanese?

Answer 21

7 executed
16 life sentences
3 lesser sentences

Question 22

Why was the Japanese emperor not executed?

Answer 22

Japan would avenge that and war would restart.

Question 23

What are the three crime categories?

Answer 23

• war crimes
• waging aggressive war
• crimes against humanity

Question 24

What is a war crime and give an example of one.

Answer 24

POW camps-cannot torture people and must treat them a certain way

Question 25

What is a waging aggressive war and give an example of one.

Answer 25

A violent attack that prompts someone else to fight back. Germany invasion of Poland, USSR, Pearl Harbor, Manchuria are examples

Question 26

What was a crime against humanity during the war?

Answer 26

Holocaust

Question 27

Who is trying who from WWII?

Answer 27

Allies are tying the Axis powers.

Question 28

Even if the US committed some of these crimes, why didn’t they get caught for them?

Answer 28

US won, so there was no punishment for them, winners cannot be criminals in war.

Question 29

What were some crimes US committed during the war?

Answer 29

• Internment camps

- Japanese bombs

Question 30

Who is the Cold War against?

Answer 30

USA vs. USSR

Question 31

Why is there a cold war between these two countries?

Answer 31

USSR is mad with US for not fighting for them during Germany invading them. We do not like Soviets because of communism. Germany put them in the war with Non-Aggression Pact, they committed a war crime also.

Question 32

Why is the Cold War “cold”?

Answer 32

We never square off with Soviet Union because of atomic bomb, too deadly a game, so we fight third level wars as allies to certain countries such as Vietnam, Afghanistan and Korea and Africa. We fight as proxies, because direct war is too dangerous.

Question 33

What kind of war is the cold war?

Answer 33

Culture, economics, politics

Question 34

What was supposed to be an answer to the Holocaust?

Answer 34

creating of Israel

Question 35

What used to occur in Europe to help Jews?

Answer 35

There used to be a Zionist movement to give Jews a homeland in Europe.

Question 36

Why was the creation of Israel a problem?

Answer 36

Palestinians are Muslim and Israelis are Jewish. This causes some fights.

Question 37

What does Palestine do after they lose fights?

Answer 37

They turn to irrelevancy and terrorism.

Question 38

When was the San Francisco conference?

Answer 38

April 1945

Question 39

What was discussed at the San Francisco conference?

Answer 39

Roosevelt and Churchill draw up a UN charter

Question 40

How is the UN stronger than the League of Nations?

Answer 40

It is stronger because of Security council (US, UK, USSR, China, France-major allied powers from WWII)-hold 5 seats, makes it stronger, can create Peace-keeping forces, rather than war to create peace. League of Nations did not have that ability, but UN does. Korean war will be fought under UN flag, means UN goes to war, US will provide bulk of forces, can raise peacekeeping forces.

Question 41

What were the two conferences that lead to the Cold War?

Answer 41

Yalta and Potsdam

Question 42

What was discussed at Yalta?

Answer 42

They decided what to do with Germany, took Germany and divided it into 4 occupation zones, and each of the four countries would take one UK, US, USSR, France, and then leave and let Germany rebuild. This was supposed to recreate Germany, but led to Berlin wall because Soviets did not want to leave their spot in East Germany.

Question 43

What was discussed at Potsdam?

Answer 43

Stalin said WWIII is inevitable and how can they prepare for it, US thought WWIII is not a done deal and thought how can we prevent it.

Question 44

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 44

an economic recovery plan for Europe at the end of war, US under Secretary of State George Marshall will spend $17B to help Europe rebuild.

Question 45

Why was the Marshall Plan Created?

Answer 45

If desperate people do desperate things, we need to eliminate the desperation, this was a way to prevent another war because radicals like Hitler will do less and won’t feel desperate to do these things.