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WorksheetsWorld War II
Total questions: 45
Worksheet time: 23mins
During the l930's, which characteristic was common to Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and Communist Russia?
government ownership of the means of production and distribution
one-party system that denied basic human rights
encouragement of individual freedom of expression in the arts
emphasis on consumer goods rather than on weapons
Fascism in Europe during the l920's and l930's is best described as a
demonstration of laissez-faire capitalism that promoted free enterprise.
form of totalitarianism that glorified the state above the individual.
type of economic system that stressed a classless society.
set of humanist ideas that emphasized the dignity of the individual.
During the l930's and l940's, Nazis in Germany and Fascists in Italy promoted policies that emphasized
national and racial supremacy.
worldwide Communist revolutions.
international peacekeeping efforts.
economic cooperation in Europe.
Base your answers to questions 5 and 6 on the time line below and on your knowledge of social studies.
1905 A 1915 B 1945 C 1975 D 1985
|________|__________________|________________|_________|
The rise of aggressive fascist governments in Europe occurred during the period represented by letter
A
B
C
D
"Why should freedom of speech and freedom of the press be allowed? Why should a government, doing what it believes is right, allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns"
Which political belief would this speaker support?
Societies need war to bring about progress.
Education is a necessary ingredient for a stable society
All people are born with certain natural rights.
The needs of the state are more important than the rights of individuals.
"Why should freedom of speech and freedom of the press be allowed? Why should government, doing what it believes is right, allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns"
Which individual would most likely agree with the ideas expressed in this quotation?
Nelson Mandela
Lech Walesa
Benito Mussolini
Mohandas Gandhi.
What was one reason the Nazi programs and policies of the early l930's appealed to many people in Germany?
The people were frustrated with their current economic and political situation.
Germany had been denied membership in the United Nations.
A coup d'etat had forced communism on the German people.
The German people feared that the French or the British would soon gain control of the Polish corridor.
In the l930's and l940's, fascist regimes in Japan, Germany, and Italy were similar in that each emphasized
empathy toward African nations.
the protection of human rights.
imperialism as a foreign policy.
support for free expression.
During the l930's, the Nazi (National Socialist) Party received support from the German people because it promised to
abide by the Versailles Treaty.
improve economic conditions in Germany.
promote policies that insured ethnic equality.
Utilize international organizations to solve Germany's problems.
The Japanese, the Germans, and the Italians pursued a policy of expansionism before World War II to gain
warm-water ports
freedom of the seas.
manufacturing plants
natural resources
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in l931 and Hitler's rebuilding of the German military in l935 demonstrate the
failure of the League of Nations.
fear of communist expansion.
success of defensive alliances
support for the Treaty of Versailles.
Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Communist Russia were similar in that each
established totalitarian governments.
protected individual rights
supported market-based economies.
elected their leaders through popular vote.
In Europe during the l920s and 1930s, severe inflation, high unemployment, and fear of communism all contributed to the
overthrow of monarchies in Italy and Germany.
rise of fascist governments in Italy, Germany and Spain.
formation of the Common Market in Italy and Spain.
growth of democratic institutions.
Fascist leaders in Italy and Germany came to power in the l920s and l930s because they
resisted all forms of extreme nationalism.
maintained political traditions.
supported the League of Nations.
exploited economic hardships to gain popular support.
One reason for the outbreak of World War II was the
refusal of the German government to sign the Treaty of Versailles.
ineffectiveness of the League of Nations.
growing tension between the United states and the Soviet Union.
conflict between the Hapsburg and the Romanov families.
One reason the Japanese followed a policy of expansionism before World War II was to gain
warm-water ports.
control of Tibet.
additional natural resources.
control of the Suez Canal.
• The Nazi Party controls Germany.
• Khmer Rouge rules in Cambodia.
• The Sandinistas control Nicaragua.
Which statement describes a similarity in these situations?
Civil liberties were promoted.
Voting rights were extended to women.
Leaders won the support of all groups.
One group seized power and limited opposition.
What was one reason that totalitarian dictatorships gained power in Europe between World War I and World War II?
famine and AIDS spread throughout Europe.
Trade was banned between western and eastern Europe.
Governments failed to meet the needs of the people.
Monarchies were reinstated in many nations.
“Mussolini Attacks Ethiopia” (1935)
“Germany Takes the Rhineland Back” (1936)
“Germany and Russia Divide Poland” (1939)
These headlines might be used to illustrate the weakness of the
United Nations.
Warsaw Pact.
Congress of Vienna
League of Nations
One way in which the Hitler Youth of Germany, the Black Shirts of Italy, and the Red Guard of China are similar is that these organizations
required unquestioning loyalty to the leader.
helped increase religious tolerance.
hindered imperialistic goals.
led pro-democracy movements.
The l930s depression in Germany contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party because
economic hardships increased political instability.
five-year plans of the communists failed.
the Reichstag nationalized private property.
the Weimar republic imposed totalitarianism.
What was one similarity between France during the 1790’s and Germany during the 1920’s?
Severe inflation contributed to the rise of radical political groups.
Scientific developments improved the standard of living.
Widespread intolerance of the Huguenots led to human rights abuses.
Military successes eliminated tensions with neighboring countries
Japan’s invasion of China in l937 and Germany’s attack on Poland in 1939 led directly to
the beginning of World War II in Asia and Europe.
a meeting at Yalta between the United States and the Soviet Union.
a conference at Munich for European leaders
the withdrawal of Britain and France from European affairs.
The rise of fascism in Germany between World War I and World War II is often associated with the
promotion of ethnic diversity.
appeal of the doctrine of nonviolence.
establishment of a strong parliamentary system.
impact of the global economic depression.
…The German people were never more pitiable than when they stood by and watched this thing done. For the raiders who were let loose on the streets and given a day to sate [indulge] the lowest instincts of cruelty and revenge were indeed an enemy army. No foreign invader could have done more harm. This is Germany in the hour of her greatest defeat, the best overcome by the worst. While many protested at the outrages, and millions must have been sickened and shamed by the crimes committed in their name, many others looked on stolidly or approvingly while the hunters hunted and the wreckers worked. There are stories of mothers who took their children to see the fun…
- New York Times, November 12, 1938
This l938 passage criticizes those German people who did not
participate in these demonstrations.
condemn the violent acts of Kristallnact.
support the government’s policy in Austria.
resist the war effort.
Which of these World War II events happened first?
dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
D-Day invasion
invasion of Poland.
Battle of Britain
Which agreement was labeled by the Nazis as unfair to Germany?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Treaty of Versailles
Munich Pact
• Bitterness over the Treaty of Versailles
• Loss of the Ruhr and overseas colonies
• Rising inflation and unemployment
These factors are most closely associated with
the rise of fascism in Germany
the Russian Revolution of 1917
French imperialism in Africa
the communist revolution in China.
One reason that Britain and France agreed to appease Hitler at the Munich Conference was to
stop the Nazis from invading the Soviet Union.
obey an order from the League of Nations.
obtain advanced Germany military weapons in exchange.
prevent the start of another world war
“It took the Big Four just five hours and twenty-five minutes here in Munich today to dispel the clouds of war and come to an agreement over the partition of Czechoslovakia. There is to be no European war, after all. There is to be peace, and the price of that peace is, roughly, the ceding by Czechoslovakia of the Sudeten territory to Herr Hitler’s Germany/ The German Fuhrer gets what he wanted, only he has to wait a little longer for it. Not much longer though – only ten days.
Source: William Shirer, recording of CBS radio report from Prague, September 29, 1938.
The policy that France, Britain, and Italy chose to follow at this meeting is known as
appeasement
liberation
self-determination
pacification.
Which policy shows that appeasement does not always prevent war?
British policy toward Germany in Munich during the l930's.
French policy in Indochina in the l950's.
United States policy toward Cuba in the early l960's.
Iraqi policy toward Iran in the l980's.
During the l930's, a joint act of appeasement by the British and French was
signing a treaty with Germany to outlaw nuclear weapons.
giving Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Germany.
entering into a defensive alliance with the United States.
supporting independence for German colonies in Africa.
Before World War II, Great Britain adopted a policy of appeasement in order to
form an alliance with Italy.
promote democracy in eastern Europe.
avoid war with Germany.
demilitarize the frontiers of France and the Soviet Union.
Which newspaper headline illustrates a policy of appeasement?
"Dien Bien Phu Falls; French to Leave Vietnam."
"Chamberlain Agrees to German Demands: Sudetenland to Germany"
"Marshall Plan Proposes Economic Aid Program for Europe"
"Soviet Troops and Tanks Crush Hungarian Revolt"
What was a major reason for Adolf Hitler's rise to power?
provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany's military support of Poland and France.
strong German economy.
refusal by the League of Nations to admit Germany as a member.
Which statement is most accurate concerning the effect of geography on the history of Poland?
Natural barriers have isolated and protected Poland.
The northern European Plain has made Poland vulnerable to invasion.
Mountains have restricted the diffusion of Polish culture.
the absence of seaports has limited Polish economic growth.
During World War II, which event occurred last?
German invasion of Poland.
Russian defense of Stalingrad.
United States bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
“…Seventy thousand people were killed instantly, and many more would die – 60,000 by November and another 70,000 by l950. Most of them would be victims of a new method of killing – radiation….”
- Ronald Takai
The situation described in this passage was the direct result of which World War II event?
blitz of London
D-Day invasion of Normandy
attack on Pearl Harbor
bombing of Hiroshima.
Which geographic factor most directly contributed to the early success of the Nazi blitzkrieg during World War II?
Alps Mountain Range
Thames River
English Channel
Northern European Plain.
World War II is often considered to be a turning point in history because
the League of Nations demonstrated that an international organization could maintain world peace.
the war brought an end to dictatorships as a form of government.
European domination of the world began to weaken as nationalism in colonies increased.
religious and ethnic differences were no longer a source of conflict between nations.
Which sequence of events is in the correct chronological order?
rise of Nazism – Treaty of Versailles – German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Treaty of Versailles – rise of Nazism – German invasion of the Soviet Union.
German invasion of the Soviet Union – rise of Nazism – Treaty of Versailles.
Treaty of Versailles – German invasion of the Soviet Union – rise of Nazism.
The violence and destruction that occurred during World War II led to the
expansion of colonial empires in Africa.
formation of the United Nations.
signing of the Versailles Treaty.
unification of Germany.
Which was a major result of World War II?
Nationalistic feelings among the people of Europe colonialism in many areas of Europe disappeared.
European colonialism in many areas of the world declined.
Efforts to develop new weapons decreased.
International alliances were abolished.
In which way were the results of World War I and World War II similar?
Hereditary monarchs were exiled and replaced by elected officials throughout Europe.
Harsh peace treaties prevented economic recovery and led quickly to war in Europe.
United States foreign aid programs helped rebuild European economies.
The political boundaries of Central and Eastern European nations changed significantly.
Hitler scapegoated which group?
Jews
Gypsies
Roma
Slavs
