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World War II: Prelude and Outbreak

Total questions: 23

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

How did the results of World War I cause World War II?

a)

The League of Nations declared war on Italy because World War I created problems between Germany and Italy.

b)

The war debt from World War I that Germany had to pay was one of the causes of the political and economic instability in Europe.

c)

President Wilson's peace plan called for the invasion of Germany if the country failed to pay its war debt.

d)

When Great Britain was blamed for World War I, Great Britain invaded France to demand payment for the war.

2.

What was the consequence of the global economic collapse in the late 1920s for Germany?

a)

Strengthening of the Weimar Republic

b)

Increased popularity of the Nazi Party

c)

Decreased military spending

d)

Alliance with Britain and France

3.

What was the main reason Britain and France declared war on Germany?

a)

Germany's economic collapse

b)

The Munich Agreement failure

c)

Hitler's book Mein Kampf

d)

Germany's invasion of Poland

4.

Which country did Hitler aim to make strong again and regain lost territories?

a)

Austria

b)

France

c)

Germany

d)

Poland

5.

Which treaty limited Germany's military capabilities after World War I?

a)

Treaty of Versailles

b)

Treaty of Munich

c)

Treaty of Berlin

d)

Treaty of Paris

6.

What was Hitler's reaction when Britain declared war in 1939?

a)

He surrendered immediately

b)

He was pleased

c)

He was surprised and angered

d)

He was indifferent

7.

Who was the British Prime Minister who met with Hitler to try to avoid war?

a)

Neville Chamberlain

b)

Joseph Stalin

c)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

d)

Winston Churchill

8.

What event in 1939 marked the beginning of the Second World War?

a)

Hitler's invasion of Poland

b)

The Munich Agreement

c)

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles

d)

The formation of the Nazi Party

9.

What was the primary goal of the Munich Agreement?

a)

To end World War I

b)

To start World War II

c)

To expand Germany's borders

d)

To find a peaceful solution to territorial disputes

10.

What did Hitler violate that led to the annexation of Sudetenland?

a)

Non-aggression pact with Poland

b)

The Treaty of Versailles

c)

The Munich Agreement

d)

Economic agreements with Britain

11.

Which of the following is a cause of WWII?

a)

European democracies encouraged Hitler to rearm Germany.

b)

The US was unsuccessful in stopping Soviet expansion peacefully.

c)

The US continued involvement in Europe after WWI, causing mistrust.

d)

The Treaty of Versailles created bitterness and resentment.

12.
What event is now considered a failed act of appeasement?
a)
The Treaty of Versailles
b)
The Potsdam Conference
c)
The Yalta Conference
d)
The Munich Agreement
13.

Analyze the long-term effects of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany's political landscape leading up to World War II.

a)

It had little to no effect on Germany's politics.

b)

It led to economic prosperity in Germany.

c)

It created political instability and contributed to the rise of extremism.

d)

It strengthened Germany's alliances with neighboring countries.

14.

What was a major cause of World War II?

a)

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles

b)

The invention of the airplane

c)

The discovery of penicillin

d)

The start of the Industrial Revolution

15.

What was the main reason for the United States to enter World War II?

a)

The invasion of Poland

b)

The bombing of Pearl Harbor

c)

The Battle of Britain

d)

The signing of the Axis Pact

16.

What was the main goal of Adolf Hitler's foreign policy?

a)

To establish a lasting peace in Europe

b)

To create a union of socialist states

c)

To expand German territory and undo the Treaty of Versailles

d)

To promote democracy in neighboring countries

17.

What policy did Britain and France follow in an attempt to prevent World War 2?

a)

Isolationism

b)

Appeasement

c)

Militarism

d)

Totalitarianism

18.

The policy of appeasement helped cause World War II because this policy

a)

reduced the armaments of major European powers

b)

gave too much power to the United Nations

c)

increased sea trade between England and the United States

d)

allowed the aggressive actions of Germany to go unchecked

19.
WW2 was inevitable because...
a)
The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
b)
Everyone wanted to go to war
c)
Hitler was greedy
d)
The League of Nations was trying to start a war
20.

When was Hitler's surprise attack on Poland?

a)

dawn September 1, 1989

b)

dawn September 1, 1939

c)

dawn September 1, 1739

d)

dawn September 1, 1639

21-22.

Atatürk’s Fashion Police

Turkey’s restrictions on wearing overtly religious-oriented attire are rooted in the founding of the modern, secular Turkish state, when the republic’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, introduced a series of clothing regulations designed to keep religious symbolism out of the civil service. The regulations were part of a sweeping series of reforms that altered virtually every aspect of Turkish life—from the civil code to the alphabet to education to social integration of the sexes.

The Western dress code at that time, though, was aimed at men. The fez—the short, conical, red-felt cap that had been in vogue [fashion] in Turkey since the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II made it part of the official national attire in 1826—was banished. Atatürk himself famously adopted a Panama hat to accent his Western style gray linen suit, shirt, and tie when he toured the country in the summer of 1925 to sell his new ideas to a deeply conservative population. That autumn, the Hat Law of 1925 was passed, making European-style men’s headwear de rigueur [fashionable] and punishing fez-wearers with lengthy sentences of imprisonment at hard labor, and even a few hangings. . . .

— Roff Smith, “Why Turkey Lifted Its Ban on the Islamic Headscarf,” National Geographic, October 12, 2013

21.

According to this article by Roff Smith, the goal of Atatürk’s reforms was to

a)

prevent the elimination of the civil service system

b)

implement a legal system based on religious teachings

c)

revive Turkey’s interest in Ottoman-era customs

d)

modernize Turkey in the image of European nations

22.

The phrases “deeply conservative population,” “lengthy sentences of imprisonment,” and “a few hangings” suggest that

a)

Atatürk’s reforms were eagerly embraced throughout Turkey

b)

tensions existed between reformers and traditionalists in Turkey

c)

the policy of westernization was abandoned by the Turkish government

d)

most Turks preferred punishment to rapid change

23-24.

“Stalin Solidifies Power for Communists”

“Adolf Hitler Declares Third Reich”

“Mussolini Establishes Fascist State”

23.

Which situation was most responsible for the rise of the political systems referred to in these headlines?

a)
unification of Germany
b)

emergence of the United States as a world power

c)

worldwide economic instability

d)
conflicts between European nations over Africa
24.

What is a common characteristic of the political systems represented in these headlines?

a)

multinationalism

b)

humanitarianism

c)

capitalism

d)

totalitarianism

25.

Which term is most closely associated with the event shown in this cartoon?

a)

disarmament

b)

Holodomor

c)

blitzkrieg

d)

containment