United States History
Chapter 20: A World in Flames
Name: ______________________
Section 1: America and the World (pg 682)
1. Describe Fascism
2. Who was the Fascist leader of Italy beginning in 1919? Describe how he took power
3. Once in office, how did Mussolini keep his power?
4. Describe how Russia became the USSR
5. How did Joseph Stalin become dictator in the USSR?
6. What did Stalin do in order to industrialize his country?
7. What did Stalin do to keep his power?
8. What is the full name of the Nazi Party? What beliefs do they hold?
Ms Borowski
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9. Why were the Nazis banned in 1923? What happened to Adolf Hitler?
10. What is Mein Kampf? What beliefs are written in it?
11. Instead of a violent political takeover, what was Hitler’s new strategy?
12. After taking office, what did Hitler do to keep his power?
13. Describe Japan’s economic situation in the 1920s. Who did Japan’s military officers
blame?
14. How did Japan intend to get the resources it needed? Where did they choose?
15. Why did isolationist ideas become stronger in the United States during the 1930s?
16. What did the Nye Committee investigate? What was the Committee’s conclusion?
17. Describe the Neutrality Act of 1935.
Ms Borowski
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United States History
Chapter 20: A World in Flames
18. What did the Spanish Civil War have to do with American neutrality?
19. Describe the formation of the Axis Powers
20. Give details about the Neutrality Act of 1937
21. What is internationalism?
22. How did Roosevelt work around the Neutrality Act of 1937 in the Japan-China situation?
Section 2: World War II Begins (pg 688)
23. In what ways was Hitler violating the Treaty of Versailles?
24. How did Europe respond to the violations of the Treaty of Versailles?
25. Give two reasons why European leaders did not respond more aggressively when
Germany began violating the Treaty of Versailles
26. According to Hitler, what was the only way Germany could expand its territory?
Ms Borowski
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United States History
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27. What threat did Hitler make to Austria in 1938?
28. What is the Anchluss? Why did the Anchluss happen?
29. After annexing Austria, what was Hitler’s next demand?
30. Describe the events of the Munich Conference
31. What is appeasement?
32. What happened in March, 1939?
33. Why did Hitler demand to have the city of Danzig, Poland? What else did he want from
Poland? What was Poland’s response?
34. What announcement did Britain and France make concerning Poland?
35. Describe the Nazi-Soviet Pact. What secret deal was included?
Ms Borowski
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United States History
Chapter 20: A World in Flames
36. Describe the invasion of Poland, including the international response
37. What is blitzkrieg?
38. What is the Maginot Line?
39. Describe the invasion and fall of France
40. How did the Allied forces end up at Dunkirk?
41. What is the Miracle at Dunkirk?
42. What did the Allied Forces leave behind at Dunkirk? Why was this potentially
dangerous?
43. What is Vichy France?
44. What did Charles de Gaulle think about Vichy France? What did he intend to do about
it?
Ms Borowski
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United States History
Chapter 20: A World in Flames
45. Who is Winston Churchill? For what two reasons did he give a speech in front of
Britain’s Parliament?
46. What order did Hitler give when he realized Britain would not surrender? How did he
plan to achieve his order?
47. Describe the Battle of Britain
48. What major advantage did the Brits have in the Battle of Britain? Why was this an
advantage?
49. When did the Battle of Britain end?
Section 3: The Holocaust (pg 694)
50. What does Shoah mean? What does the word usually refer to today?
51. Besides the Jews, what other groups did the Nazis persecute?
52. What are the Nuremburg Laws?
Ms Borowski
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53. What other laws did Nazi Germany pass to persecute Jews?
54. As conditions worsened, many German Jews left. Why didn’t many others leave?
55. Describe the events which led up to Kristallnacht.
56. What is Kristallnacht? Describe the events of that night, including what the word means
57. What was law enforcement’s reaction to Kristallnacht? Why?
58. Who is the Gestapo? What did they do to Jewish men shortly after Kristallnacht?
59. What types of limits did foreign countries place on Jewish immigration?
60. What reasons did the United States give for not accepting more Jewish refugees?
61. What happened at an international conference on refugees in 1938?
Ms Borowski
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62. Describe the St. Louis affair
63. What decisions were made at the Wannsee Conference? When was the Conference
held?
64. What’s the difference between concentration camps and extermination camps?
65. Describe conditions in a concentration camp
66. Describe what happens in detail at extermination camps
67. What were the effects of the Holocaust on European Jewish culture?
Section 4: America Enters the War (pg 702)
68. What change did President Roosevelt want to make to the United States neutrality
laws?
69. What did Winston Churchill ask America for in the spring of 1940? What was
Roosevelt’s response?
Ms Borowski
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70. How did Roosevelt get around the neutrality laws concerning the destroyers going to
Britain?
71. What did the Fight for Freedom Committee believe?
72. What did the America First Committee believe?
73. What did the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies press for?
74. What was the major question surrounding Roosevelt during the 1940 presidential
election? Who won the election of 1940?
75. What “Four Freedoms” did Roosevelt say American and Britain had in common?
76. Why did Roosevelt propose the Lend-Lease Act? What is Lend-Lease?
77. If Britain fell, what did Roosevelt warn would happen?
78. By the time Lend-Lease ended, how many supplies had been given to the war effort?
Ms Borowski
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United States History
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79. Why did Lend-Lease eventually begin sending supplies to the Soviet Union?
80. Why were supply ships having trouble getting to Britain?
81. What is the purpose of the hemispheric defense zone? Why did Roosevelt propose this
defense zone?
82. What is the Atlantic Charter?
83. What incident happened in early September, 1941 between the United States and
Germany?
84. What did Congress do in July 1940 to hinder Japanese aggression? What was Japan’s
response?
85. By extending Lend-Lease to China, what did Roosevelt hope would happen? Did it
work? (explain why or why not)
86. What was Roosevelt’s response to your answer above?
Ms Borowski
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87. In order for the oil embargo to end, what did Japan have to do?
88. Why did Japan plan to attack British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia?
89. What did the Japanese do in November, 1941? Why?
90. In order to hide its true intentions, what did Japan continue to do with the United
States? What did American intelligence discover?
91. What warning did American commanders in Hawaii receive on November 27? What
was their reaction?
92. What happened on December 7, 1941? What was America’s response?
93. Why did Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor not fit in with the alliance Japan made with
Germany?
94. What happened on December 11, 1941?
Ms Borowski
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