1. The Atlantic Charter of 1941 was important to colonial people because
A. Great Britain promised to end its colonial rule in Asia and Africa.
B. they believed it gave them the right to govern themselves.
C. all European countries promised economic aid to their former colonies.
D. the United States pledged to support the colonial struggle for freedom.
E. it allowed all colonial governments to become part of the United Nations.
2. The turning point of the war in North Africa was the British victory over German forces at
A. the Coral Sea.
B. Midway.
C. Stalingrad.
D. El Alamein.
E. Leningrad.
3. One of the main reasons for Hitler’s invasion of Russia was
A. to prevent the Japanese from taking territory from Russia in Asia.
B. to gain control of the wheat fields in the Ukraine, which could provide additional food for the German war effort.
C. because he feared a Russian invasion of Germany.
D. to establish military bases in Russia. E. to liberate the Russian people from Bolshevism.
4. Sitzkrieg refers to
A. a phony war from October 1939 to March 1940.
B. the defeat of Poland.
C. a German counter-attack at Battle of the Bulge.
D. a German invasion of Russia.
E. the Battle of Britain.
5. Prior to June 1944, what country carried the bulk of the land war against Germany?
A. Britain
B. The United States
C. The Soviet Union
D. France
E. The French Resistance Movement
6. All of the following were a result of the Teheran Conference EXCEPT
A. a second front through France. B. postwar occupation of Germany.
C. the demilitarization of Germany.
D. the first meeting of the Big Three.
E. a demand for unconditional surrender of the Axis powers.
7. Which is considered the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front?
A. The Battle of Leningrad
B. The Battle of Stalingrad
C. Brest-Litovsk
D. The Battle of El Alamein
E. The bombing of Dresden
8. Why did the wartime cooperation between the Soviet Union and the Western powers break down at Potsdam?
A. The Western powers refused to acknowledge the division of Germany.
B. Stalin demanded more territory from Japan.
C. Stalin refused to carry out free elections in Eastern Europe.
D. Churchill insisted that Germany be blamed solely for the war.
E. The Soviet Union refused to join the United Nations.
9. At the Yalta Conference, the Soviet Union agreed to
A. the creation of the United Nations.
B. free elections in Eastern Europe.
C. share atomic secrets with other nations.
D. the joint invasion of Japan.
E. no separate peace treaties with the Axis powers.
10. The Nuremberg Trials of 1945/1946 established the principle of
A. collective guilt.
B. war crimes being justified under extreme circumstances.
C. national leaders being held personally responsible for crimes against humanity.
D. individuals who followed the orders of their superiors not being held accountable.
E. genocide.
Multiple-Choice Questions: Answers and Explanations
1. B. The Atlantic Charter was signed on August 14, 1941, and outlined the principles of freedom and economic development to ensure peace. Churchill was reluctant to sign the Atlantic Charter because it contained the provision that people could choose their own government. Churchill believed that Roosevelt was trying to do away with the British Empire. At the signing, Roosevelt became a hero to oppressed people all over the world for his opposition to the imperialist policies of the British, French, and Dutch. Colonial people believed that the Atlantic Charter gave them the right to self-government. It was reported that within a few days of the signing of the Atlantic Charter, Churchill received reports that the Burmese people would call for independence from Britain after the war. This same spirit was expressed by other colonial people living in Egypt and other parts of Africa. The Atlantic Charter did not provide for economic aid to former colonial countries nor would the United States promise to support the struggle for freedom or allow former colonial governments to become part of the United Nations.
2. D. The British army defeated the German army at El Alamein, which is 70 miles from Alexandria, Egypt. This battle protected Britain’s Suez Canal, the lifeline of the British Empire. The Coral Sea and Midway were naval battles fought by the United States Navy against Japan. Stalingrad and Leningrad were the sites of battles on the Russian front.
3. B. Hitler embarked on Operation Barbarossa because he realized that the potential wealth of the raw materials in the Ural Mountains, the vast forests of Siberia, and the tremendous wheat fields in the Ukraine would enable Germany to dominate Europe and carry out the war against England and other countries. Hitler did not fear Japanese expansion in Asia nor did he fear a Russian invasion. Russia was surprised by the German invasion; Stalin had refused to believe that Hitler would violate the non-aggression pact. Hitler wanted to destroy Stalin but never intended to liberate the Russian people from the yoke of communism.
4. A. Sitzkrieg refers to the phony war from October 1939 to March 1940 where there was little fighting after the German invasion of Poland. The defeat of Poland in four weeks demonstrated the effectiveness of Blitzkrieg (Lightning War). In June 1941, the Germans invaded Russia with over 3 million men and expected that their invasion would be over by the winter. German forces were repelled at the Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of Britain resulted in the failure of German air power to defeat the British.
5. C. The Soviet Union carried the bulk of the land war against Germany. France was knocked out of the war in 1940 and Britain was never a land power. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the war effort until the establishment of the second front in June 1944. The United States did not bear the brunt until D-Day. The French Resistance Movement had very little impact on the war effort against Germany.
6. E. The Teheran Conference did not demand the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. Churchill and Roosevelt had met in January 1943 at Casablanca and agreed upon a policy of unconditional surrender. The Teheran Conference addressed the issue of the second front, demilitarization of Germany, and postwar occupation of Germany. It was also the first time that Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt met.
7. B. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front. The Battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advances in the south and turned the tide of the battle. Leningrad was besieged for 900 days. It is a heroic tale but did not represent a turning point on the Eastern Front. Brest-Litovsk was the site of the peace negotiations between Germany and the Bolsheviks that ended Russia’s participation in World War I. The Battle of El Alamein marked the turning point in North Africa. The bombing of Dresden in Germany dealt with Allied efforts in 1945 to defeat Germany. It was not an area of conflict on the Eastern Front.
8. C. Stalin’s refusal to carry out free elections in Eastern Europe led to a breakdown of wartime cooperation between the Soviet Union and the Western powers at Potsdam. President Truman, who had succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt, insisted that Stalin carry out his pledge of free elections that he had agreed to at the Yalta Conference. Stalin’s refusal laid the groundwork for the beginning of the Cold War. The Allied powers had agreed to the postwar occupation of Germany. Stalin did not demand more territory from Japan nor did he refuse to join the United Nations. None of the Allied nations wanted to blame Germany solely for the war. They wanted to avoid the mistakes of the Versailles Treaty.
9. B. At Yalta, the Soviet Union agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe. Stalin was determined to create a buffer zone against Germany and wanted to decide the fate of Eastern Europe himself. Churchill and Roosevelt agreed to the compromise because they could not really stop Stalin and were unwilling to go to war over Eastern Europe. The Allied nations had pledged to create a United Nations in 1941. The Soviet Union agreed to declare war on Japan but there was no discussion of a joint invasion. The Allied nations did not share atomic secrets with each other. Stalin was never informed that the United States was developing the atomic bomb. The Casablanca Conference declared that there would be no separate treaties with the Axis powers.
10. C. The Nuremberg Trials established the principle that Axis leaders should be tried for crimes against humanity. At the end of World War I, nothing was done to punish those leaders who were responsible for the war. At the Nuremberg Trials, Nazi war criminals were put on trial and 142 were found guilty. These trials were held for leading industrialists, military commanders, and others involved in the Final Solution. The Nuremberg Trials did not deal with genocide or collective war guilt. The Nuremberg tribunal rejected the idea that war crimes can be justified or that soldiers must blindly follow the orders of their leaders when they realize those orders are immoral.
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