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Questions and Answers
What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression?
What was the main goal of Joseph Stalin's First Five-Year Plan?
What was the result of the collectivization of agriculture in the Soviet Union?
What was the name of Adolf Hitler's book that detailed his ideology, including anti-Semitism?
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Who led the Fascist Party and the Blackshirts in Italy?
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What was the name of the prison camp system established by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union?
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What event marked the beginning of World War II in Europe?
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Which event led to the war between Japan and China?
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What was the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad?
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What was the significance of August 6, 1945?
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Which of the following countries suffered the highest number of casualties in World War II?
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When did the Allied forces land in Normandy, France?
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Study Notes
The Great Depression (1929-1945)
- The Great Depression started with the New York Stock Market crash on October 24, 1929
- Protectionism and the breakdown of international trade spread the Great Depression
- The crisis led to increased support for both communism and fascism, with many believing capitalism had failed
Communism in the Soviet Union
- Joseph Stalin sought rapid industrialization and to secure his own political power
- First Five-Year Plan (1928): nationalization and centralized planning of the economy, leading to rapid industrial growth
- Collectivization of agriculture led to famine (1933-1934) and persecution of kulaks (rich peasants)
- Stalin's Terror: cult of personality, purges of the 1930s, and gulag (prison camp system)
Fascism in Italy and Germany
- Fascism: a worldwide nationalist movement opposed to both capitalism and communism
- Benito Mussolini led the Fascist Party and the Blackshirts in Italy, becoming Prime Minister in 1922
- Adolf Hitler led the National Socialist Worker's Party (Nazi Party) in Germany, becoming Chancellor in 1933
- Hitler's ideology included anti-Semitism, detailed in his book Mein Kampf (1925)
The Road to War in Europe
- Hitler's aggression:
- 1935: German re-armament
- March 1938: Annexation of Austria
- September 1938: Munich Conference and appeasement
- 1939: Axis Alliance formed between Germany and Italy, joined by Japan in 1940
- 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact between Hitler and Stalin, dividing Poland
- September 1, 1939: German invasion of Poland begins the war in Europe
The Road to War in East Asia
- 1931: Manchurian Incident, Japan occupies Manchuria (northeast China)
- 1937: Marco Polo Bridge Incident, leading to war between Japan and China
- December 1937: Fall of Chinese capital of Nanjing and the Nanjing Massacre
- 1940: Tripartite Pact (Germany, Italy, and Japan)
- December 7, 1941: Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, bringing the US into WWII
WWII in Europe
- Hitler makes rapid advances until being turned back by Soviet forces
- May 1940: Fall of France
- 1941: Invasion of the Soviet Union
- Winter 1942-1943: Battle of Stalingrad turns back German advance in USSR
- June 6, 1944 (D-Day): Landing at Normandy in France opens Allied attack on Western front
- May 7, 1945: German surrender
WWII in Asia
- Japan wins early victories until the Battle of Midway in June 1942
- August 6, 1945: Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
- August 9, 1945: Atomic bombing of Nagasaki
- August 15, 1945: Japanese surrender
WWII Statistics
- Approximately 70 million killed worldwide, with the majority being civilians
- USSR: 26 million
- China: 20 million
- Germany: 5 million
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Description
Test your knowledge of the Great Depression and World War II, including the causes and effects of the Great Depression, communism in the Soviet Union, fascism in Italy and Germany, and the impact of the war on the global economy.
