WWII Leaders: Canada, UK, USA, USSR

Study Notes

World War II Leaders

William Lyon Mackenzie King: Prime Minister of Canada, introduced unemployment insurance and reconstruction programs, opposed conscription
Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of the UK, led country from brink of defeat to victory, wanted to defeat Hitler and alerted the West of a USSR expansionist threat
Franklin Roosevelt: US President, declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor attacks
Joseph Stalin: Leader of USSR, architect of Soviet totalitarianism, signed a nonaggression pact with Germany, but was later invaded by them (Operation Barbarossa)
Tommy Douglas: Led first socialist government in Canada, father of universal healthcare, brought free schooling to Canada, Premier of Saskatchewan CCF
Adolf Hitler: Fuhrer of Germany, invaded Poland, part of the Axis with Italy and Japan
Benito Mussolini: Founded Italian fascism, PM of Italy, part of the 3 Axis
Emperor Hirohito: Emperor of Japan, invaded Manchuria, China for raw materials, made Japan surrender after the atomic bomb

WWII Key Figures

Hideki Tojo: Ordered Pearl Harbor attack, oversaw Japan's military tactics, Prime Minister of Japan
CD Howe: Minister of everything, put in charge of the Department of Munitions and Supply, had authority to do whatever it took to gear up the economy to meet war demands
Harry Truman: President of the US after Roosevelt, ordered atomic bombs on Japan, participated in the Potsdam Conference (negotiate terms for end of war)
Elsie MacGill: First female aircraft designer, led to production of Hawker Hurricane planes that were used in the Battle of Britain
Tommy Prince: Indigenous-Canadian soldier, participated in D-Day, Battle of Scheldt, and is one of the most decorated Indigenous soldiers in Canadian history
Cairine Wilson: First female senator in Canada, opposed Mackenzie's stance and wanted more Jewish people to be accepted into Canada

WWII Organizations and Events

League of Nations: Global organization that was made after the end of WW1 to stop future wars from happening, failed to stop Japan from taking Manchuria and Italy from taking Ethiopia
Treaty of Versailles: One of the treaties that ended WW1, put harsh terms on Germany after WW1 ended, making the country's economy fail and the government lose power, leading to WW2
Allies: 3 main include Britain, Soviet Union, and the United States, led by Churchill (UK), Stalin (USSR), and Roosevelt (US)
USA joined after Pearl Harbor, USSR joined after Germany invasion
U-Boats: German submarines, easier to attack enemy ships without being detected, many were destroyed in the Battle of the Atlantic from Ally aircraft carriers
Radar: Electronic system that uses radio waves to detect objects out of the range of vision, helped save countless lives, notably in the Battle of Britain
Atomic Bomb: Capable of destroying an entire city, all while being the size of a baseball, changed warfare and ended WW2 in Asia
Luftwaffe: German aerial warfare branch, used in Blitzkrieg and bombed London in the Battle of Britain, became ineffective after better Ally planes were introduced

WWII Battles and Landings

Normandy: Where Normandy Landings occurred, Allies went to liberate Europe and defeat Germany
War Measures Act: Federal government uses emergency powers in an emergency, included internment of enemy aliens, over 20,000 (90% in BC) Japanese Canadians were relocated and interned in internment camps after Pearl Harbor
Nuremberg Act: Stated that being Jewish is a race and not a religion, removed German citizenship from Jews living in Germany, prevented marriages between Jew and non-Jew, they had no rights
Dieppe Raid: Heaviest toll suffered by Canadians in a single day, Allies went to gain experience from the German army in order to better attack them in the future (D-Day)
D-Day: Allied assault on beaches of Normandy, France, helped allies to liberate Europe and eventually defeat Germany, Canadians attacked Juno Beach
Battle of Scheldt: Allies had to clear enemy troops from the Scheldt

Description

Test your knowledge of the prominent leaders during World War II, including William Lyon Mackenzie King, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. Learn about their roles and contributions to the war effort.