Name:________________________

Date:______________
Period:________

Guided Notes: America Goes to War

WWII: The Largest and Deadliest Conflict in History

Figure 1

Figure 2

1. Approximately, how many people died because of World War II?

 2. What does Figure 1 tell you about the number of dead worldwide? Is this surprising to
you? Why or why not?

3. Using Figure 2, which country suffered the largest number of military deaths during
World War II?

Allies vs. Axis Prior to U.S. Involvement in WWII

Please write the name of each of the Allied and Axis powers below, and please draw the flag
that correctly corresponds to each country.

Allied Powers:

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)
Axis Powers:

1.)

2.)

3.)

Beginning of WWII/War Again in Europe and the Pacific

2nd Sino-Japanese War

In the early 1900s, _______________ was becoming more militaristic and nationalistic.
In 1931, Japan invaded ________________________. There, the Japanese installed a
puppet state.
 Japan then later took advantage of ________________s civil war in order to invade in
1937.

Hitler on the Rise

Throughout the 1930s, the _______________ Party in Germany and its leader,
________________________, were becoming more militaristic and quickly gaining
power.
Nazi Germany was allied with __________________________ of Italy.
In 1938, Nazi Germany unified with _____________________ and took over the
___________________________, which was an area in Czechoslovakia primarily
inhabited by German-speaking people.
Then, in March 1939, Nazi Germany took over all of __________________________.
Likely preparing for the war to come, Hitler then signed the
______________________________ Pact, with the Soviet Union in the summer of 1939,
thus allowing Germany and the Soviet Union to carve out their own spheres of influence
in Eastern Europe with the guarantee of non-belligerence towards one another.

Invasion of Poland

On September 1, 1939, Hitler and Nazi Germany invaded __________________.

As a result, two days later, ______________________ and ____________________
declared war on Nazi Germany, officially beginning World War II.
 VS.
From Isolation to Intervention
1. What is isolationism?

2. True or false? The majority of Americans supported getting involved in the war.

The peace-loving nations must make a concerted effort in opposition to those

violations of treaties and those ignorings of humane instincts which today are
creating a state of international anarchy and instability from which there is no escape
through mere isolation or neutrality. - FDR

3. After reading the quote above, what do you believe was President Roosevelts position
on the war?

The Neutrality Act of 1935 prohibited the sale of _________________ to all belligerent
nations whenever the president should proclaim that a state of ____________ existed.
The Neutrality Act of 1937 forbade all _____________ to belligerent nations, continued
the ____________________ on munitions, and forbade ______________________ from
traveling on belligerent ships in order to keep the U.S. out of overseas wars.
4. What was the cash-and-carry policy?

5. How did the Neutrality Acts illustrate Americas attitude of isolationism leading up to
WWII?
The Lend-Lease Act & The Atlantic Charter
Following Frances defeat in 1940, ___________________ stood alone as the only
remaining force engaged in a war against Nazi Germany.
Great Britain was running out of ________________ and cash-and-carry no longer
sufficed.

1. What was the Destroyers for Bases Agreement?

2. On the map below, shade in and label the countries that received U.S. aid under the
Lend-Lease Act.
 3. How is the Lend-Lease Act different from the cash-and-carry policy?

4. Who did FDR meet with to draft the Atlantic Charter?

5. List the main points agreed to by the U.S. and Great Britain in the Atlantic Charter.

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)

7.)

8.)
 6. What did the Charter later serve as?

Germany Pushing the U.S. towards War

1. What are German submarines called?

2. Describe the Greer Incident and both the response from the U.S. and from Hitler.
The Road to Pearl Harbor
Prior to the beginning of World War II, Japan had expanded its empire into
_______________ in the early 1930s.
In response to Japans invasion of _______________, the United States demanded that
Japan withdraw and promise not to attack the ____________ and _____________
colonies in Southeast Asia.
Under the military dictatorship of __________________________, Japan decided to
occupy _____________________________.
President ______________________ retaliated by freezing Japanese
__________________ in the U.S. and enacting an ___________________________, thus
depriving the Japanese ________________________ of American oil.
The Japanese tried to convince the U.S. to lift this economic blockade by promising to
stop their expansionist policies once _______________________________ with China
had been established.
When the U.S. rejected this proposal, the Japanese made the decision to attack
_____________________________________, _____________________________, and
______________________________.
The Japanese also decided to launch a surprise attack on the Hawaiian naval base at
______________________________, hoping to be able to destroy the
______________________________.

1. Based on what you have learned, do you think that war between the U.S. and Japan was
inevitable? Why or why not?
Japan Attacks
1. What event brought the U.S. into World War II?

2. When did the attack occur?

3. How many people were killed?

4. How many U.S. ships were sunk?

5. Explain whether the attack on Pearl Harbor was a success or a failure from the Japanese
point of view.

6. What did you find interesting about the newsreel detailing the attack on Pearl Harbor?
Roosevelts Address to the U.S. Congress/America Enters the War
1. What were the consequences of the attack?

2. If Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor, do you think the U.S. would have ultimately
entered WWII?