WWII

• What key events led up to the start of World War II?

  1933 - Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, 1935 - Germany begins rearming, 1936 - Germany remilitarizes the Rhineland, 1938 - Germany annexes Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, 1939 - Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia and signs the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
• What is World War II?

  A global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations and resulting in an estimated 70-85 million fatalities
• What were some underlying causes of World War II?

  The Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism, the Great Depression, the failure of the League of Nations, the policy of appeasement, and the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan
• What was the immediate trigger event for World War II?

  Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939
• What factors contributed to the start of World War II?

  A combination of long-term political, economic, and social factors, along with immediate events and decisions, including Germany's invasion of Poland
• What was the Manhattan Project?


  A secret US government research project to develop atomic weapons, led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• What were the key details of the bombing of Hiroshima?

  The uranium-based "Little Boy" bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, killing 70,000-80,000 people.
• What was the background of World War II leading up to the atomic bombings?

  Germany had surrendered, but Japan was still fighting in the Pacific. The US was considering a costly land invasion of Japan.
• What were the primary motivations for the US decision to use atomic bombs on Japan?

  Ending the war quickly, saving American lives, and demonstrating power to the Soviet Union.
• Why was Nagasaki bombed instead of the original target?

  Cloudy weather over the original target, Kokura, forced a change to the secondary target, Nagasaki.
• What are considered long-term effects of the atomic bombings?

  Increased cancer rates, birth defects, psychological trauma, and environmental contamination.
• What are key ethical debates surrounding the use of atomic weapons?

  Justification of civilian casualties, necessity of the bombings, alternatives, warnings, long-term consequences, and moral implications.