07 World War II and the Home Front Free Online FlashCards

What event began the war in Europe?

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, beginning the war in Europe.

What did the Lend-Lease program provide?

Lend-Lease supplied military goods to nations whose defense the United States considered vital.

What followed Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor?

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Congress declared war on Japan the next day.

Where did the United States fight its two major theaters of war?

The United States fought Germany and Italy in Europe and North Africa, and Japan in the Pacific.

How did the federal government reorganize the economy for war?

Federal agencies coordinated production, labor, prices, and supplies, while factories shifted from consumer goods to military equipment.

What were rationing and price controls intended to do?

Rationing directed scarce goods such as gasoline, rubber, and some foods to military needs; price controls helped limit inflation.

How did wartime labor needs change women’s employment?

With millions of men in the armed forces, women entered defense industries and other jobs in large numbers.

What did Executive Order 8802 do?

Executive Order 8802 prohibited racial discrimination in defense industries and established a federal Fair Employment Practices Committee.

What was the impact of Executive Order 9066?

Executive Order 9066 authorized West Coast military exclusion zones; the government forcibly incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them U.S. citizens.

What was notable about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team?

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was a highly decorated U.S. military unit in which Japanese Americans served.

What was the Holocaust?

The Holocaust was Nazi Germany and its collaborators’ systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews.

Which forces liberated Auschwitz, and when?

Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz in January 1945; U.S. forces liberated camps including Buchenwald and Dachau later that spring.