1. SSWH18: The World at War

2. Pearl Harbor When: December 7, 1941
Who was involved: United States and Japan
Where: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, The Pacific Ocean
Why important: Japan launched a surprise attack on American fleet and do severe damage to America.
Result: United States declared war on Japan, and enters WWII. Hitler declared war on the United States December 11, Unified American opinion about being involved in the war

3. El-Alamein When: 1942 Who was involved: British and Germany
Where: Egypt, North Africa
Why important: British stopped and then defeated the German Afrika Corp before they could seize Britain's most important trade route, the Suez Canal.
Result: Germans in Africa were stopped then defeated. United States will become involved in the war, first in the campaign in North Africa.

4. Stalingrad When: 1942 Who was involved: Russians Germans
Where: City of Stalingrad, Russia, Southern Russia
Why important: German army made a major attack to seize the city, which was named for Stalin
Result: German army was held & forced to surrender to Russians

5. D-Day When: June 6, 1944 Who was involved: Allies, Germans
Where: Normandy Coast of France, Europe
Why important: Britain, United States, Canadians, and other succeeded in attacking the European mainland.
Result: Allies seize a beachhead on Hitler’s “Fortress Europe,” and could begin a war on two fronts against Germans.

6. Guadalcanal When: August 1942 Who was involved: Americans and Japanese
Where: Guadalcanal Island, The Pacific Ocean
Why important: First major land battle between United States and Japan, as America began its campaign to retake island from the Japanese.
Result: After a long, 6 month battle, Japanese are driven from the Island. Allies, lead by Americas are now on the offensive in the Pacific.

7. Philippines When:1941-1942 Who was involved: Americans and Japanese
Where: Philippine Islands, Pacific
Why important: Americans are driven off the Philippine Islands early in the war.
Result: Showed Americans were unprepared for war. Americans, lead by Douglas MacArthur will return and eventually retake the Philippines toward the end of the War.

8. V-E Day When: May 7, 1945 Who was involved: Germany, Allied Powers
Where: Germany
Why important: Germany surrendered. April 30, 1945 – Hitler committed suicide
Result: Ended the war in Europe. Allies left to win war against Japan and rebuild Europe.

9. V-J Day
When: August 14, 1945
Who was involved: Japan, All Allied Powers
Where: Japan, Tokyo Bay, Battleship Missouri
Why important: Ended WWII. American had dropped two Atomic bombs in early August on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Result: Japan agreed to surrender which ended WWII

10. Holocaust
Hitler believed that Jews had helped caused the German defeat in WWI. Convinced the German people that they were a nuisance, and along with other groups, had to be dealt with. At first they were simply separated form people and placed in ghettos. Eventually it was decided they should be killed. A “Final Solution” was arrived at that involved moving Jews and other non-desirables to concentration camps where they would be used as slave labor and killed in mass or exterminated. 6 million Jews were eventually killed along with 5 million people from other groups.

11. Churchill (Great Britain)
Leader of Great Britain during WWII
Prime Minister

12. Stalin (Soviet Union) Leader of the Soviet Union during WWII.
Communist, dictatorial leader

13. Roosevelt/ Truman (United States)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt- President of the United States until he died in Lead American through Great Depression and World II.
Harry S Truman- Roosevelt’s Vice-president who took over after Roosevelt died. Ordered the dropping of the Atomic bombs on Japan.

14. Teheran
When: 1943
Who was involved: “Big Three” (Churchill of England, Roosevelt of USA, Stalin of USSR)
Where: Tehran, Iran
Topics: 1.Strategy meeting for winning the war 2.Allies agreed to focus on defeating Germany before Japan 3.Great Britain and United States agreed to focus on opening a second front

15. Yalta Conference When: February 1945
Who was involved: “Big Three” (Churchill of England, Roosevelt of USA, Stalin of USSR)
Where: Yalta, the Crimea
Topics discussed: 1. Unconditional surrender of Axis Powers 2. United Nations 3. Russia would declare war on Japan after Germany surrendered 4. Divide Austria, Germany & capital Berlin into 4 occupied zones (controlled US, England, France, & USSR) 5. Roosevelt & Churchill afraid Stalin would make Eastern Europe communist after war; wanted Self Determination (right to choose democracy or communist) for Eastern European Countries: Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, & Bulgaria 6. Stalin agreed to self-determination if could have part of Poland; Poland—should have free elections

16. Potsdam When: July and August 1945
Who was involved: Stalin, Truman, and Churchill
Where: Potsdam, Germany
Topic: 1.Truman unhappy with these new pro-Soviet governments; Demanded Stalin allow free elections as he agreed to at Yalta 2. Stalin refused to allow freely elected governments in Eastern Europe; feared they would be anti-Soviet 3.While at Potsdam, Truman learns the atomic bomb is ready ‘Potsdam Declaration’- gave Japan ultimatum: unconditionally surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction"

17. United Nations
League of Nations was ineffective—US, England, Russia, France, China should form United Nations (international organization to keep peace after war)
Discussed at Yalta Conference in 1945

18. Marshall Plan
Plan established by Secretary of State George Marshall that focused on spending billions to rebuild Europe in an effort to combat the USSR’s attempts to expand farther west into Europe.

19. MacArthur’s Plan for Japan
Effort lead by Douglas MacArthur to rebuild Japan and institute democracy. Helped draft new constitution. MacArthur essentially ruled Japan until 1947.