World War II: causes, turning points and how it ended
Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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Card A (August 14, 1941): "The Atlantic Charter". Who made it: US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after meeting off Newfoundland. For whom: the world. Why: to set out eight shared principles for the world after the war. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The third principle is the right of all peoples to choose their own government. Roosevelt hoped the Charter would win Americans' support for the Allies. Context (what else was happening): Germany had invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Americans opposed entering the war until Pearl Harbor. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It states aims. It cannot show whether they would be kept after the war. Churchill's cabinet was alarmed by the third principle. Card B (today): "Turning points, as historians sum them up". Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Archives. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain how the war's course changed. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Pearl Harbor drew the United States into the war. Midway was the turning point in the Pacific. Stalingrad, where a German army surrendered in February 1943, turned the tide in Europe. Context (what else was happening): Written long after the war, with records from every side. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): A turning point is a historian's judgment, made looking back. Below the strip: Battles are named and dated here; what happened in them is not described.
What is the Charter's third principle, by card A, Bo asks?
- A world court for each country's leaders
- The right of all peoples to choose their government
- Freedom for every army to cross borders
- Free trade in goods, with tariffs ended for good by 1945
Why did Roosevelt want the Charter, by card A, Esme asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- To answer Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor
- To end the Soviet Union
- To declare war on Japan
- To win Americans' support for the Allies
What happened at Stalingrad in February 1943, Kira asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- A German army surrendered
- Germany invaded the Soviet Union
- The Allies landed in France
- Japan surrendered
Why was Pearl Harbor a turning point, by card B, Luz asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- It drew the United States into the war
- It made Japan leave the Axis
- It began the war in Europe
- It ended the war in the Pacific
Why does card B call these turning points a judgment, Milo asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- It is a law passed in 1943
- Historians chose them looking back
- People in 1942 agreed on it at the time
- Churchill wrote card B
How many years passed from the Atlantic Charter (1941) to D-Day (1944), Noah asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- 13 years
- 3,885 years
- 2 years
- 3 years
Which claim about the turning points is careful, Pia asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Midway by itself decided the whole war
- Stalingrad was in the Pacific
- Several turning points changed the war's course
- D-Day came before Pearl Harbor
What had Germany done in June 1941, by card A's context box, Ren asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Defeated Britain
- Attacked Pearl Harbor
- Invaded the Soviet Union
- Signed the Atlantic Charter
When did Germany defeat France, by the strip, Tala asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- 1941
- 1944
- 1939
- 1940
Which claim about card A is careful, Zee asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Stalin and Hitler wrote it
- It ended the war in 1941
- It was signed after D-Day
- It stated aims for after the war