World War II: causes, turning points and how it ended
Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Use this
Card A (May 7, 1945): "German instrument of surrender". Who made it: the German High Command, signed by General Alfred Jodl at Reims, France. For whom: the Allied commanders. Why: to surrender all German forces without conditions. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. The Soviets treated the documents signed in Berlin on May 8 as the official surrender. Context (what else was happening): Fighting went on in the east until the Berlin signing. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It ended the war in Europe, not the war with Japan. Card B (September 2, 1945): "Japanese Instrument of Surrender". Who made it: Japanese envoys, on behalf of the emperor and the government, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. For whom: the Allied Powers. Why: to surrender unconditionally. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Japan proclaimed unconditional surrender. The authority of the emperor and the government became subject to the Allied Supreme Commander. Context (what else was happening): The US atomic attacks on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) each caused tens of thousands of casualties; Japan announced its plan to surrender on August 14. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It records the terms, not what people in the two cities lived through. Card C (today): "The human cost". Who made it: the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Imperial War Museums and the US National Archives. For whom: readers today. Why: to count the war's cost. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Estimates of deaths in the war run from about 55 million to 85 million; sources differ, mostly over civilian deaths. Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust (see the Holocaust sheet). Context (what else was happening): Records were lost or never kept in many places. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): Totals are estimates; many deaths were never recorded. Below the strip: The war ended in Europe in May 1945 and in Asia in September 1945.
Where and when did Germany sign its surrender, by card A, Ari asks?
- Reims, May 7, 1945
- Tokyo Bay, May 8, 1945
- Potsdam, July 26, 1945
- Berlin, September 2, 1945
Why do some sources date Germany's surrender May 8, Bo asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- The Soviets counted the Berlin signing
- Hitler himself signed it in Berlin that day
- The atomic attacks came that day
- Japan surrendered on that day
How does card C give the war's deaths, Esme asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- As exactly 55 million
- As a range, about 55 to 85 million
- As six million, the full count of the war
- As exactly 85 million
Why do the death estimates differ, by card C, Jun asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- The estimates count Japan's losses and no others
- Many civilian deaths were never recorded
- Each country kept exact records
- The war had few civilian deaths
When did Japan announce that it would surrender, Kira asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- August 6, 1945
- August 14, 1945
- August 9, 1945
- September 2, 1945
By card B's limits box, what can it not tell Luz?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Who held authority over the government
- What people in the two cities lived through
- That Japan surrendered unconditionally
- When the surrender was signed
Which claim about the war's end is careful, Milo asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- It ended in Europe in May and Asia in September
- It ended everywhere on May 8, 1945
- Japan surrendered before Germany did
- The UN Charter ended the war
How many years passed from Hitler's appointment (1933) to Germany's surrender (1945), Ren asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- 3,878 years
- 6 years
- 12 years
- 22 years
What did the Potsdam Declaration do, by the strip, Tala asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Created the United Nations
- Ended the war in Europe
- Warned Japan to surrender
- Divided Germany in two
Why read cards A and B together, Zee asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- They were signed on one day
- Both were signed by Japan
- They give the death toll
- They show the war ending in two places
