1. Major Causes of World War II

Directions: Describe the four major causes of World War II and explain how you think each contributed to the outbreak of the war.

Treaty of Versailles Hitler's Actions Failure of Appeasement Failure of the League of Nations

Download and print the major causes of World War II by clicking the image above

2. The Holocaust

Directions: Use the links (in bold) to answer the following questions:

1. What was the Kristalnacht?

2. Briefly describe the story of the ship St. Louis and the passengers on it.

3. What were the Nuremberg Laws?

4. What were the Einsatzgruppen?

5. What happened at the Wannsee Conference?

6. Use the Holocaust Statistics to answer the following:

·         What percentage of the Jews living in Poland were killed in the Holocaust?

·         How many Jews were killed in Poland, the USSR and Hungary combined?

7. Directions: View some examples of the student art work and/or student poetry. Then create your own picture and/or poem

3. Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

Background: The Internet sites above (just click on the images) offer opinions which examine the decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. Many people believe that the use of these weapons was appropriate. To these men and women, the dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was crucial in bringing about an end to World War II. However, there is a deep division among scholars over whether these attacks were necessary. Read the pros and cons of dropping the bomb and then complete the assignment below:

Assignment: Evaluate the arguments presented in the links above, and develop an essay which addresses the following question:

Do you agree that it was necessary to drop the atomic bomb on Japan? Why or why not? Explain.