What caused World War II, what were its major turning points, and what was the Holocaust?
Apply social science skills to understand World War II and its worldwide impact: the causes including aggression by totalitarian states and the failure of appeasement, the major theaters and turning points (Stalingrad, D-Day, Midway), the use of the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust and other genocides (WHII.15).
A standards-level answer on World War II for the Virginia World History SOL: the causes including totalitarian aggression and appeasement, the major turning points, the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust and other genocides, with worked exam questions.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this topic is asking
Standard WHII.15 covers World War II (1939 to 1945) and its worldwide impact, the deadliest conflict in human history. The standard asks you to explain the causes (the aggression of totalitarian states and the failure of appeasement), the major turning points (such as Stalingrad, D-Day, and Midway), the use of the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust and other genocides. World War II reshaped the world, ending with the defeat of fascism, the emergence of two superpowers, and a determination to prevent such horrors again.
The causes of World War II
The major turning points
The end of the war and the atomic bomb
The Holocaust
Try this
Q1. Define appeasement and explain why it failed. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Appeasement was giving in to some of Hitler's demands to avoid war; it failed because it emboldened Hitler to demand more, and war came anyway when Germany invaded Poland.
Q2. Explain what the Holocaust was. [Short explanation]
- Cue. The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored murder of about six million Jews, and millions of others, by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II; it is the most infamous genocide in history.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA SOL WHII (MC)1 marksThe policy of appeasement, followed by Britain and France in the 1930s, refers to (A) declaring war on Germany immediately; (B) giving in to some of Hitler's demands in the hope of avoiding war; (C) forming an alliance with the Soviet Union; (D) rebuilding the League of Nations.Show worked answer →
The correct answer is (B). Appeasement was the policy of giving in to some of Hitler's demands (such as allowing the takeover of territory) in the hope of avoiding another war. It failed, because it emboldened Hitler to demand more, and war came anyway.
Why the others are wrong: (A) appeasement avoided immediate war; (C) Britain and France did not ally with the USSR then; (D) it was not about the League. Markers reward identifying appeasement as giving in to Hitler's demands to avoid war.
VA SOL WHII (MC)1 marksThe Holocaust refers to (A) a major battle of World War II; (B) the systematic, state-sponsored murder of about six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany; (C) the bombing of Pearl Harbor; (D) the Treaty of Versailles.Show worked answer →
The correct answer is (B). The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of about six million Jews, along with millions of others (including Roma, disabled people, and political prisoners), by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.
Why the others are wrong: (A) it was a genocide, not a battle; (C) Pearl Harbor was a separate attack; (D) the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I. Markers reward identifying the Holocaust as the Nazi genocide of about six million Jews and millions of others.
Related dot points
- Apply social science skills to understand the interwar period: the economic and political instability after World War I, the Great Depression, and the rise of totalitarian regimes under Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, Stalin in the Soviet Union, and the militarists in Japan (WHII.14).
A standards-level answer on the interwar period for the Virginia World History SOL: the instability after World War I, the Great Depression, and the rise of totalitarian regimes under Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and the Japanese militarists, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the causes and effects of World War I: the long-term causes of militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism (MAIN) and the immediate cause of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the new technology of total war, and the consequences including the collapse of empires, the Treaty of Versailles, and the League of Nations (WHII.13).
A standards-level answer on World War I for the Virginia World History SOL: the long-term causes (militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism) and the immediate cause, the new technology of total war, and the consequences including the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the Cold War: its origins in the ideological conflict between the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union, the major events and alliances (NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War), and the nuclear arms race (WHII.16).
A standards-level answer on the Cold War for the Virginia World History SOL: its origins in the conflict between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union, the major events and alliances such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact, key crises, and the nuclear arms race, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand decolonization and independence movements after World War II: the weakening of European empires, the independence of India under Gandhi, the wave of independence in Asia and Africa, the end of apartheid in South Africa under Mandela, and the conflicts that arose from decolonization (WHII.16).
A standards-level answer on decolonization for the Virginia World History SOL: the weakening of European empires after World War II, the independence of India under Gandhi, the wave of African and Asian independence, and the end of apartheid under Mandela, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the Russian Revolution: the causes including the hardships of World War I and the weakness of the czarist government, the 1917 revolutions, the Bolshevik seizure of power under Lenin, and the creation of the Soviet Union as the first communist state (WHII.14).
A standards-level answer on the Russian Revolution for the Virginia World History SOL: the causes including World War I and czarist weakness, the 1917 revolutions, Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and the creation of the Soviet Union as the first communist state, with worked exam questions.