Ohio Test Prep - Social Studies

Main Ideas

To successfully master this module, you need to:

D. Connect developments related to World War I with the onset of World War II.

The aftermath of World War I contributed to World War II. The Treaty of Versailles led Germans to embrace a Nazi ideology based on revenge and expansionism. Britain and France preferred a policy of appeasement in dealing with Hitler rather than run the risk of going to war. The League of Nations was too weak to stop Nazi and Japanese aggression, partially because of the refusal of the United States to join.

E. Analyze connections between World War II, the Cold War and contemporary
conflicts.

Two major powers emerged following World War II: The United States and its capitalist economy, and the Soviet Union and its communist system. Soon after the Cold War began, the two powers aimed to control spheres of influence as protection from each other. U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War was based on the policy of containment—stopping the spread of communism. The arms race between the U.S. and Soviet Union nearly destroyed the Soviet economy and led to demands for reform.

To learn more about these benchmarks, read Chapter 4: World Conflict in the Twentieth Century, pp. 43-63 in Mastering the Ohio Graduation Test Social Studies.