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Japan seizes Manchuria
Japanese military leaders and ultranationalists thought that Japan should hve an empire equal to those of the Western powers. This success showed the link to World War II because it showed the strength of the military in Japan, and that they could not be stopped by Western protests. -
Mussolini invades Ethiopia
Mussolini of Italy decided to act on his own imperialist ambitions, and invaded Ethiopia. The Ethiopians fought back bravely, but their outdates weapons were nothing compared to Italy's tanks, machine guns, poison gas, and airplanes. This event showed the strength of the weapons that Italy had before World War II, and the strength of their military. -
Hitler goes against the Treaty of Versailles
He built up the German military in defiance of the treaty, and then sent troops to demilitarize Rhineland bordering France, which was an invasion of the treaty. This success of Hitler's made him much more powerful at home, leading to WWII because it helped him gain more support and power. Hitler going against the treaty angered France because they violated the treaty. -
Start of the Spanish Civil War
Francisco Franco led a revolt that started a bloody civil war. Other nations jumped in to support both sides, such as Hitler, Mussolini, and the USSR. Before WWII, the rest of the world had a glimpse of how destructive the power of modern warfare could be. This civil war set different countries against each other, creating tension even before the war. -
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
In the face of weakness of Britain, France, and the US, Germany, Italy, and Japan came together to form the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis. The Axis powers agreed to fight Soviet Communism. This led to WWII because it allowed these powers to take even bolder steps, go against the three main powers and gain power themselves. -
Germany annexes Austria
Hitler sent the German army to "preserve order" in Austria, and indicated his new role as ruler of Austria by making a speech. This violated the treaty of Versailles again and created a brief war scare. This led to WWII because no Western powers fought back against Hitler, making it easy for him to have his way and gain more power. -
The Czech Crisis
Hitler decided he wanted to annex Sudetenland, but it was one of only two remaining democracies in Europe. France and Britain were not willing to fight Germany to save it, so they turned to peaceful solutions, but that only made Hitler increase his demands. This relates to WWII because it shows how easily Hitler was able to control people and gain power. -
Europe Plunges Towards War
Hitler broke his promises and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. Democracies finally accepted the fact that appeaasement had failed, and promised to protect Poland, which would likely be the next target of Hitler's expansion. This led to WWII because Hitler contrinued to gain more and more power, and other countries began to fear him more. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
This pact bound Hitler and Stalin to peaceful relations, and the two secretly agreed to not fight if the other went to war and to divide up Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe between them. Stalin tried to protect the USSR from Germany and got the chance to control more of Eastern Europe. This prevented a war between the two countries, however, only built up power in each. -
Invasion of Poland
German forces invade Poland, and two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. This was the initial start of World War II.
