Causes of the Second World War By pequenohippo77 Period: Jan 1, 1919 to Dec 31, 1922 Facist Party rises to power in Italy Period: Jan 1, 1919 to Dec 31, 1923 Nazi Party rises to power in Germany Period: Jan 1, 1920 to Dec 31, 1929 Japan, lacking land and natural resources, becomes land-hungry and looks to establish an empire Jan 1, 1922 Mussolini is appointed Prime Minister of Italy Nov 1, 1923 Hitler tries to overthrow German government, but fails and is imprisoned Period: Jan 1, 1930 to Dec 31, 1939 Japan's economy worsens Jan 1, 1931 Japan's army seizes Manchuria (northern China) Period: Jan 1, 1931 to Dec 31, 1936 Japan's military takes over government Jan 1, 1933 Nazi Party is the largest political party in Germany's Reichstag & Hitler becomes head of the German state Period: Jan 1, 1933 to Dec 31, 1937 America passes a series of Neutrality Acts saying that the US would withhold weapons & loans from all nations at war Oct 1, 1935 Mussolini & Italy invade Ethiopia Jan 1, 1936 Hitler signs an alliance with Mussolini, forming the Axis Powers Mar 9, 1936 German troops invade the Rhineland Jan 1, 1938 FDR moves American Pacific fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor Mar 1, 1938 Hitler annexes Austria Sep 1, 1938 Hitler demands the Sudetenland; Britain and France agree in the Munich Conference Mar 1, 1939 Hitler annexes Czechoslovakia Mar 31, 1939 Britain & France pledge support to Poland in the event that it is invaded by Germany Sep 1, 1939 Hitler invades Poland - Blitzkrieg Sep 3, 1939 France & Great Britain declare war on Germany Jan 1, 1940 Japan controls most of eastern China Jan 1, 1940 America First Committee forms to fight for American isolationism Apr 9, 1940 Sitzkrieg ends - Germany attacks Denmark & Norway May 10, 1940 Germany launches blitzkrieg on Belgium Period: Jun 14, 1940 to Jun 17, 1940 German troops enter Paris and France Sep 1, 1940 Japan allies with Germany & Italy - Tripartite Pact Sep 1, 1940 Congress authorizes the first peacetime draft in the nation's history - Selective Service Act Nov 1, 1940 Roosevelt is elected to a third term Dec 1, 1940 Germany begins bombing England / Battle of Britain Mar 1, 1941 Lend-Lease Act Apr 1, 1941 Japan signs neutrality pact with Soviet Union Jun 1, 1941 Japanese forces occupy Indochina; U.S. freezes Japan's American assets & cuts off trade Nov 25, 1941 Japanese fleet begins moving toward Southeast Asia; US demands that Japan withdraws from the Tripartite pact Dec 1, 1941 German raids on England end Dec 7, 1941 American military base, Pearl Harbor, is attacked by Japanese warplanes Dec 8, 1941 United States declares war on Japan Dec 11, 1941 Germany & Italy declare war on the United States
