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Period: to
Events leading to & the fighting of WWII
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The rise to power of Stalin
After Vladimir Lenin's death, Joseph Stalin rose to become the leader of the Soviet Union. Stalin was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until his death in 1953. -
The rise to power of Tojo
During much of WWII, Hideki Tojo was the general of the Imperial Japanese army, the 40th prime minister of Japan, and the leader of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. He was also responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, which began war with Japan and the U.S. -
The rise to power of Mussolini
In the year of 1919, Mussolini created the Fascist Party, eventually making himself a dictator and holding all of the power in Italy. -
Italy's conquest of Ethiopia
Mussolini decided to follow thorugh with Hitler's plans to expand German territories by acquiring all territories it considered German. He did this by attacking Ethiopia who defaeted the Italian forces at the Battle of Adowa in the nineteenth century. -
Spanish Civil War
A war between the Republicans and the Nationalists. The Nationalists was a rebel group led by General Francisco Franco. The Nationalists won, and Franco ruled Spain for the next 36 years -
The rise to power of Hitler
Hitler's rise to power began when he joined the German Workers' Party after WWI. It was a political party that was against democratic post-war government. -
Annexing of Austria
Nazis wanted to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany. The Austrian Chancellor tried to keep his country's independence but was forced to give it up and he resigned. -
Nazi-Soviet pact
German foreign minister, Ribbentrop, carried a proposal from Hitler that both countries commit to a nonaggression pact that would last 100 years. the proposal contained a secret protocol specifying the spheres of influence in Eastern Europe both parties would accept after Hitler conquered Poland. -
Germany Invades Poland
To Hitler, the conquest of Poland would bring Lebensraum, or “living space,” for the German people. In a secret clause of the Nazi-Soviet pact, the enemies agreed to divide Poland between them. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. -
Battle of Stalingrad
A battle in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia, on the eastern boundary of Europe. -
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. The battle began when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. -
Battle of the bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. -
Death of Roosevelt
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. he had four momentous terms in office, leaving Vice President Harry S. Truman in charge of a country still fighting the Second World War and in possession of a weapon of unprecedented and terrifying power. -
V-E Day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Though the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan marked the end of World War II, many historians argue that it also ignited the Cold War. -
V-J Day
the day on which Japan surrendered, in effect ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made. -
Rome-Berlin Axis formed
A book about the study of the axis alliances of Italy (Facist) and Germany (Nazi) with a special importance on the relationship between Mussolini and Hitler.
