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German Events
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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty that ended World War I. France, America, Britain, and Italy were the leaders of the treaty. The treaty ended up shrinking the German military to 100,000, the demilitarization of the Rhineland, and expensive war reparations that ruined the German economy and sent them into hyperinflation. Germany was forced to endure these consequences because they "started the war". This treaty was part of the reason WWII started. -
Enabling Act
The Enabling Act gave Hitler the right to gain dictatorial powers in the German nation. This happened after Hitler climbed his way up the governmental ladder. This finally gave Hitler a base to start his National Socialist revolution and carved a path to WWII. -
Kristallnacht
Also known as the "Night of Broken Glass", a wave of ant-Jewish pogroms taking place in Germany. This was a start to Hitler's perfect Aryan race, by the extermination of Jews. Many Jewish businesses and places of worship were burned and destroyed. This scared many Jews and hinted at the near future of concentration camps and extreme persecution. Germany was one step closer to a perfect Aryan race. -
Germany Attacks Poland
After the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed to attack other countries and to do this, the army could not be bigger than 100,000. Germany ended up attacking Poland to grow Hitler's Aryan Empire. The Allies warned them not to, so Britain and France declared war on Germany, therefore starting World War II. This had a huge impact on Germany because they were now involved in the biggest war in history. -
France Surrenders
Germany decided to invade France to weaken the Allied Powers. Germany invaded France by use of the military strategy, "blitzkreig". France did not see this coming and surrendered to Germany rather quickly. Hitler's next move was to set up a government in France. This was a huge victory for Germany since they weakened the Allies and had a boost in morale. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was Germany attacking Great Britain through multiple air raids. Germany needed to attack Britain to get them out of the way, so they could conquer all of Britain. The British were able to prevail because of their advanced technology and the advantage of an enemy with no real organized plan. This was an important event to Germany because it was their first real defeat and proved Britain as the superior air force. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was Germany's attack on the Soviet Union after they had signed a non-aggression act. Hitler believed they had to be taken out eventually because they were communists. The Germans were initially successful, but the Soviets prevailed when winter struck and the Germans were not prepared. This was one of the first turning points in the war. It lowered Germany's morale and was an embarrassment to the country. -
First Extermination Camp
Chelmno was the first extermination camp to be put in use in WWII. Hitler did this so he could efficiently kill Jews as quickly as possible. The people put in camps were murdered by gas, bringing the death toll over 300,000. This was the first big step in the persecution of Jews in Germany besides Kristallnacht, leading Germany closer to an all Aryan race. These camps would also have a big impact on the consequences they endured at the end of the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad occurred because Germany was making advances on the Soviet Union to try to take over. The Soviet's were able to crush the German's, making a turning point in the war. This was considered one of the greatest battles in the War. Because the German's surrendered, it caused them to have a loss in morale, men, and materials. -
First Death March
The first death march happened from the camp, Majdanek because Hitler knew the Allies were advancing and did not want them to find the camps. The members of camps were marched out of the camp and killed off along the way, as inconspicuously as possible. This led to the many deaths of Jews on Germany's hands. -
D-Day
D-Day happened because the Allied Powers wanted to start liberating Western Europe from Germany's rule. The Allies landed on a beach in Normandy, but the Germans were waiting for them. The Allies eventually succeeded, which landed Germany with a massive defeat that ruined them. This interaction was key in liberating France, which was the beginning of Germany's fall in the war. -
Liberation of Paris
The French people wanted to revolt against the German rule over them because they did not agree with German tactics, which led to the liberation of Paris. French fighters won the battle while they let out French prisoners in the street. This caused Germany to fall even deeper onto the losing side. This was one of the biggest defeats of Germany. -
Mussolini is Executed
The leader of Italy was hanged by his own people because they disagreed with his alliance with Hitler and the way he ruled. His body was left upside down for the public to see for a week. This impacted Germany because Italy was a major ally for them. This weakened the way the attacked and counter attacked. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
After the execution of Mussolini, the advances made by the Allies, and the upcoming defeat of Germany, Hitler committed suicide. This action basically ended Germany's affairs in the the War because there was no leader for Germany. The surrender of Germany soon followed and Germany was severely punished. -
Allies Divide Germany
After the war, the Allies divide up Germany as a punishment for causing the war. It's split up into four different military operation zones, occupied by France, Britain, the United States, and Soviet Union. This caused Germany to lose lots of land and freedom.
