-
Japan invades Manchuria to try and gain more natural resources and raw materials to support their massive expansion and militarization.
-
Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia.
-
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany.
-
Thousands of Jewish businesses and synagogues were damaged, Jews were killed and 26,000 sent to concentration camps. Jews were blamed for the damage. November 9-10, 1938.
-
Fascist Italy invades and annexes Albania.
-
Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
-
The invasion of Poland marks the offical start of WWII.
-
Because of the German-Soviet Pact of August 1939, Germany was able to attack Poland without the fear of Soviet intervention.
-
Congress passes cash-and-carry law to ease the sale of arms to countries at war.
-
May-June; Germany conquers the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
-
Winston Churchill becomes UK prime minister
-
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21.
-
The Italians invade British-controlled Egypt from Italian-controlled Libya.
-
Japan joins Axis alliance with Germany and Italy.
-
Battle of Britain ends with Hitler's forces rebuffed.
-
Election of 1940- FDR runs for a third term and succeeds
-
Roosevelt delivers the Four Freedoms speech about the future of the world
-
Congress establishes the lend-lease program to deliver arms to Great Britain on credit.
-
Germany begins its invasion of the Soviet Union
-
General Hideki becomes Japanese prime minister.
-
Japanese attack U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor on a Sunday.
-
American bombers attack Tokyo.
-
Invasion of north Africa; first time u.s troops see action.
-
United States and Great Britain, the leading Allied powers, invaded Sicily
-
Allied forces invade Normandy /northern france.
-
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met to plan for postwar peace. Held February 4-11, 1945.
-
FDR dies while in office
-
Hitler commits suicide
-
Marked the end of the war in Europe.
-
Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
