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Mussolini forms the Fascist Party
Mussolini created the Fascist Party in Italy in March of 1919 because he wanted more power. This worsened tensions because the Fascists party caused lots of damage. -
Treaty of Versailles is signed
Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and Russia signed the Treaty of Versailles in France on June 28 of 1919 because they wanted to prevent war. This worsened tensions because it placed blame on Germany and hurt their economy. -
Hitler joins the German Workers Party
Hitler joined the German Workers Party on September 12, 1919 in Germany because the Workers Party was smaller and he thought that he could become the leader quicker. This worsened tensions because joining allowed him to kill a lot of people. -
League of nations is founded
Woodrow Wilson founded the league of nations on January 10, 1920 in Geneva Switzerland because he wanted to prevent war. This lessoned tensions because it was meant to stop war through discussion. -
Washington Navel Conference
The United States, Japan, China, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal attended the Washington Naval Conference in 1921 in Washington D.C to try and prevent war. The United States, Japan, China, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal attended the Washington Naval Conference in 1921 in Washington D.C to try and prevent war.
This worsened tensions because -
Mussolini threatened to march on Rome
Mussolini Threatened to march on Rome in November of 1921 in Italy because it would bring him more power. Mussolini Threatened to march on Rome in November of 1921 in Italy because it would bring him more power -
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler and some of his followers decided to march on Berlin, starting at Bürgerbräu Keller, a beer hall in the Bavarian city of Munich. They intended to overthrow the government, but the plan failed and many participants were arrested. This worsened tensions because it was an attempt to overthrow the German government. -
Dawes/circular loans plan proposed
The United States Congress suggests the Dawes Plan to make it easier for Germany to pay reparations from World War I. It allowed loans to be circulated between major countries and payments to be made in increments, which was supposed to make sure that none of the countries suffered an economic collapse. This plan lessened tensions because it was intended to help countries pay their debts. -
Kellogg Briand Pact
France and the United States created an agreement to outlaw war. It was signed in Paris, and it was meant to prevent another bloody world war. This pact lessened tensions because it was an attempt to prevent more violence. -
Great Depression begins
Many countries fell into economic depression after a stock market crash in the United States earlier in the year. This event worsened tensions because large losses of money and jobs caused people to turn towards leaders who promised to make things better for them. One of these leaders was Adolf Hitler. -
Japan occupies Manchuria, China
Japan, not having a good supply of valuable resources like oil and rubber, decided to invade China in order to obtain those resources. The Japanese invaded China to get these resources and to demonstrate their power. This worsened tensions because Japan was forced to invade China due to lack of materials which caused more tension. -
Geneva Disarmament Conference begins
60 countries gathered in Geneva to discuss weapon regulations. The intention of this conference and the regulations it suggested was to prevent another world war. This lessened tensions because the conference was created to decrease the number of weapons each country was allowed to have, which in turn was meant to avoid more wars. -
Hitler places second in Germany national elections for president
Hitler placed second in the 1932 German national elections for president because the Nazis were still rising to power and had not won over the entire population yet. This worsened tensions because Hitler became more determined to rule Germany. -
Germany withdraws from the League of Nations
Hitler, as the Chancellor of Germany, decided to withdraw from the League of Nations due to the Western powers refusing to acquiesce in Germany’s demands for military parity. This worsened tensions due to Germany distancing itself from the rest of the world and not agreeing with the league's decisions. -
Hitler withdraws from Geneva Disarmament Conference
Hiter just days after taking control of the German government decided that Germany would withdraw from the Geneva Disarmament Conference because of the Western powers’ refusal to meet its demand for equality. This worsened tensions because it showed that Germany doesn't want to reduce its army and they are still in disagreement with the other countries. -
Hitler merges offices chancellor & president
In Germany, after Hitler became the chancellor he purged those who voiced opposition towards Nazi terror tactics. To further cement his role as leader of Germany, he was soon urged to merge the offices of chancellor and president so he could not be restricted by other powers in Germany. This worsened tensions because it showed that Hitler wanted absolute power over Germany so he could do as he pleased without intervention from other ruling powers in Germany. -
Mussolini invades Ethiopia
border disputes in the Horn of Africa prompted Mussolini to launch an invasion of Ethiopia. The invasion was meant to boost Italian prestige and to show the world that Italy was a powerful nation that shouldn’t be messed with. This worsened tensions because Mussolini was being aggressive with weaker countries which drew attention from other countries that wanted to prevent another war from happening. -
Hitler militarizes the Rhineland
Hitler sends Germany soldiers to Rhineland, a previous Germany territory that was demilitarized. Hitler was forced to give it up because of the treaty of Versailles.
This event worsened tensions because Germany was not given permission to reclaim Rhineland and did it by force -
Japan Invasion of China
Japan wanted to obtain Chinese resources. Conflict lead to the second Sino-Japanese war.
This worsened tension because it caused war between China and Japan for resources which other people were brought into. -
Italy withdraws from the League of Nations
Mussolini withdraws Italy from the league of nations, the League had imposed economic sanctions on Italy for the invasion of Abyssinia
This worsened tensions because Italy was upset for being penalized for invading Abyssinia -
Hitler and Nazi Germany annex Austria
As part of Hitlers expansion he lend Germany to annex Austria. Hitler forcefully took over.
This worsened tensions because Germany took over Austria without warning or permission. -
HItler and Germany gain Sudetenland
Germany was allowed to annex Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, home to many ethnic Germans.
This lessened tensions because Hitler was able to peacefully gain more territory that he wanted. -
Hitler occupies Czechoslovakia
On March 15, 1939, Hitler occupied Czechoslovakia to unite all ethnic Germans. He justified his actions by claiming the ethnic Germans in that area were ‘suffering. It worsened tensions because Hitler broke his promise to not take anymore land. -
Hitler signs alliance with Mussolini
On May 22 of 1939 Hitler and Mussolini signed an alliance called the Pact of Steel in Berlin, Germany. They did this so Italy and Germany would support each other and could not achieve peace unless they both had it. This lessened tensions because it created peace between Germany and Italy. -
Hitler and Stalin sign Non-Aggression Pact
In Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the Non-Aggression Pact to allow Hitler’s armies to invade Poland. This worsened tensions because encouraged them to continue invading countries. -
Germany invades Poland
On September 1, 1939 German soldiers invaded Poland to allow Germany to regain their lost territory. This worsened tensions because Poland didn't want to be invaded again. -
Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany
On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany because they invaded Poland. This worsened tensions because it was a catalyst for the beginning of World War II.