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Mein Kampf
translating to "My Struggle", it was the book written by Hitler while imprisoned. It was about his life (although tweaked a bit to create a positive image of him), and his views about the inferior. This contributed to the war because it made people believe he was a good person and it also made them believe his arguments about the Jews to be well thought out and basically true. This was the ground work for the war and persecution. *I was unable to find the exact date the book was published. -
Stock Market Crash
The Stock Market Crash was, as the name implies, the day the stock market crashed in the U.S.A. This led to the Great Depression and therefore led to war. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was an economic crisis and time period of low business activity, not just in the United States, but around the world.
It led to war because people were desperate and therefore believed anything they heard. This, for example, allowed Adolf Hitler to come to power. -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
Japanese expansion was when Japan was trying to chase Europeans from Asia and control more of the continent. This started with the Invasion of Manchuria where Japan invaded China. This led to war because it raised the tension between all the countries that were already on delicate terms. Not to mention, it pulled all of those countries into action. -
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Japanse Expansion
Japanese expansion was when Japan was trying to chase Europeans from Asia and control more of the continent. This started with the Invasion of Manchuria. This led to war because it raised the tension between all the countries that were already on delicate terms. Not to mention, it pulled all of those countries into action. -
Hitler Comes to Power
*Hitler was elected Chancellor in 1933, however he became part of the Nazis in 1919. Hitler coming to power was the biggest contribution to World War II because his power was able to initiate it. -
Enabling Act
Legislation that suspended constitutional government for four years in order to meet the crisis in the German economy. This allowed Nazi laws to take effect without parliamentary approval, which allowed Hitler to rule until his death, and therefore strongly contributed to World War II. *Enabling Act passed March 23, 1993 -
The Nuremberg Laws
Legislation enacted by the Nazis that deprived Jewish Germans of their citizenship and imposed many other hardships on them. This was the begnning of the persecution of Jews, which reached until the end of World War II. *Passed on August 20, 1935 -
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The Ethiopian War
The Ethiopian War was an armed conflict that resulted in Italy ruling Ethiopia.
This war demonstrated the how ineffective the the League of Nations was when the decisions were not supported by the great powers. -
Remilitarization of the Rhineland
The remilitarization of the Rhineland is a provocative action taken by Hitler. The Treaty of Versailles after had forbidden Germany from having military forces in the Rhineland - this provided a buffer zone between Germany and the countries which it invaded in 1914. Despite this, Hitler made the decision to re-occupy the Rhineland with very strong military forces. This obviously increased the tension in Europe. -
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The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. Through this, Spain became a training ground for Mussolini and Hitler. It allowed them to try out new weapons, and practice bombing and terrorizing civilians. -
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The Rape of Nanjing
Japan undertook another major attack on China in 1937, justifying its offensive as the first step toward liberating the region from Western Imperialism. It was called the Rape of Nanjing because of the brutality towards girls and women. *See Japanese expansion for how it led to war -
Anschluss
Anschluss is the word for the German-Austrian merger. Hitler's troops simply entered Austria and annexed it. This led to war because it created more Nazi support. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was when Chamberlain, Daladier, Mussolini and Hitler met in Munich. These powers agreed not to oppose Germany's claim to the Sudetenland. *See appeasement for how it led to war. -
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Appeasement
Appeasement is the strategy of preventing war by making concessions for legitimate grievances.
Of course appeasement has been used throughout history, but for the purpose of this timeline I used the timespan of the Munich Conference to the end of World War II.
This led to war because it allowed some countries to have a tight grip on others. For example when Hitler was allowed to keep the Sudetenland.