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Stalin comes to power in Russia
When Lenin died in 1924, everybody expected Trotsky to take over the leadership. Instead, Stalin schemed his way into power, using his position as General Secretary, and a series of ruthless political moves . -
Mussolini takes power in Italy
Mussolini takes control over Italy and of democratic government and in 1925 made himself dictator of Italy -
The US stock market crashes
Also known as "Black Tuesday", the worst crash in the history of stock markets, led to the Great Depression. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began on September 19, 1931, when Manchuria was invaded by the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan immediately following the Mukden Incident. The Japanese established a puppet state, called Manchukuo, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II. -
FDR is elected president
A democratic president that was elected in the era of The Great depression. FDR was president for his first four terms. -
Hitler is named chancellor of germany
In January 1933, Adolf Hitler took the reins of a 14 year old German democratic republic which in the minds of many had long outlived its usefulness. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
Mussolini following Hitler’s policies and expand Germany invades Ethiopia and controls Ethiopia till the end of WWII. -
Germany remiliratizes the Rhineland
In 1936 Germany sent troops into the Rhineland, which had been demilitarized under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. The purpose of remilitarization in 1936 was to show the public in Germany that Hitler was 'putting right' the wrongs of Versailles and also in order to build military installations and fortifications there. -
Civil War erupts in Spain
The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) broke out with a military uprising in Morocco on July 17, triggered by events in Madrid. Within days, Spain was divided in two: a "Republican" or "Loyalist" Spain consisting of the Second Spanish Republic and a "Nationalist" Spain under the insurgent generals, and, eventually, under the leadership of General Francisco Franco. -
Neutrility Act
Neutrality ActPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the 1937 Neutrality Act, which bans travel on belligerent ships, forbids the arming of American merchant ships trading with belligerents, and issues an arms embargo with warring nations. -
Anschluss
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler declares Austria part of the Third Reich. -
The Munich Conference
In late 1938 a crisis developed in Europe. Adolf Hitler, the fascist dictator of Germany, had already annexed Austria the year before. Now he wanted to also take the "Sudetenland" region of Czechslovakia and make the territory a part of Germany. He claimed that the German speaking inhabitants of this land were being mistreated by the Czech.On 29 September 1938 the Munich Conference was called. Here Hitler met with representatives of the heads of state from France, the United Kingdom, and Italy -
Germany occupies the Sudetenland
The Sudetenland was especially valuable because it contained virtually all of Czechoslovakia's defenses. It is mountainous, whereas most of the rest of Czechoslovakia is relatively flat. Once Germany controlled the Sudetenland, it would be relatively easy to conquer the remainder of the country. -
Kristallnacht
During the German Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), 7500 Jewish businesses are looted, 191 synagogues are set afire, nearly 100 Jews are killed, and tens of thousands are sent to concentration camps. -
The Nazi Soviet Pact
The pact signed in 1939 by Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled a one-front war when Germany started World War II. -
Germany invades Poland
The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war--what would become the "blitzkrieg" strategy. This was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy's air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery. -
The "Phony War"
Between the end of the fighting in Poland and the German offensive against France, Belgium, and Holland, there is little actual fighting between the Germans and the Allies. It is a period that becomes known as the Phony War. During these months of military posturing, Hitler’s forces, in preparation for the attack west, launch an invasion against Scandinavia. -
France surrenders
In the Second World War, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the successful German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, defeating primarily French forces. -
Churchill is elected prime minister of England
On May 10th, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister and during the war, he was the most dominant figure in British politics – a role that received huge praise once the war was over. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
Germany had passed through the Ardennes and trapped 400,000 British and French troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. The troops were then quickly finding ways across the English channel to safely escape the Germans. -
The 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. -
Japan seizes French Indo-China
On this day in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt seizes all Japanese assets in the United States in retaliation for the Japanese occupation of French Indo-China. -
The Lend-Lease Act
Passed on March 11, 1941, this act set up a system that would allow the United States to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "vital to the defense of the United States." -
The Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement first issued in August 1941 that early in World War II defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes attack the American base at Pearl Harbor destroying U.S. aircraft and naval vessels, and killing 2,355 U.S. servicemen and 68 civilians.
