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Treaty of Versailles is Signed
Following the events of the first world war, the sanctions were put in place against Germany as punishment for escalating the war through the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty itself was more aimed towards getting revenge on Germany than helping it recover for the war, and because of this led to the rise of nationalism in Germany and the rise of Hitler. -
The Weimar Republic is Established in Germany
After the WWI, Germany entered a period of political turmoil since the Kaiser abdicated. Out of the rubble, a new government formed shifting power away from the military and creating a new constitution. -
The League of Nations is Created
As a way of preventing another large-scale war, Woodrow Wilson proposed the League of Nations be created to enforce international treaties. It was the first of its kind, and although it failed, it is now known as the United Nations -
Benito Mussolini Becomes Dictator of Italy
Mussolini became the world's first fascist dictator after eliminating all of his opposition in Italy. His actions had a great influence on Adolf Hitler once he had his own dictatorship. -
French Occupation of the Ruhr
The Ruhr region of Germany, which borders France and Belgium, was not to be occupied by German or French troops as a condition of the Treaty of Versailles. As retaliation for Germany not being able to pay war reparations, France sent its troops to occupy the region. -
Beer Hall Putsch
Since the Weimar Republic was so weak, Hitler and the Nazi Party were growing in popularity. This growing confidence led to the Nazis attempting to overthrow the Republic, but Hitler and a few other members were caught, detained, and grew even more popular with the German people. -
The Dawes Plan is Created
Since Germany was increasingly unable to pay war reparations and growing anger in France because of this, the US created a loan plan where it loaned money to Germany to rebuild the economy and make its payments to Britain and France. In return, they would pay interest and France would remove thier troops with the Ruhr. -
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Locarno Treaties are Signed
To help Germany recover from the war, the Locarno Treaties were negotiated between the Allies and Germany. Germany essentially agreed to not go to war again, which allowed Hitler to gain more power without the Allies interference.
Image:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-R03618%2C_Locarno%2C_Gustav_Stresemann%2C_Chamberlain%2C_Briand.jpg -
Kellogg-Briand Pact is Signed
Following the Locarno Treaties, most of the other countries involved in WWI signed this pact agreeing to not use war to settle disputes. However, this pact was inevitably broken, starting WWII -
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The Great Depression
Due to increased consumerism in the United States in part because of the Dawes Plan, there was increased interest in stocks. Once the stock market crashed, it flung the world into economic crisis on which dictators like Hitler built their platform.
Image:
https://www.history.com/.image/t_share/MTU4MDgxNjIzNjYzODQ3MTkz/depression.jpg -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Due to the events of the Great Depression, Japan's economy was in great need of resources. This led to the Japanese invading a region of China called Manchuria for its resources, not once stopped by the League of Nations. -
Hitler is Appointed as the Chancellor of Germany
As Germany toiled in political and economic instability, their desperate president appointed the widely popular Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. This allowed him to begin rearming their military, and gain control over the German people as a dictator. -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Partially due to the lack of action by the League of Nations after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Italy invaded Ethiopia with the hopes of creating another Italian empire. Once again, there was no direct interferance from the League of Nations. -
Germany Reoccupies the Rhineland
After remilitarizing Germany and the previous failures of the League of Nations, Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles and moved to occupy the Rhineland, a stretch of land between Germany, France, and Belgium. Again, the League of Nations was idle. -
Creation of the Rome-Berlin Axis
Due to mutual interests in expansion and building an empire, Germany and Italy formed an alliance. Both of the countries had established fascist dictatorships, and eventually Germany and it's allies would simply be known as the Axis Powers form this agreement. -
Creation of the Anti-Comintern Pact
Shortly after Germany's alliance with Italy, Germany and Japan came into agreeance on a pact against communism. This pact, which later involved Italy, mostly targetted the Soviet Union. -
Germany's Anschluss With Austria
In an effort to unite German speaking people in Europe, a highly nationalist goal, Germany occupied Austria. This again was in direct conflict with the Treaty of Versailles. -
Signing of the Munich Agreement
Following the annexation of Austria, Germany set their sights on Czechoslovakia, specifically the German speaking areas. This prompted Germany and Italy to enter into an agreement with Britai and France which gave Germany that area of Czechoslovakia in return for ceasing expansion, but Germany occupied all of Czechoslovakia instead. -
Germany Officially Occupies Czechoslovakia
In direct conflict with the Munich Agreement, Germany invades all of Czechoslovakia instead of just the German speaking region. Britain did not take any action. -
Creation of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
In order to further expand, Hitler formed a non-aggression agreement with the Soviet Union. He would later break this pact -
Germany Invades Poland
After the complete occupation of Czechoslovakia, Germany made moves to invade Poland through the Czechoslovakia with the approval of the Soviet Union to divide the country between them. This once again was a violation of the Munich Agreement, and this time, actions were taken. -
Britain Declares War on Germnay
After the realization that Germany needed to be put in check after the invasion of Poland, Britain recognized its failures by declaring war. This was the beginning of the Second World War.
