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The Big Four met at the Palace of Versailles in France to discuss the terms of peace. They created the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations to hopefully keep the peace after WWI. More Info References:
Paris, Henry. 2008. 'Palace Of Versailles Golden Gate Restored - Telegraph'. Telegraph.Co.Uk. Accessed February 9 2015.
I, Treaty. 'Treaty Of Versailles - World War I - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. -
Japan agrees to respect China's borders. This is significant because several world powers had secured china's borders from Japan. Japan will later break this treaty and invade Manchuria. More info.
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Mussolini's Fascist's marched on Rome until they had put enough pressure on the government to give power to Mussolini and the Fascist party. More Info
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Hitler tries to seize power through a coup de' tat and is arrested. He is imprisoned and writes Mein Kampf where his plans for the 3rd Reich will be laid out.
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This agreement essentially renounced war and said it should/will not be used as a tool of foreign policy. Ultimately, the treay won't mean a thing and will be broken in the thirties by several countries.
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The United States Stock Market crashes making the economic depression worldwide.
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Japan Launched an Invasion into Manchuria for their resources and additional land for a growing poulation. this is the first aggressive action between WWI and WWII that the L.O.N. will do nothing to stop. More Info References:
Talkingproud.us,. 'Japanese Race Thru Asia'. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. -
The Nazis became the majority political party in the election of July 1932. For the first time the Nazis have a majority control in Germany's parliament.
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Paul Von Hindenburg appointted Hitler Chancellor of Germany following political pressure from many German industrialists. It is a common misconception that Hitler seized power in Germany when in reality he had come to power legally and democratically. Hitler was now in a position to gain comlplete power og the country.
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Following their invasion of Mancuria, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations setting thier course for war and conquest in the Pacific.
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As Hitler worked for complete Dictatorial control, he was confronted with a dilemma in dealing wiht a powerful division of the military known as the SA. After several disagreements between the Nazis and the SA, Hitler used the SS to eliminate powerful SA leaders and purge the group of any dissent to Nazi control. Following the Purge the weakened SA
will not play a role in teh Third Reich and the SS will have solidified its position as Nazi muscle. 85-200 leaders were executed. More Info -
Hitler openly announced to his cabinet that he would no longer follow the treaty of Versailes and would continue rearming without hiding it from the world.
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The first antisemitic law was passed in 1933 making a Decree by the Berlin City Commissioner for Health to suspend Jewish doctors from the city's social welfare services. Later, the Nuremberg Laws passed with a series of very restrictive laws limiting things like Jews marrying non-Jews. More Info References
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Halle Selassie apealed to the Leagut of Nations to stop Italy from Invading his country. The League chose appeasement and did nothing to actually stop them. The L.O.N. failed yet again to do waht it was asemebled to do.
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Hitler defied the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops into the Rhineland. The Rhineland was meant to be a "buffer zone" between France and Germany preventing hostility rather than creating it. Although France was outraged, the L.O.N. didn't do anything to actually stop the militarization.
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Rome and Berlin signed an agreement to ally with eachother.
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The Japanese Invaded the Chinese capital brutally murdering the chinese as they pillaged the city. the event has come to be known as the "Rape of Nanking" as it left no man, woman, or child free from harm. Japan was establishing its empire without hinderance from the L.O.N. or any world power.
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Although forbidden to ally by the Treaty of Versailles, Germany annexed Austria making the country a part of theirs. Most Austrians were excited and happy to once again become a part of Germany. the empire had added an additional 5 million people to the Third Reich overnight.
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Hitler's plans for the Sudetenland After much controversy and some attempts to meet Hitler's demands, he uncompromisingly demands all of the Sudetenland be ceded to Germany.
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Hiler gave Czechoslavakia an ultimatum of war or surrender the Sudetenlad a primarily German speaking Germany lost after WWI.The Big Four (Germany, Britain, Italy, and France) met and discussed Hitler's demands for the Sudetenland and decided to appease Hitler by ceding it to him.
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Although reconized by some countries already, Francisco Franco formally took over as leader (dictator) of spain after Madrid surrendered. Spain will not play a major role in WWII, but suffered from civil war and the rise of Fascism like Germany and Italy.
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To secure an ally in Europe and avoid the mistakes of a two front war in WWI, Hitler signed a treaty with the USSR stating that neither country would take agressive action against the other. Click here for more info.
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Considered the official start of WWII Hitler's Storm Troopers invaded Poland claiming self defense from a made up polish invasion of Germany. Aided by the USSR on the Easter side, Poland surrendered in less than a month.
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Following the Invasion of Poland Hitler began the largest Air battle of the war including many bomb raid that would come to be known as "the blitz" to british citizens fleeing into shelters as sirens rang over the days and nights to come.
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The lend lease Act was a piece of legislation passed in America that allowed the American government to loan money and supplies to nations at war in Europe specifically Great Britain, France, and their Allies For more info click here
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Operation Barbarossa is considered Hitler's biggest mistake in WWII. Hitler breaks the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and invades the USSR. Ultimately this operation will fail and the Germans will withdraw from Russia suffering a series of defeats leading up to the allies invasion of Berlin.
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Japan launches a surpirse attack on America in Hawaii. Japan saw American involvement in WWII as inevitable and thought if they could cripple the American fleet at Pearl Harbor they would have a significant advantage in the Pacific.
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Hitler and many High ranking officials hold this conference to plan what their "final solution" will be for the "Jewish problem" in Germany and their conquered territories.
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Following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor the American Public yearned for revengee against Japan. Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolilttle was commanded an American Bombing raid on Japan. The raid symbolized not only revenge for Pearl Harbor but that Japan was vulnerable to attack from the air.
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Click here for more info.The Battle Of Midway marks the turning point for the Allies in the Pacific Theater. When the Allies are attacked at the island of Midway the intelligence theay gathered about the oncoming attack gives them a great advantage and they deliver a crippling blow to the Japanese naval forces.
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The Germans successfully took large portions of the USSR during Operation Barbarossa. However, they were halted at the city of Stalingrand and sieged the city fighting a fierce Russian Opponent. The Russians never gave up capturing upwards of 90,000 Germans following thier surrender in the brutal Russian winter. This battle marks the turning point in the European Theater. Click here for more info
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D-Day marks the begining of Operation Overlord as the Allies assembled one of the largest forces in History to invade Europe at the beaches of Normandy France. This was the begining of the end for the Third Reich and Nazi rule in Europe. Click here for more info
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Operation Valkyrie has come to be known as the closest assassination attempt on Hilter. However, Operation Valkyrie was a way for Hitler to maintain control of the Third Reich if there was mass breakdowns in law and order in Germany. the assassination attempt ocurred when Nazi officers who opposed Hitler made an attempt to use Valkyrie to hold a coup after they assassinated
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The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last attempt to make an offensive against Allied Forces closing in on Germany. The Axis forces successfully pushed Allied lines back deep into France creating a large "Bulge" in the front line. Hence the name of the battle. The Allies eventually overcame the German offensive and invaded Berlin. Click here for more info
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As the Allied forces closed in on Berlin, Hiler hid inside his bunker with other Nazi Officials planning on taking his own life. Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun both took Cyanide capsules and shot themselves including thier dogs. Germany surrendered to the Allies 8 days later. NOTE: Controversy surrounds Hitler's death. There are alternative theories, the above is widely accepted.
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The Allies formaly celebrated the end to the European theatre as Nazi soldiers laid down their arms throughout Europe.
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Seeking an end to the Pacific Theater and hoping to avoid a land invasion of Japan, America dropped a uranium based bomb on Hiroshima. 80,000 people were killed directly from teh explosion making this the largest death toll from a single device to this point in history. Click here for more info
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Three days after Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, America dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki killing between 60 and 80 thousand Japanese. Click here for more info
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Almost a month after both atomic bombs were dropped, Japan formally surrendered to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri. Click here for more info
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24 High ranking Nazis went on trial for war crimes and worse. The Nuremberg trials were the first of their kind in history lasting upwards of 10 months sentencing several Nazis to death. Smaller tribunals would be held into the 1950's to settle further matters of hte Third Reich. Click here for more info
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The second trial of this nature, the Tokyo War Crime Trials convicted 25 of 28 defendants and sentenced 7 of them to death.
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