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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace document ending the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed at at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, France, and it formally concluded the first world war. This event was significant because it forced Germany to pay reparations, lose territories, and reduce its military forces. -
Mussolini Becomes Fascist Leader Of Italy
After declaring himself prime minister in 1922, Benito Mussolini forges Italy's violent fascist movement in government. Mussolini began removing all political opposition through the power of his secret police. With the help of his followers and the laws he implemented, Benito transformed the nation into a one-party dictatorship. This event was significant as it sparked the ideas of fascism into Italy empowering them into becoming a stronger nation. -
"Mein Kampf" is published
Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was a book written by Adolf Hitler while he was in jail guilty of treason. This book showed the philosophy and ideas that were going on in Hitler's head. It also showed his plans and agenda for the things he was going to do in the future. With over 12 million copies sold from 1925 to 1945, the significance of this book was that it planted the seeds in the people of Germany the ideas of extreme nationalism. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
Conservative elite, Hindenburg (the president) appointed Adolf Hitler the Chancellor position in government. This led to him easing his ideologies into the government system and once more people began to know who he was, they started agreeing more and more with him to which he started to win over the public. The significance of this is that it started the events that would later change Germany into a extreme nationalistic country giving them more and more power. -
"Night Of The Long Knives”. Hitler Consolidates Power.
The Night of Long Knives was the death of political opponents carried out by Adolf Hitler. This killing spree went from June 30th 1934 to July 2nd 1934. The killing was done by the SS and the Gestapo. A total of 150 people were murdered and more than 100 people were arrested. The significance of the Night of the Long Knives was that it was the major turning point in the German government establishing Hitler as supreme administrator of justice of the German people. -
Italy Invades Ethiopia.
Ethiopia was one of two independent African nations at the time of the invasion in 1935. Benito Mussolini was the one to declare attacks on Ethiopia to boost Italian national prestige. Italy used relentless tactics on the independent nation such as poisonous gas, aerial bombardment, flame throwers, and concentration camps. Italy invading Ethiopia is seen as a major event that led to WWII as it tested the capacity of the League of Nations to check the aggression of expansionist states. -
Japan Invades China.
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invades China in 1931. By 1937, Japan controlled several sections of China and committed many war crimes against the Chinese. The Second Sino-Japanese War was constantly about during times of WWll, but it all eventually comes to an end whenever the U.S. atomically bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a result of Japan's imperialism, the power hungry Japanese attacks sparked crisis all around the world. -
Japanese "Rape Of Nanjing"
The Nanjing Massacre, also know as the Rape of Nanjing, was the mass pillaging of Chinese citizens by the Japanese Army after its capture of Nanjing, China, on December 13, 1937. Between 200,000 and 300,000 people died in this single part of the war. The brutality comes from the amount of war crimes committed such as mass rape, looting, torture, and arson. As one of the worst wartime atrocities in history, the Rape of Nanjing showed Japan was willing to do anything for power. -
Germany And Italy Sign The Pact Of Steel.
The Pact of Steel was an Alliance between Germany and Italy. It was signed by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini on May 22, 1939. The Pact of Steel formalized the 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis agreement, linking the two countries politically and militarily. The significance of this event is that it led to Germany and Italy becoming more powerful in the sense that they both agreed in fascist and nationalistic ideas. -
Germany Invades Poland. Start of WWII
The invasion of Poland is known as the start of WWII. Due to the fact that Nazi Germany possessed military superiority over Poland, Great Britain and France had to respond to support their alliance member, so they declared war on Germany. The purpose of the attack was because Hitler considered the Polish people inferior and he wanted Germans to live there instead. This event was significant because it showed how powerful the Germany military and how they weren't scared of conflict. -
Germany, Italy, And Japan Sign The Tripartite Pact.
The Axis Powers are formed as Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact which creates an alliance between the three countries in 1940. This was designed to force the United States to think twice before venturing in on the side of the Allies. The significance of it was that it put together three big countries that had proven they were power hungry together on the same team which caused conflict among other nations.