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Rise of Caudillos
Cultural phenomenon observed in the earl 1900s that saw militia-type leaders rising and gaining sympathy through populist programs. -
Washington Naval Conference
Held by Warren G. Harding, this was the first international conference held in the United States and the first military conference to address arms control. It is hailed as the textbook example of successful disarmament legislation. -
Rise of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin becomes General Secretary. -
Rise of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini becomes Prime Minister. -
Dawes Plan
This was an attempt in 1924 to solve the issue of World War 1 reparations. The plan would have ended the Allied presence in the Ruhr industrial area of Germany and a payment plan for German reparations. The plan proved unworkable. -
Washington Naval Treaty
AKA the Five Power Treaty, this treaty among nations that won World War 1 was registered in the League of Nations on this date. It agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
France, Germany and the United States sign an international agreement resolving to prevent the use of force to settle disputes and instead aims for peaceful settlement. -
Clark Memorandum on the Monroe Doctrine
Written by J. Reuben Clark, Calvin Coolidge's undersecretary of state, this concerned the use of military intervention in Latin American nations. It challenged the view of the Roosevelt Corollary in stating that it was not the Monroe Doctrine that allowed their intervention but their right as a state that allowed it. -
Popular Front
A broad term for political groupings, this term referred to the Allies resisting Fascism during the 1930s. -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
The Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria and established a puppet state that would last until the end of World War 2. -
Good Neighbor Policy
Foreign policy of the administration under FDR that maintained reciprocal exchanges and non-interference in Latin American affairs. -
Stimson Doctrine
A policy upheld by the U.S. government that stated non-recognition of international territorial changes that were executed by force. -
German Re-armament
This covert operation was massively expanded by the Nazi party and focused on re-militarizing. -
Rise of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany. -
U.S. Recognition of the USSR
President FDR recognized the USSR after a conference with the Soviet Commissar Maxim Litvinov. This ended 16 years of non-recognition. -
Nye Committee
AKA the Special Committee on Investigation of the Munitions Industry, this senate committee investigated financial and banking interests pre-World War 1 and intended to encourage neutrality in World War 2. -
Neutrality Act of 1935
This act imposed an embargo on all nations engaging in conflicts -
Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
Colonial war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ethiopian Empire that resulted in military occupation of Ethiopia. -
Neutrality Act of 1936
Renewed the 6-month provisions of the previous Neutrality Act by 14 months. Also forbade loans or credit to belligerents. -
Re-militarization of the Rhineland
In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany sent troops in to re-militarize the previously demilitarized Rhineland region. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War starts between Republicans and Nationalists. -
Neutrality Act of 1937
Congress later passed a joint resolution outlawing the arms trade with Spain and expanded the provisions of neutrality without expiration date and to include civil wars. -
USS Panay Incident
This was a Japanese attack on an American gunboat not during a time of war. Although it was allegedly a misunderstanding, this caused opinions to turn against the Japanese. -
German Annexation of Austria
German troops invade Austria and incorporate it into the German Reich. -
Munich Agreement
This was a settlement permitting a limited occupation of Nazi Germany in a region of Czechoslovakia now known as "Sudetenland". -
German Occupation of Sudetenland
Under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement, the Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland region in Czechoslovakia took place. -
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Shortly before World War 2, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression pact promising no military action against one another for the next 10 years. -
Neutrality Act of 1939
This final neutrality act allowed for arms trade with Great Britain and France on a "cash-and-carry" basis. This meant that arms could be sold and paid immediately with cash but as long as the belligerents transported them, the U.S. was kept out of the conflict. -
America First Committee
One of the largest non-interventionist pressure groups in American history, this organization was vehemently against entry into World War 2. -
Japanese Invasion of French Indochina
The Imperial Army invaded French Indochina to prevent the Republic of China from importing materials. -
Axis Agreement
The Axis Powers were the nations that fought in World War 2 against the Allied Forces. They were brought into existence by the Pact of Steel and the Tripartite Pact collectively. -
Lend-Lease Act
AKA "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States", this policy replaced the Neutrality Policies of the 1930s and enacted a program that allowed the United States to provide materials to the Allied nations. -
United States places embargo on Japan
In retaliation for the occupation of French Indochina, FDR seizes all Japanese assets. -
Atlantic Charter
This charter stated the Allied goals of the war: no territorial gain; no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people, self-determination; restoration of self-government; reduction of trade restrictions; global cooperation to secure better economic and social conditions; freedom from fear and want; freedom of the seas; and abandonment of the use of force, as well as disarmament of aggressor nations. -
Rise of Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo becomes Prime Minister of Japan. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
A surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy on a naval base in Hawaii, this event contributed to U.S. involvement in World War 2.
