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Mussolini takes power in Italy
Became Prime Minister of Italy, then in 1925 he began using the title II Duce. -
US Stock Market Crashes
Stock market reaches an all time low. The crash signaled the beginning of the 12 year depression. -
Japan seizes Manchuria
The islands of Japan were very crowded and they wanted to expand their territory. -
FDR is elected President
He beat Hoover in the election. In the first “hundred days” he proposed a program to bring recovery to business and agriculture. -
Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany
Nazis were most powerful party in the nation. Hitler now moved to establish himself as a totalitarian dictator. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
Italy’s history with Ethiopia was several decades old, Italian efforts to establish a colony there in the late 1800s had ended up crushing military defeat at the hands of the Ethiopians. -
US Neutrality Act
Stated US neutral and was meant to prevent nation being drawn into war again. -
Hitler Defies the Treaty of Versailles
German military forces entered the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles. -
Germany militarizes the Rhineland
After Hitler moved troops into the Rhineland France was alarmed by this action. However, they did not want to take military action against Germany. -
Civil War erupts in Spain
Fierce political conflict caused tension in Spain between Communists, Fascists and Nationalists. -
Japan invades China
One of the driving factors of Japan invading was that it had few resources and knew China was abundant in its resources. -
Anschluss
Hitler took action to gain control of Austria and tried to get Austria to agree to Anschluss, a union with Germany. Austria refused so Hitler sent troops. -
Munich Conference
Russia, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy met in Munich to decide what needed to be done about Germany’s aggression in Czechoslovakia. -
Kristallnacht
Was called “The Night of Broken Glass”. It’s when there was attacks against the Jews in Nazi Germany. Attacks left streets with broken glass from windows of Jewish-owned stores, homes and synagogues. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Russia and Germany signed a ‘Non-aggression Pact’. They also agreed to ‘spheres of influence’ in several countries and planned to divide and invade the countries. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany said it had been attacked by Poland by dressing a German criminal in a Polish military uniform, then claiming the dead man as proof of the attack. German troops took immediate action in Poland by invading. -
Phony War
The period of time that marked a lack of major military operations by the Western Alliances. War had been declared by both sides but no one had committed to launching an attack. -
Churchill Elected Prime Minister in England
He was elected during the war and was the most dominant figure in British politics. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
The evacuation of allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France because the British, French, and Belgian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk. -
France Surrenders
Germany shattered Frances defensive plan and went to Frances capital, Paris. German forces occupied most of France and France surrendered to Germany and Italy. The part unoccupied by the Germans was Vichy France. -
Battle of Britain
The World War 2 air campaign given by the German Air Force against the UK. Resulted in a British victory. -
Japan Seizes French Indo-China
Also known as the Vietnam Expedition and was during the Second Sino-Japanese war. -
Lend-Lease Act
An act for US that allowed the nation to send weapons to Great Britain regardless of its ability to pay. -
Atlantic Charter
When Roosevelt and Churchill Winston met secretly on a ship off the coast of Canada they made an agreement that proclaimed the shared goals of the United States and Great Britain in opposing Hitler and his allies. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese strike force went into action. This raid was a surprise to the Americans and most American fighter planes didn’t get off the ground in Hawaii. Japanese bombed the American warships anchored in the harbor for 2 hours.
