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Mussolini in Power
Mussolini was a radical who gained power due to his Facist beliefes such as the forceful reunification of italy. He also believed in an authorotarian power. These beliefes later turned Italy into a communist state and turned Mussolini into a power dictator just prior to the war. -
Stock Market Crash
After the big sucess in the roaring twenties, people began to sell stocks and bonds. As an effect, most stocks started to drop and people lost faith. This day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average crashed, causing many people to lose all their money. This day became notorioulsy known as Black Tuesday and it started the Great Depression -
Japan Siezes Manchuria
The Japanese started to enbrace the power of imperialism and were hungry for power. The began to invade Manchuria and established a puppet state. With their easy victory, this increased nationalism and increased the desire for conquering and war. -
FDR Elected
FDR was a democrat and elected President in hopes that he would forge the American People out of the Great Depression that was blamed on the previous president. Immidiately after is innaguration, he bagn implimenting new plans, such as the New Deal, to help. He became in favor very quickly. He also tried to stay out of growing tensions in the east because of his isolationism belifes. -
Hitler in Power
HItler was elected Chancellor of Germany. He did this my promising that he and his Nazi party would get revenge for what other counries did to them during WWI. The peoples faith in him skyrocketed and nationalsim too. -
German Rearmament
In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, HItler begins the reamament of the Germany Army. He is punished my small sanctions but not enough. This is HItler's first defiant step towards war. -
Italian Occupation of Ethiopia
Formally known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, it was when Italy marched in and overtook Ethiopia. The victory raised nationalistic pride and further motivated Musollini to conquer other lands for his regime. -
Remilitarization of Rhineland
Under the Treaty of Versailles Germany was not allowed to build any kind of fortification around rhineland what-so-ever. Hitler defied this by marching thousands of troops over the border in order to occupy the demilitarized zone. This further showed hitlers bid for war. -
Spanish Civil War
In response to the new Spanish Republic, totalitarian facists rebeled against the governement deviding the country militarily and governementaly. The facists won, resulting in another victory for the rising support behind communism. -
Japan Invades China
After Japan invaded Manchuria, they decided to go after a bigger target - China. Japan's army was acting without the formal consent of the governemnt butwas recieving more troops for the campagin and capital from Hitler's Nazi party. This was Hitler's way of securing an alliance. -
Anschluss
This was considered Germanies first move towards domination. Hitler supported a pro-Nazi party within Austria that staged a coup d'etat. This coup took control of the governement and then Austria was annexed as a part of Nazi Germany. -
Munich Confrence
Here Hitler met with representatives of the heads of state from France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. An agreement was reached that Hitler could annex the Sudetenland provided he promised not to invade anywhere else. -
Kristallnacht
More commonly know as the NIght of Broken Glass; this was an attack on Jews carroed out by SA paramilitary forces. They ransacked jewish work places and homes, murdered, raped and beat men women and childern, and arrested thousands. This was the beginning of the Holocaust. The broken glass refers to all the broken glass on the streets from all the damage. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Also referred to as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it said that Germany and Russia would not engage eachother within the next ten years and they would not aid an enemy to eahothers party. Basically, it was HItler makingsure russia wouldnt invade after he started the war. -
Invasion of Poland
This was Hitlers first act of war. He claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. On September 3, they declared war on Germany, initiating World War II. To Hitler, the conquest of Poland would bring Lebensraum, or "living space, for the German people. -
Phony War
The phony war was the period in time after France and the UK declared war on Germany. This was because nethier country made a major land offensive against germany. This made it easier for Hitler to go on his conquering spree. -
US Neutrality Act
This act stated that the US would not take sides in the war. This act also enabled the US to sell weapons to France and Great Britain as long as they paid with cash and came to pick them up. Roosevelt believed this would keep the US out of the war. -
Churchill Elected Prime Minister
Churchiill took the lead in warning Germany about repercussions of defying the versailles treaty. He would also be a major political leader when world war II started. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
The dunkirk evacuation marked a major victory for the German Reich because it sent French, British, and Belgium troops on the run. A hastily assemebled fleet of 800 boats consisting of everything from military destroyers to pleasure boats arived at dunkirk beach to help evacuate the troops. -
France Surrenders
This was the biggest victory for Nazi Germany yet, the defeat of France. This lead to the fall of Frances republic government and the instatement of a new communistic government. An armistice was signed between France and Germany, which resulted in a division of France where Germany would occupy the north and west and Italy would control a small Italian occupation zone. -
Battle of Britain
More accurately described as the "Air Battle for Britain", it was Germany's attempt to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force. They bombed plane factories and airfields and then roesorted to terror bombing to break morale. -
Japan secures French Indochina
In an effort to cutoff some of chinas supplies from vietnam and other countries, Japan conquered French Indochina. This further pushed China to the brink of surrender to Japan. -
Lend Lease Act
This bill was signed in order to give aid to France, Great Britain, China, and later the USSR. It lent them ships and other materials and it let the US lease bases in allied territory. -
Atlantic Charter
This was a document signed by all allied nations that specified what the goal was after the war. These goals areno territorial aggrandizement; no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people; restoration of self-government to those deprived of it; reduction of trade restrictions; global cooperation to secure better economic and social conditions for all; freedom from fear and want; freedom of the seas; and abandonment of the use of force, as well as disarmament of aggressor nations. -
Attack on Pearl Harbob
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise air attack conducted against the US by the Japanese Army. It left 2500 US soldiers dead along with many US naval ships damaged or sunk. This marked the US's official involvement in WWII.
