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The Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles ends World War I
Germany is left with the responsibility of paying for the war reparations -
First Meeting of The League of Nations
The Assembly of the League of Nations meets for the first time in Geneva, Switzerland
The US is notably absent, the Senate having voted against joining the League -
The Washington Conference is Held
The United States convenes the Washington Conference, attended by Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Japan, and Portugal
The Conference results in a naval armaments treaty that sets a ratio for tonnage of capital ships for Great Britain, the US, Japan, France, and Italy -
Benito Mussolini Becomes Italian Prime Minister
King Victor Emmanuel declares Mussolini prime minister in an attempt to head off violent conflict between the Fascists and the Communists -
The Beer Hall Putsch
Adolf Hitler and General Ludendorf, a World War One hero, lead a small contingent of followers in a harmless, comical attempt at rebellion
Hitler is arrested and imprisoned for two years -
Vladimir Lenin Dies
Lenin's death leaves some question as to who will be his successor
Joseph Stalin defeats Leon Trotsky and takes control of the Soviet government -
The Cartel des Gauches Wins the French Election
The Cartel displaces the ruling Bloc National -
The German Chamber of Deputies Accepts the Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan restructures the schedule of German reparations payments reducing the amount of annual payments
Grants Germany a large loan -
The Locarno Pacts are Signed
The Locarno Pacts are signed in an attempt to bring stability to relations with Germany and its neighbors
The pacts usher in a period of peace and prosperity -
* The Samuel Commission in England Releases Its Report on Coal Mining
The Samuel Commission, under the Conservative government, releases a report which advises wage cuts for miners
The Triple Alliance responds by striking, which is emulated by many other industries in England to protest the Conservative government's policies *March ?, 1926 -
Josef Pilsudski Becomes Virtual Dictator in Poland
Pilsudski maintains this position until his death in May 1935 -
The Kellog-Briand Pact is Signed
An agreement to outlaw war
Sometimes called the Pact of Paris for the city in which it was signed, the pact was one of many international efforts to prevent another World War -
"Black Tuesday" Marks The Beginning Of The Great Depression
The crash of the United States' stock market marks the beginning of an era that would last nearly a decade and cost the jobs and lives of hundreds of thousands of people -
The Spanish Monarchy is Overthrown and The Republic Is Born
A provisional government is established to take Spain from monarchy to republicanism -
Japan Invades Manchuria
The Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria
The Japanese Empire's attempt to gain control over the whole province, in order to eventually encompass all of East Asia -
* The final League of Nations Disarmament Conference is Held
The last major League of Nations-sponsored disarmament conference meets from February to July 1932 at Geneva, with 60 nations in attendance, including the United States
This conference, like it's predecessors, fails to secure any agreement, and organized disarmament remains an unaccomplished goal *February - July 1932 -
General Gyula Gombos Comes to Power in Hungary
Gombos becomes prime minister, an office he uses like a dictatorship, setting the tone for Hungarian government during the remaining inter-war years -
Hitler is Appointed Chancellor of Germany
In an attempt to reel in the chaos of the German government, President Paul von Hindenburg declares Hitler chancellor
This is the first major step in Hitler's ascent to dictatorship -
The German Reichstag Passes the Enabling Act
The Enabling Act gives Hitler the power to issue decrees with the status of law -
* 1,140,000 Communist Party Members are Expelled by Stalin
Stalin's Central Purge Commission, created in 1933, publicly investigates and tries many party members for treason as Stalin seeks to rid the party of oppositon *1933 - 1934 -
* "The Long March"
Military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Chinese Nationalist Party's army
not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south escaped to the north and west *October 1934 - October 1935 -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Armed conflict that resulted in Ethiopia’s subjection to Italian rule -
Leon Blum's Popular Front Government Comes to Power in France
The Popular Front, a leftist party, institutes social legislation and allows wide public participation in the government
Ultimately fails to curtail the depreciating economy -
The Spanish Nationalists Begin the Spanish Civil War
Generals Goded, Mola, and Francisco Franco lead troops in rebellion against the republic, sparking the Spanish Civil War -
Spanish Nationalists Bomb Guernica
The small northern town of Guernica is bombed, and civilians are gunned down as they flee the scene
1500 die and 800 are wounded, but the military targets in the town remain intact -
The Munich Pact is Signed
Britain and France appease Hitler by signing the Munich Pact Granting Hitler control of the Czech Sudetenland -
Nazi Forces Take Czechoslovakia
Hitler's forces invade and occupy Czechoslovakia -
The Spanish Civil War Ends
Madrid falls to Francisco Franco's forces, effectively ending the Spanish Civil War
Franco's oppressive dictatorship begins -
The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact is Signed
Representatives from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union met and signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which guaranteed that the two countries would not attack each other By signing this pact, Germany protected itself from having to fight a two-front war in the soon-to-begin World War II
The Soviet Union was awarded land, including parts of Poland and the Baltic States
The pact was broken when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union -
Hitler Invades Poland
1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory
The German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea
Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
In response to Hitler's continued aggression in Eastern Europe, Britain and France go to war with Germany in an attempt to stop Hitler's bid for global hegemony
