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Facing severe economic problems and overcrowding on its islands, japan invades Manchuria, ust north of Korea. The league of Nations takes no decisive action against this Japenese aggression.
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Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany and immediatly begins expanding the German army and air force beyond the limits set out in the Treaty of Versallies. The German military slogan is, "Today Germany. Tomorrow the world!"
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Italy invades Ethiopia in Africa to expand its territory and obtain the region's rich oil resources. Again the League of Nations takes no decisive action.
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German troops march into the Rhineland. By the Treay Of Versailles, German troops were forbidden from moving 50 km of the Rhine River. No one stops the German adance.
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Nazi soldiers occupy Austria without a single shot being fired. Again, other nations make no attept to stop Hitler's advance because they mant to avoid another war.
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Britain and France meet with Hitler and sign the Munich Agreement. They allow Germany to have the Sudetenland (the northwestern part of Czechoslovakia) because they believe it will save the world from was. This policy becomes known as "appeasement".
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Hitler signs a pact with Mussolini. Mussolini allows Hitler to take Austria and other territories in northern and centeral Europe. Hitler promises to let Mussolini take over southern Europe. Later in 1940, Japan joins the alliance. These countries are known as the Axis Powers.
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Hilter has claimed the Sudetenland was his last demand for territory, but in March 1939 Nazi troops occupy all of Czechoslovakai.
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Germany signs a pact with the soviet union. The two countries promise not to fight each other in the event of a war. They also secretly agree to divide Poland between them. Hitler is now free to plan his moves against France and Britain in the west. He no longer has to fear attack from the Soviet Union on the east.
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Britain and France realize there can be no more appeasement. They declare war o Germany. World War 2 begins.
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Hitler demands that the Polish Corridor (awarded to Poland after the treaty of Versallies) be ahnded back to Germany. Poland refuses. The nazis launch a Blitzkrieg (lightning war) on Poland. Poland falls to the Nazi attack.
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