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Hitler was an extreme nationalist, a fascist group. The party believed that they were superior compared to Slavs, Gypsies, and others. Specifically, they hated against Jews.
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Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister of Italy, after he and his followers threatened to overthrow the government. Mussolini also introduced the first fascist state. There was no freedom of press or speech, as people who opposed him were jailed or killed.
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Stalin rose to power, and as dictator, he turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state. This means that he, and his party had total control of the government, and everyone's lives. The people who had resisted his power were sent to concentration camps or killed.
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Without permission of Japan's government, their army invaded China. The League of Nations could not stop them, as many countries did not want to loose Japan as a valuable trade partner. Over the years, the japanese treated the chinese very terribly, and pillaged cities during their conquering. A quarter million civilians, and prisoners of war were killed.
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As the German people's anger rose, and with the depression looming over Europe, the german people decided to elect someone who defied the Treaty of Versailles, as a result, Adolf Hitler was elected. Hitler enforced rules similar to Stalin, as if you did not support him or his party, you were killed or sent to a concentration camp. Hitler gave the germans people to blame for Germany's woes: Jews. He advocated anti semitism, and executed millions of Jews in his power.
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The United States passed several laws in order to prevent it from being dragged into war. Of these laws, some outlawed the president from selling arms, making loans, or giving assistance to any country in a war.
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Mussolini had his army invade Ethiopia, Africa in 1935. Ethiopia put up a good fight, but in the end their weapons were outdated, and their army has outnumbered. Ethiopia's leader pleaded for help from the league of nations, but no one wanted to involve themselves in a war with Italy.
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Japan had been growing increasingly angry with their direction as a country, and the militarists took action. They seized the government, and looked to expand their country, in order to create a prosperous economy once again.
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Defying the Treaty of Versailles, Adolf Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland of Germany. This led to tensions growing even higher, as people feared what Hitler's next move would be.
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In a period of six weeks, Japan's army raided Nanjing, China. This raid ended up killing a quarter million people. Over 20,000 women were sexually assaulted.
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Hitler had been threatening to invade Czechoslovakia, and as a result the top European leaders met in Munich,Germany. With the goal of appeasing Hitler's needs, the leaders decided to give him a part of what he wanted, in return for a promise to not invade any other countries. Thanks to the Munich agreement, Hitler gained the sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
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The way of life for jews drastically changed over the years under Nazi power. Jews were banned from practicing medicine and law, and soon were expelled from all schools. The segregation took a step further, as jews started to be placed in concentration camps to work, and die.
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Shockwaves were sent through the world when Hitler and Stalin signed a pact to keep peace with each other. The two dictators were perceived as bitter enemies, yet signed this pact. This was a blow to the countries looking to take out the Nazi empire, as a major force had joined the "wrong side".
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Hitler decides to invade Poland, and days later the Soviet Union seized eastern Poland. This was the last straw for Britain and France, as they declared war on Germany. This is the start of World War 2
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The Nazi empire continues to ravage its control over Europe as it invades and controls the countries listed above.The Nazis would then look to display their dominance by seeking the takeover of France
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Britain was alone of its defense against Germany. However, Winston Churchill was as confident as ever that Britain would be victorious. Hitler ordered an air assault on Britain, and every day the british were bombed. Major cities were left in ruins.After months of defense, the british were able to defend their country.
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Nazi forces entered France, and quickly overpowered the French and british troops. The french and british were pushed back to a port on the english channel called Dunkirk. There, Britain ordered every available boat to assist in the rescue of trapped soldiers.
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As tension grew in Europe, Roosevelt knew he needed an army that could defend the country, So a peacetime draft was set up, so that the U.S. could be war ready if it was needed.
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Hitler breaks his pact with Stalin, and invades Russia. This is big for the allies, as they gain a powerful friend in the USSR. The Nazis added another fighting front to their already spread out forces. The harsh winter in Russia helped the Soviets maintain control of their country.
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Churchill and FDR agreed that some post-war goals needed to be set. So as a result, they drafted the Atlantic Charter, This document as promised, had post-war goals for the allies, and other countries.
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Japan, eager to expand her recourses invaded and took over French Indochina following the fall of France. This led to sanctions imposed by the United States over the distribution of oil. With sanctions upon them, Japan felt they needed to act. By December of the same year, they bombed Pearl Harbor.
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On December seventh, 1941 the Japanese conducted a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base of Pearl Harbor. The japanese struck airfields, and damaged several ships in the harbor. Immediately following the attack, the Unites States declared war on Japan.
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On the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed, the japanese also attacked the Philippines. A few weeks later, a full scale japanese invasion swept through the Phillippines. After months of bravely defending the land, the american and filipino troops surrendered. The japanese culture did not consider surrender an amiable action, so they treated their prisoners badly. On the march to the concentration camp, many american and filipinos dies along the way, as the japanese cruelty was truly shown.
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Following the Pearl Harbor attack, many felt angry and uncomfortable around japanese americans. 110,000 japanese americans were rounded up and interned in camps. This was especially enforced along the west coast.
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The battle of Midway may be the most important battle of the war. As this turned the tides in favor of the United States. This battle also caused Japan to go from an offensive strategy to a defensive. The battle took place over four days, as enemy planes bombarded the opposing sides ships. The U.S. only lost one aircraft carrier compared to the japaneses' one.
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This battle was another major turning point in the war. The Nazis had been fighting their way through Russia, with the goal of taking Moscow. There was only one city left on the way to Moscow; Stalingrad. At this town, Russian forces gave everything they had to defend their country, and they were able to defeat the Nazis in a grueling battle.In the end, it resulted in a massive Russian victory, pushing the Nazis out of Russia.
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After quick victories by German general Erwin Rommel, British and U.S. forces slowly pushed the german forces back. Rommel's army surrendered in May 1943.
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In Los Angeles, California the zoot suit riots broke out. The violence was focused on latinos in the area. This is because zoot suits were popular among latinos at the time, however, americans viewed them as unpatriotic. This sparked violence and riots in several major cities in the country
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After the victory in North Africa, British and U.S. troops crossed the mediterranean sea to the Italian island of Sicily. After gaining control of Sicily, the troops were able to slowly move northward in the Italian peninsula. Later, the king of Italy dismissed Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini.
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After meticulous planning under Dwight Eisenhower the allies invaded France with massive forces of 155,000 men. Troops landed at four beaches, and all met and defeated German forces. On one beach 2,500 american men lay dead on Omaha beach.
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After four years under Nazi control, Paris, and the rest of France were liberated by the allies. This came two months after the landing of D-Day. This was a major victory for the allies, and another step towards a german defeat.
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As Germany feared the war would be ended soon, Hitler decided the best action was to take one more offensive against the allies. This took place in Belgium during Europe's coldest winter in the last forty years. Germany came close to breaking through the allies lines, but were ultimately pushed back. This german defeat left Germany wide open to invade.
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With General MacArthur leading them, U.S. forces returned to the Philippines to regain control of the land. After a month of fighting, MAcArthur had fulfilled his promise of returning to the Philippines.
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President Franklin Roosevelt died on April 16th 1945 due to a stroke. This forced vice president Harry S. Truman to assume his commands. This was the first time in many years that the U.S. had a change in leadership. It was unknown whether Truman could earn the United States a victory in the war.
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Forces were closing in on Germany. The end was near for them, as soviets were on the doorstep to Berlin. With his empire in ruins, Adolf Hitler killed himself in a bunker under Berlin. A week after, the remainder of Nazi leadership surrendered, and the war was over in Europe.
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After two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan; the japanese government finally decided to surrender to the allies. This officially marked the end of world war two. The surrender took place on the U.S. battleship Missouri.
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The tide had turned in the Pacific theater. It was sure that Japan would be defeated. However, as it is not in their culture to surrender, the japanese decided to start Kamikaze missions, taking out hundreds of U.S. men for the cost of just one japanese pilot. President Truman knew the japanese would not quit, so he allowed the use of a secret weapon for the United States: the Atomic Bomb. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, killing more than 130,000 people.
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As the cruelties of both Japan, and Germany were uncovered following the war, it was decided that they must be punished for inhuman acts. This included the horrors that the germans placed upon jews during the holocaust, and japanese treatment to their prisoners.
