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By 1921, Hitler had become leader of a small group known as the National Socialist, or Nazi, Party. Nazism was a form of Fascism.
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Benito Mussolini promised to restore order through strong leadership. In October 1922, Mussolini and his followers threatened to overthrow Italy's elected government. In response, the king appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister.
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By 1921, Joseph Stalin was the sole dictator of the Soviet Union. He turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state. Took brutal measures to control and modernize industry and agriculture.
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Acting without the approval of Japan's elected government, they seized Manchuria. The League of Nations protested, but did nothing.
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The Great Depression increased his popularity. He was then named Chancellor. Once he was in, he quickly created a totalitarian state. All other parties were outlawed. His Secret Police enforced dtrict loyalty.
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Was the first of several laws to keep the United States at peace. Forbade the President from selling arms, making loans, or giving any other kind of assistance to any nation involved in war.
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Mussolini's armies invaded the African country of Ethiopia. They fought bravely, but their cavalry and outdated rifles could not match Italy's airplanes. Ethiopia appealed to the League, but the League did nothing.
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The Great Depression caused less faith in democracy in Japan. Military leaders told the government to take control of nearby countries. They argued they needed more space, and raw materials for their booming industries. By 1936, they were in control. They preached racism and said they were the master race.
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In defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler sent troops to occupy the demilitarized zone of Rhineland, Germany. In hopes to not start another war, European nations did nothing to stop him. Hitler knew this.
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Japan started to raise its aggression towards China. Their armies treated the chinese brutally. For six weeks, Japanese forces pillaged the city of Nanjing. In the assault, more than a quarter of a million people were massacred.
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In the Munich Pact, Britain and France agreed to le t Hitler have Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia populated mostly by people who spoke german. Hitler promised he wouldn't want anymore territory in his end of the deal.
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Germany passed many anti-semitic laws. Jews were banned from public schools, and from jobs like medicine and law. Jewish communities were attacked. In 1938, troops began gathering them for slave labor camps.
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The world was shocked to hear that Hitler and Stalin, who were enemies, had signed a nonaggression agreement. In the Pact, these two dictators agreed not to attack one another's countries. They secretly divided up poland as well.
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On September 1st, 1939, Nazi troops invaded Poland. 16 days later, Stalin seizes the eastern side of Poland. Two days after the invasion, Britain and France declare war on Germany. WW2 had begun.
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In early days of war, Hitler's army was unstoppable. In April 1940, they moved north seizing Denmark and Norway. In May they marched West to conquer the Netherlands, luxembourg, and Belgium.
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Britain was now alone against the Nazi's. Britain was determined to remain strong. Hitler ordered an air assault on Britain. Everyday, German planes bombarded British cities. Attacks to tons of lives, but spirit never broke. It continued through the summer and fall. By then Hitler abandoned his plans.
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Britain sent troops to help France stop the assault. The British and French were quickly overpowered. By May, they forced them to retreat to Dunkirk. Britain sent every boat they had across the channel. Germans the marched into Paris. French was forced to surrender.
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FDR took many steps to increase the military for possible entry of war. One of these was the peacetime draft, the first ever in US history.
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On June 22, 1941, Hitler broke his pact with Stalin. A huge german force moved into the Soviet Union. The Soviets stayed out of the war in the early days, but now joined in fighting the Nazis with the British.
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This outlined Churchill's and Roosevelt's goals for the postwar world. They agreed their countries wanted no territorial gain from the war and believed strongly on people choosing their own form of government.
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In 1941, Japan invaded the French colony of Indochina(present day Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia). In reaction, Roosevelt banned all exports of iron and steel scrap to Japan. He also stopped oil shipments.
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Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on American naval, air and ground forces at Pearl Harbor, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Thousands of americans died, and much of the military equipment was destroyed. This caught the American Military leaders by surprise. Later that day, congress declared war on Japan. Japan's Allies, Germany, and Italy, declared war on the U.S.
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Hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan attacked the Philippines . Two weeks later, Japanese ground forces pushed U.S. forces out of Manila, U.S. was forced to retreat to the Bataan peninsula. The soldiers captured on Bataan were forced to walk up the peninsula 65 miles. Many died.
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The anti japanese fears that the country had forced FDR to issue executive order 9066. This order interned 110,000 Japanese Americans for the duration of the war. They were allowed what they could carry, or sell all of it at a small price.
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Japanese wanted to take this island because it housed a U.S. military base. But the U.S. sank 4 japanese aircraft carriers, destroyed 322 planes, and reduced the number of highly trained pilots. After this Japan no longer ruled pacific.
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The germans mounted another offensive in 1942. This took place in and around Stalingrad. Months of fighting ended in soviet victory, saving Moscow.
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In October 1942, British troops defeated german forces at El Alamein in Egypt. They drove Rommel's tank corps. In November, the first American troops landed in North Africa. Under the command of General Eisenhower. They occupied Morocco and Algeria. Hemmed in on both sides, Rommel's army surrendered in May 1943
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Newspapers blamed these riots on the Mexican Americans. But in Eleanor Roosevelt's newspaper column, she claimed it was because of longstanding discrimination against the Mexicans in the Southwest.
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In July, 1943, American and British troops crossed the Mediterranean from Tunisia. They took control of the island Sicily. Vy fall, they were advancing north on the italian peninsula. The king dismissed Mussolini from office.
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On June 6, 1944, a day known as D-Day, more than 155,000 Americans,British, and Canadian troops crossed the English Channel. They landed at 5 beaches in Normandy. Troops at 4 of the 5 beaches quickly overcame the German opposition that they were getting.
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On August 25, 1944 the Allies entered Paris. After 4 years in Nazi rule, French men, women, and children, greeted the Allies with joy.
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Hitler put everything into this attack. Bad weather prevented Allied planes to fly. This created a bulge in American lines. The Germans came close to breaking through. But it was all pointless because they lacked critical supplies. Also the Allies had additional troops in reserve. Ally victory.
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In January 1945, army units landed on Luzon in the Philippines and then advanced on Manila. After nearly a month of urban warfare, the americans secured the city.
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On April 12, 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a stroke in office. His death shattered americans. Many could not remember anyone else as their leader. Harry S. Truman was thrust in as the president at the most critical moment.
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Representatives of Germany's armed forces unconditionally surrendered at Eisenhower;s headquarters in France. On May 8, the Allies celebrated V-E day, victory in Europe.
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To avoid the expensive cost of invading Japan, Truman used the new weapon: the Atomic bomb. The destruction was like nothing else. It could destroy an entire city. It killed 130,000
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On August 14, 1945, the Emperor of Japan finally announced Japan would surrender. It was known as V-J day.
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Shocked by the Holocaust, Allies took an unprecedented step. The victors prosecuted the losing side of the war. In Nuremberg, Allied judges tried prominent Nazis for plunging the world into war and for the death camps. At the first trial, 12 were sentenced to death. Similar trials happened in Japan.
