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rise of Adolf
Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in Germany in September 1919[a] when Hitler joined the political party known as the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (abbreviated as DAP – German Workers' Party); the name was changed in 1920 to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei – NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party). This political party was formed and developed during the post-World War I era. It was anti-Marxist and was opposed to the democratic post-war -
Japan Invades Manchuria
In 1931, the Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria in an event commonly known as the Manchurian Incident. Essentially, this was an attempt by the Japanese Empire to gain control over the whole province, in order to eventually encompass all of East Asia -
Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President of the United States
The United States presidential election of 1932 was the 37th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1932. The election took place among the backdrop of the Great Depression that had ruined the promises of incumbent President and Republican candidate Herbert Hoover to bring about a new era of prosperity. The Democratic nomination went to the well-known governor of the most populous state, New York's Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been reelected governor in a landslide in -
Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
The year 1932 had seen Hitler's meteoric rise to prominence in Germany, spurred largely by the German people's frustration with dismal economic conditions and the still-festering wounds inflicted by defeat in the Great War and the harsh peace terms of the Versailles treaty. A charismatic speaker, Hitler channeled popular discontent with the post-war Weimar government into support for his fledgling Nazi party. In an election held in July 1932, the Nazis won 230 governmental seats; together with t -
Mao Tse-tung’s “Long March” begins
n October of 1934, tens of thousands of Chinese Communist soldiers embarked on a trek from one side of China to the other, not knowing how long they would be walking, what they would eat, or how their largely unarmed ranks would survive enemy attacks. This brutally difficult journey would indeed claim the lives of 7 out of every10 who attempted it, and would become a turning point of the Chinese Communist Party, for whose cause these soldiers were willing to die. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
an armed conflict that resulted in Ethiopia’s subjection to Italian rule. Often seen as one of the episodes that prepared the way for World War II, the war demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations when League decisions were not supported by the great powers. -
Germany occupies the Rhineland
The remilitarization of the Rhineland by the German Army took place on 7 March 1936 when German military forces entered the Rhineland. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, marking the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this region. -
The start of World War 2
July 7, 1937
Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific. -
Military Defense
September 29, 1938
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany. -
France and Great Britain
March 31, 1939
France and Great Britain guarantee the integrity of the borders of the Polish state. -
World War 2 starts in Europe
September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. -
Great Britain and France declare war
September 3, 1939
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
April 9, 1940–June 9, 1940
Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway holds out until June 9. -
italy joins the fight!
June 10, 1940
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. -
Battle of Britain ends
July 10, 1940–October 31, 1940
The air war known as the Battle of Britain ends in defeat for Nazi Germany. -
down goes Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. -
hello war here comes the USA!
December 8, 1941
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation. -
We gone get you USA
December 11–13, 1941
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States. -
Bomp (Cologue)
May 30, 1942
The British bomb Köln (Cologne), bringing the war home to Germany for the first time. Over the next three years Anglo-American bombing reduces urban Germany to rubble. -
Ka BOOM!
July 5, 1943
The Germans launch a massive tank offensive near Kursk in the Soviet Union. The Soviets blunt the attack within a week and begin an offensive initiative of their own. -
The Appearance
August 23, 1944
The appearance of Soviet troops on the Prut River induces the Romanian opposition to overthrow the Antonescu regime. The new government concludes an armistice and immediately switches sides in the war. The Romanian turnaround compels Bulgaria to surrender on September 8, and the Germans to evacuate Greece, Albania, and southern Yugoslavia in October. -
USA crossing!
March 7, 1945
US troops cross the Rhine River at Remagen. -
down goes HITLER!
April 30, 1945
Hitler commits suicide. -
germany Surrenders
May 7, 1945
Germany surrenders to the western Allies. -
USA DROPS DA BOMB
August 6, 1945
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. -
the Ending of WW2
September 2, 1945
Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
