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Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
Named as leader of the Nazi Party. His plan embraced many of the German population. -
Hitler pledges to undo the Treaty Of Versailles
He destroyed the league of nations disarmament conference by demanding equality of arms with France and Britain. Built up his army in secret. -
Ethiopian ivasion
Fascist Italy invades, conquers and annexes Ethiopia. -
Germany annexes Austria.
German soldiers march into Austria. Austrian government united with the Nazi party. -
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich Agreement. (Appeasement)
British and French prime ministers Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier sign the Munich Pact with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The agreement averted the outbreak of war but gave Czechoslovakia away to German conquest. -
Germany, italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich Agreement. (Appeasement)
Settlement reached by Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy. -
Germany breaks the Munich Agreement and occupies the rest of Czech lands.
On this day, Hitler’s forces invade and occupy Czechoslovakia–a nation sacrificed on the altar of the Munich Pact, which was a vain attempt to prevent Germany’s imperial aims. -
Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact, dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
Two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. Adolf Hitler used pact so Germany can invade Poland unopposed. It also contained a secret agreement about how they would later divide Eastern Europe. -
Germany invades Poland
Start of WWII. The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. -
Honoring their support of Poland, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
Both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. British ocean liner Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-30 submarine that had assumed the liner was armed and belligerent. There were more than 1,100 passengers on board, 112 of whom lost their lives. -
Soviet Union invades Poland.
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov declares that the Polish government has ceased to exist, as the U.S.S.R. exercises the “fine print” of the Hitler-Stalin Non-aggression pact -
Phony War
The Phony War was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there were no major military land operations on the Western Front. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
In Denmark, King Christian X, convinced his army could not fight off a German invasion, surrendered almost immediately. Hitler now added a second and third conquered nation to his quarry, which began with Poland.
