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The Great Depression was a serious and world-wide economic decline of the 1930’s. It started with the Stock Market crash in January 1929, and didn’t end until the beginning of World War 2.
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The Japanese invasion of Manchuria started on September 19th, 1931. This was an attack because the Japanese had blamed an explosion on them. It was under the Empire’s control until the end of the war.
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January 30th, 1933 is when the president Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor. Hitler was part of the National Socialist German Workers' Party more commonly known as the Nazi Party. By 1933, the Nazi part had gained more and more seats in the council, and even though the president wasn’t convinced that Hitler was the best choice, he still was elected.
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Roosevelt was elected president on March 4, 1933. He was the only president to have served for more than two terms. He was the leader of the allies with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. His biggest accomplishment was defeating the Axis powers in Europe.
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The Numberg Laws were laws that took away the rights of the Jewish rights. The first law was established on September 15th, 1935. These were the laws that forced the Jewish population to wear stars on their shirts.
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Hitler and Mussolini were the dictators of Germany and Italy respectively. They formed the Rome-Berlin Axis on November 1st, 1936. They would be the opposing powers in the war until Italy surrenders.
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July 7th, 1937, was when Japan started his invasion of China. By late 1941, about a third of China was under Japanese control. The war continued throughout most of the war because China refused to surrender. This was important because the war in China kept a large proportion of the Japanese army occupied and that meant less Japanese soldiers fighting the Allies.
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On March 11-13, 1938, Hitler invades Austria. This was the unofficial beginning of World War II. Austria surrendered without a fight, many were happy to be under German rule, since the two countries were so similar.
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The Munich Appeasement happened on 30 September, 1938. It was signed between the Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, and Hitler. Neville agreed to give Hitler Czechoslovakia if he stopped trying to conquer more land. Hitler agreed, even though soon after he broke his promise.
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Also known as the “night of broken glass” because of the glass that was found in the streets after the attack. It happened on November 9th/ 10th, 1938. On that night, a wave of anti-Jewish pogroms took place throughout Germany and Austria.
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The “Final Solution” as Hitler called it, was to establish concentration camps to detained political and religious opponents. No one is sure when the Final Solution was implemented, but probably in the year 1939. -
Germany and the Soviet Union signed a pact not to attack each other on August 23rd, 1939.
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On September 1st, 1939, German started World War II. His tactic was called a blitzkrieg, or ‘lighting war.’ He acted very quickly to conquer Poland before any other of the countries could do anything to stop them.
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Even if they signed the pact not to attack each other, Germany attacked the Soviet Union in December 1939. -
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In May 1940, Hitler invades Denmark, Norway, Belgium and France still using his ‘lighting war’ tactic. France surrenders in June of the same year. Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain. -
On July 10th, 1940, German starts bombing London and other British countries, starting the Battle of Britain.
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Japan joins the axis in September 27th, 1940. These will be the three enemy powers that joined together for the Axis.
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Act passed by congress to allow the United States to lend the Allies money, supplies, soldiers, and medicine. This act was passed in March 11th, 1941.
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On December 7th, 1941, Japan bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This bombing killed many civilians and servicemen. The next day America declared war on Japan.
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Tuskegee Airmen was the name of the African-American pilots who fought in World War I, starting in 1942. African-Americans that wanted to be part of the soldiers sent abroad couldn’t because prejudice prevented this from happening. Finally, the Tuskegee Airmen was the first African-American group to be able to fight.
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Rosie the Riveter was a famous propaganda poster during World War II that encouraged women to work. This was important because with the men away at war, there needed to be workers here to build equipment and supplies. This icon was first used in 1942. -
Tensions between Japanese citizens and American citizens were high after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt, pressured by Congress and the people, passed a law demanding that all of the Japanese-Americans on the West Coast are removed and brought to camps. This started on February 19th, 1942 after Roosevelt passed Executive Order 9066.
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The American soldiers fighting against the Japanese in the Philippines surrendered on April 9th, 1942. The prisoners of war were marched 65 miles to a prison camp, many soldiers died on the way to the prison.
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The Battle at Midway was the U.S. victory over Japanese off Midway Island that proved to be the turning point in the War of the Pacific. This battle ended in June 1942. -
Guadalcanal was the first U.S. land victory over the Japanese. This battle started in August 1942 and ended in February 1943.
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The Manhattan project was a top-secret program to build an atomic bomb. Led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the project team worked for three years to construct the weapon. -
In September 1942, German forces attack the Soviet City of Stalingrad, an important industrial center. The fighting continued through the winter and in February1943, the remaining German troops surrendered. Though not known at the time, the surrender st Stalingrad was the turning point in the war.
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The Yalta conference was a conference where the Allied Leaders planned the post-war Europe. The conference happened in February of 1945, and the three leaders that attended were Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. -
June 6th, 1944, was called D-day. The Allies had planned this invasion of France and named it, “Operation Overload” to take back France. Many Allied soldiers died in this invasion, but by the end France was freed from German Rule
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Battle of the Bulge started on December 1944. This was the final German Assault in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg. Hitler had been planning for many months this attack and was confident in his chances. -
This was one of the islands that the Allies tried to conquer to get closer to the Japanese mainland. The Allies landed on Iwo Jima on February 19th, 1945. After four days of fighting, the Allies planted the American flag on the highest point of the island, where the most famous war photograph was taken.
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Okinawa was the last stepping stone for the Allies to conquer before reaching the mainland. The fighting was rough and lasted for more than two and a half months. Landings began on April 1st, 1945.
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On April 12th, 1945, Roosevelt was in poor health. A month after being sworn in for his fourth term, the president dies. His vice-president, Harry S. Truman, succeeded him and continued the war effort.
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The United Nations were formed on April 25, 1945. 50 nations met in San Francisco to discuss a new peacekeeping organization to replace the weak and ineffective League of Nations. By June 26, 1945-all 50 nations ratified the charter, creating a new international peacekeeping body known as the United Nations. President Roosevelt had urged Americans not to turn their backs on the world again, therefore, unlike the League of Nations; the United States is a member of the United Nations.
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Soviet Forces advance on Berlin on April 30th, 1945, that’s the day that Hitler married his mistress and then killed them both. Germany surrendered to the Russians in Berlin, but Germany’s unconditional surrender to General Dwight Eisenhower happened on May 7th, 1945, in France.
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The Potsdam Conference lasted from July 17, 1945, to August 2, 1945. Allies held the Potsdam conference to plan the war’s end.
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On August 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber Enola Gray dropped an atomic bomb on the industrial city of Hiroshima. The explosion killed more than 75,000 people and turned five square miles into a wasteland. When the Japanese didn’t surrender another bomb was dropped on August 9, 1945.
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The Japanese surrendered soon after the second bomb was dropped. The official letter of surrender was signed on September 2, 1945. World War II was over.
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The trials lasted between Nov. 20, 1945-Oct. 1, 1946. The Numberg Trials were trials that convicted people involved with the Holocaust. 24 defendants were convicted, including some of Hitler’s top officials. Many Gestapo, people who put the Jews on railroads and who raided the houses, were convicted. These people were charged with crimes against humanity. This showed that people are responsible for their actions, even during wartime.
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The Marshall plan was signed in 1948. Congress approved Secretary of State George Marshall’s plan to help boost European economies. The U.S. gave more than $13 Billion to help the nations of Europe get back on their feet.
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