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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty reuqired that Germany accept sold responsibility for the war, and that it mke reparations to certain members of the Allied forces; required to pay for damages. -
League of Nations
An international organization created after World War I to promote world peace and cooperation. -
Rise of Mussolini in Italy
Mussolini set up a Fascist Party and promised to solve Italy's problems. He promised to rebuild Italy and recreate the Roman Empire. Fascism: a system of government with centralized authority under a dictator; usually involves terror, censorship, aggressive nationalism, ad racism. -
The Great Depression Begins
American hopes for world peace were soon overshadowed by a new concern. On Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the value of the New York stock market fell, and in panic, people around the country rushed to their banks to withdraw their money. Once prosperous, Americans struggled to make ends meet. Farmers could not make enough money because crop prices tumbled. Jobs were scarce, and many families did not have enough money to pay for their basic needs. -
Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
In the 1932 elections, President Hindenburg received 53% of the vote and Hitler, 37%. Giving in to pressure, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor on January 30, 1933. The German people, of whom millions were unemployed, were eager for a leader who could take them into prosperity. Chancellor: The chief minister of a country (leader) - similar to a prime minister. -
Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia
In 1935, the League of Nations was faced with another crucial test. Benito Mussolini, the Fascist leader of Italy, had adopted Adolf Hitler's plans to expand German territories by acquiring all territories it considered German. Mussolini followed this policy when he invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) the African country situated on the horn of Africa. The aim of invading Ethiopia was to boost Italian national prestige. -
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy Join Forces
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation on October 25; on November 1, the Rome-Berlin Axis is announced. -
Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan Join Forces
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement. -
Japan Invades China
Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific. -
Germans take over Austria
In the spring of 1938 Hitler took over neighboring Austria in what was known as the Anschluss (merging together). Hitler claimed it was a natural thing for these two countries to be joined because the people, the language, and the heritage were the same. Despite the invasion, Hitler's appetite for more land was not satisfied. -
Russian pact with Germans
The German-Soviet Pact, also known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact after the two foreign ministers who negotiated the agreement, had two parts. An economic agreement, signed on August 19, 1939, provided that Germany would exchange manufactured goods for Soviet raw materials. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union also signed a ten-year nonaggression pact on August 23, 1939, in which each signatory promised not to attack the other. -
Germans invade Poland
The German-Soviet Pact enabled Germany to attack Poland on September 1, 1939, without fear of Soviet intervention. -
Great Britain and France declare war on Germany
On September 3, 1939, Britain and France, having guaranteed to protect Poland's borders five months earlier, declared war on Germany. These events marked the beginning of World War II.
