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Hitler attempts coup
Adolf Hitler noticed everything that the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, and became inspired. He then went and attempted a small-scale coup in Munich, Germany. The attempt failed and Hitler was thrown in prison. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
The Japanese militarists had set their sights in Manchuria (a northern Chinese province) to help expand the Japanese nation. They (the militarists) blew up their own railroad and blamed it on China, then they took over Manchuria and renamed it Manchukuo. The League of Nations condemned Japan, but took no action so Japan simply removed themselves from the League. -
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Adolf Hitler
Born in Austria on the 20th of April in 1889, Adolf Hitler was one of the most destructive, hate-filled, evil, cruel, tormented, dictators and leaders in all of history. He wrecked such havoc throughout Europe as well as the rest of the world, took millions of lives, and inspired disgusting and outrageous events during the course of only 12 years. Under Hitler's rule, the Nuremberg Laws, concentration camps, hate-outbreaks, and wars were created. [Continued on separate page] -
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust has to have been one of the most horrifying and deadliest events in the history of the modern world. Although there isn’t an exact date of start of the Holocaust, some historians say it began when the Nazis boycotted Jewish businesses and shops. Anti-Semitism began long before 1 April 1933, but it wasn’t until Hitler came into power and lead discrimination gangs against the Jewish people. (Continued on a separate page). -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini had Italy tightly in his grip while the rest of the world became aware of his power. Mussolini wanted to take more action to show off his control so in October of 1935, he invaded Ethiopia, this time hoping to avoid defeat like Italy had in the battle of Adowa in 1896. To Mussolini's pleasure, Italy easily conquered Ethiopia due to Italy's new military technologies: poison gas, tanks, machine guns, and airplanes. [Continued in separate document] -
Occupation of the Rhineland
In an area in the east of Germany, surrounded by the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, the Rhineland was officially demilitarized due to the Treaty of Versailles. However, in early March of 1936, Hitler violated the agreement and ordered troops into the Rhineland. Contrary to many people's thoughts, neither the League of Nations nor any of the Axis powers did anything to prevent or stop Hitler from occupying the Rhineland. -
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The Spanish Civil War
Like most countries in Europe, Spain was unsettled and not running properly during the 1920s and 1930s. The king left in 1931, leaving Spain to be leader-less. A new government was set up with a liberal constitution. In 1936, Francisco Franco led a revolt against the government, starting the Spanish Civil War. Hitler and Mussolini sent support to Franco. The “Loyalist” (Communists, Socialists, & people wanting a democracy) had help from the Soviet Union, [Continued in separate document]. -
Formation of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
France, the United States, and Britain pledged pacifism and to stay out of wars. In other words, they were hoping for peace among the nations of the world. Sensing weakness, Italy, Germany, and Japan formed the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis (Axis Powers). Their goals were to fight Soviet communism and since they all wanted more land, they wouldn’t interfere with the expansion of each nation. -
Air Raid on Guernica
During the Spanish Civil War, in April of 1937, Hitler ordered a German air raid in Guernica, Spain. Luftwaffe dropped bombs all over the small town, and anyone who survived the bombings were machine-gunned to their death. Buildings were destroyed, people lay dead everywhere, leaving the town in complete devastation. Over a thousand innocent civilians were killed in the process of the German air raid.
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The Anschluss
Since Hitler was a German-Austrian, he had strong ties to his home country. In March of 1938, he wanted to create a singular union between Austria and Germany, known as the Anschluss. Kurt von Schuschnigg, the chancellor of Austria, tried to unify Austria and make sure that the nation was independent. However, Hitler sent German troops into Austria, and soon after Austria was annexed, and the Anschluss was born. -
Munich Conference
Neville Chamberlain (British Prime Minister), Benito Mussolini (Italian Fascist Dictator), Edouard Daladier (French Prime Minister), and Adolf Hitler (German Nazi Dictator) all came together at the end of September in 1938 to discuss the current events. While Chamberlain and Daladier desired peace, Mussolini and Hitler enjoyed war. Thus, Chamberlain and Daladier chose appeasement, once again. [Continued on separate page] -
Annextion of Czechoslovakia
Promised at the Munich Conference, Hitler would be able to occupy the Sudetenland and only the Sudetenland. However, as Edouard Daladier and Winston Churchill had predicted, Hitler's greed for expansion took over, and he captured the entire nation of Czechoslovakia. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Communists and Nazis were suposed enemies, so when at the end of August in 1939 Hitler and Josef Stalin announced the Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Act, everyone was taken by surprise. In the pact, Germany and the Soviet Union promised to not fight eachother, or get involved in eachother's wars. Also in the agreement was that the Soviet Union would get the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), and Poland would be divided evenly between the two nations. -
Invasion of Poland
On the first day of September in 1939, Germany invaded Poland. When Germany broke the Munich Pact early that year, Britain and France vowed to protect Poland. That's why two days later, on 3 September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Germany attacked Poland brutally using over 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, as well as improved military technology. [Continued on separate page] -
Fall of France
With German forces attackign from the north and Italy invading the south, France was stuck and frazzled, not knowing what to do. Which is why towards the end of June in 1940, France surrendered to the Germans and Italians. The north of France became occupied German terretory and the south became a "puppet state" with Vichy as its capital. -
Formation of Vichy France
After the surrender of France at the end of June in 1940, Germany created a "puppet state" in the south of France and made Vichy the capital. Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain was a French militray and political hero in World War I. Pétain created a constitution for the Vichy. -
Formation of the "Free French"
While the nation of France was being taken over by Germany, many German officers escaped from the German-control in France in Britain. There, led by military hero Charles de Gaulle, the "free French" attempted to unify and free their home nation. What was originally French volunteers and military officers, the "free French" grew into large combat troops, leading the way to liberation. -
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Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle was born in 1890 in Lille, France. A life-long France devotee, de Gaulle risked his life in both World War I and World War II. When France fell in June of 1940 and Germany took control of France, de Gaulle led a group of French officials and volunteers in the creation of the “Free French” in Britain where they worked to liberation their home nation. [Continued on separate page] -
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Battle of Britain
Operation Sea Lion, as Hitler called it, was the invasion of Britain. Luftwaffe bombed southern Britain for about a month then they moved up towards London and other cities. On 7 September 1940, Germany bombed London. This continued for 57 nights straight then on-and-off until May 27 when the British Army sunk the Bismarck (which sunk the British ship "the Hood"). This timespan of bombing is known as "the blitz". Thousands died and much of London was completely demolished. -
Operation Barbarossa
Breaking the Nazi-Soviet Pact from 1939, Hitler invaded the Soviet Reunion in what is known as Operation Barbossa. The attack, like many other Hitler attacks, was based on blitzkrieg. Hitler hoped to defeat communism as well asflourish the German population. However, millions of people died- due to starvation, violance, as well as freezing to death. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
One of the most tragic and surprising events in American history was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the morning on Sunday, 7 December 1941. When Japan invaded French Indochina, the U.S. put a sanction on Japan as a punishment. This angered Japan and caused them to act out with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. [Continued in separate document] -
Battle of Midway
In June of 1942 37 Douglas Dauntless bombers from the U.S.S. Enterprise bombed 2 Japanese aircraft carriers. Thus erupted an airborne battle between American and Japanese soldiers, Americans with a far superior advantage. Over 3,500 Japanese died where as about 100 Americans died. This battle was the turning table for the U.S., and things began to look brighter for them afterwards. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
In August of 1942, Hitler and the Nazis set their sights once again in the U.S.S.R., this time heading for Stalingrad. The battles between Hitler and Stalin were cold and deadly. The German army ran low on supplies which caused them to surrendor in January of 1943. The Battle of Stalingrad was yet another turning point in World War II, showing Germany's defeat. -
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El Alamein
In 1940, Benito Mussolini had plans of moving Italo-German Panzer Armee Afrika from Libya to Egypt. This upset the British so Hitler sent out General Erwin Rommel (also known as the "Desert Fox"). Rommel had great control and success over the next two year until November of 1942 when the British Army recaptured Tobruk. During the course of the El Alamein battles, over 113,500 people died. -
D-Day
D-Day is known throughout history as one of the most substantial events of World War II. In June of 1944, the Allies invaded the shores of Normandy. Since it was the side that spotted the enemies first that wins, the invention of radar and soanr technology significantly helped, so the Allies could see above where exactly they were dropping bombs as well when they were in submarines, they could tell how far away enemies were. [Continued on another page] -
Battle of the Bulge
Since France was freed from Germany's grip during D-Day, Germany became upset with their loss. To gain back morale and wins, Germany launched a counterattack against the Allies in the Ardennes (in Belgium): the Battle of the Bulge. There were nearly 175,000 deaths. -
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Iwo Jima
Island hopping had isolated Japan, and Japan was running short on morale. Iwo Jima, a small Japanese island, was of great importance to Japan. The U.S. noted that and in February of 1945, the Americans bombed Iwo Jima. Thousands of people- both Japanese and American- died. However, by March, the U.S. had conquered the island. -
V-E Day
May 8, 1945 has to be one of the most rejoiced days in history as it was Vicoty in Europe Day. The previous day, Germany had surrendered, due to Hitler commiting suicide. This day meant that the Allies had won World War II. -
The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
A few weeks before August 6 of 1945, President Harry S. Truman had decided to use the atomic bomb in military stragedy. On that date the United States bombed the island of Hiroshima in Japan. Although this bombing was designed to end the war between Japan and "save lives", apparently Japan was just about to surrender, even before the bombing. -
V-J Day
Shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan surrendered on Victory in Japan Day on 14 August 1945. This event not only meant the end of the war between Japan and the United States, but the end of World War II as well.
