World War II

Paris Peace Conference

Jan 18, 1919

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The Allies went to the Paris Peace Conference following WWI. They created the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations to hopefully keep peace in the world.

Nine Power Treaty

Feb 6, 1922

The Nine Power Treaty was an agreement between the US, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal. It made Japan return the Shandong Province to China.

Mussolini takes over Italy's government

Oct 28, 1922

King Victor Emmanuel III handed power over to Benito Mussolini.

Beer Hall Putch

Nov 8, 1923

The Beer Hall Putch was a failed attempt by the Nazis to seize power in Munich, Bavaria.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Aug 27, 1928

The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement to not use war to resolve any conflicts, or the country who does will be denied the benefits of the pact. It was signed by Germany, France and the US and by most other nations soon after.

U.S. Stock Market Crash

Oct 29, 1929

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The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States. It began a 10 year depression that affected all Western indulstrialized countries.

Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 19, 1931

The Kwantung army of the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria and established a puppet state called Manchukuo that lasted until the end of WWII

Nazis Reach a Political Majority in Germany

Jul 1, 1932

The Nazi Party became the largest political party in Germany.

Adolf Hitler becomes Chancelor

Jan 30, 1933

Adolf Hitler becomes the Chancelor in Germany, making his way up in the German government.

Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations

Apr 9, 1933

Röhm Purge

Jun 30, 1934

The Nazi army purged the leadership of the Nazi Parliamentary formation.

Nuremberg Laws

Sep 15, 1935

These laws disrupted many rights for certain groups within Germany. One of them prohibited marriage and sex between Jews and other Germans.

Italy invades Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1935

Known as the Italo-Ethiopian war, this event is best known for showing the weakness of the League of Nations

Hitler militarizes the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

Violating the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler moves troops into and militarizes the Rhineland, which was set to be a buffer between France and Germany.

Franco becomes dictator of Spain

Oct 1, 1936

Franco rises to power and becomes the new dictator of Spain.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Oct 25, 1936

Agreement between Italy and Germany linking the two facist countries.

Germany Annexes Austria

Mar 12, 1938

German troops moved into Autria, where Hitler instaled a Nazi government.

Hitler demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Sep 29, 1938

The European powers gave the Sudetenland to Hitler after he demanded it to avoid war.

Munich Conference

Sep 30, 1938

The European powers gave the Sudetenland to Hitler after he demanded it to avoid war.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Aug 23, 1939

Treaty of non-agression between Germany and the USSR.
AKA Soviet-Nazi Non-Agression Pact.

Nazi invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

1.5 million troops invaded Poland all along its border with German-controlled territory.

Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

Air campagn where the German Air Force fought against the United Kingdom.

Lend-Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

The US supplied Great Britain, the USSR, Free France, the Republic of China, and other allied nations with material.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.

Pearl Harbor Bombing

Dec 7, 1941

Surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack cause the United States to enter WWII.

Wannsee Conference

Jan 20, 1942

This conference created the "final solution to the Jewish question", in whcih all Jews would be deported to Poland and exterminated.

Doolittle Raid

Apr 18, 1942

Air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

One of the most important naval battles in WWII. The Japanese sought to eliminate the US at Midway Atoll, but they were defeated.

Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

Nazi Germany and its alies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in the western Soviet Union.

D-Day and Operation Overlord

Jun 6, 1944

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, or D-Day. The allied forces crossed the English channel to France and attacked the Germans.

Operation Valkyrie

Jul 18, 1944

Operation Valkyrie was a German emergency plan for the government in case of a breakdown in civil order.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

German surprise attack through the densly forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxemburg.

Adolf Hitler commits suicide

Apr 30, 1945

Burrowed away in a refurbished air-raid shelter, Adolf Hitler bit a cyanide capsule and shot himself in the head with a pistol.

V-E Day

May 8, 1945

This day marked the surrender of the Nazi party and the end of WWII in Europe.

Little Boy Dropped

Aug 6, 1945

Code name for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

Fat Man Dropped

Aug 9, 1945

Code name for the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki.

V-J Day

Aug 14, 1945

The day Japan surrendered, ending WWII.

Nuremburg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

Military tribunals held by the Allied forces after WWII, most notable for the prosecution of political, military, and economic leadership of the Nazi party.