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Benito Mussolini's fascist government in Italy
Fascism stressed nationalism and placed the interests of the state above those of individuals. To strengthen the nation, Fascists argued, power must rest with a single strong leader and a small group of devoted party members. -
Mein Kampf
Hitler's book which set forth the basic beliefs of Nazism that became the plan of action for the Nazi Party. Nazism, the German brand of fascism, was based on extreme nationalism. Hitler, who had been born in Austria, dreamed of uniting all German-speaking people in a great German empire. -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Nationalistic military leaders were trying to take control of the imperial government of Japan. Militarists launched a surprise attack and seized control of the Chinese province of Manchuria. Japanese troops controlled the entire province, twice the size of Texas, that was rich in natural resources. -
Storm troppers
Some 6 million Germans were unemployed. Many men who
were out of work joined Hitler’s private army, the storm troopers (or Brown Shirts). -
Third Reich
Hitler quickly dismantled Germany’s democratic Weimar Republic. In its place he established the Third Reich, or Third German Empire. According to Hitler, the Third Reich would be a “Thousand-Year Reich”—it would last for a thousand years. -
Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany
Hitler had followed a path to power similar to Mussolini’s. The Great Depression helped the Nazis come to power. Many men who were out of work joined Hitler’s private army, the storm troopers (or Brown Shirts). By mid 1932, the Nazis had become the strongest political party in Germany. Eventually, Hitler was appointed chancellor. -
Hitler's military build-up in Germany
Hitler began a military buildup in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. A year later, he sent troops into the Rhineland, a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. The League did nothing to stop Hitler. -
Hitler invades the Rhineland
Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland, a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. The League did nothing to stop Hitler. -
Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia
Mussolini began building his new Roman
Empire. Tens of thousands of Italian soldiers stood ready to advance on Ethiopia. The League of Nations reacted with brave talk of “collective resistance to all acts of unprovoked aggression.” By May 1936, Ethiopia had fallen. -
Francisco Franco
Led Spanish army officers to rebel against the Spanish Republic. Revolts broke out all over Spain, and the Spanish Civil War began. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
Hitler and Mussolini backed Franco’s forces with troops,
weapons, tanks, and fighter planes. The war forged a close relationship between the German and Italian dictators, who signed this formal alliance. -
Hitler's Anschluss
The majority of Austria’s 6 million people were Germans who favored unification with Germany. German troops marched into
Austria unopposed. A day later, Germany announced that its
Anschluss, or “union,” with Austria was complete. The United
States and the rest of the world did nothing. -
Munich Agreement
Agreement between French premier Édouard Daladier and British prime minister Neville Chamberlain and Hitler which turned the Sudetenland over to Germany without a single shot being fired. -
Joseph's Stalin totalitarian government in the Soviet Union
By 1939, Stalin had firmly established a totalitarian government that tried to exert complete control over its citizens. In a totalitarian state, individuals have no rights, and the government suppresses all opposition. -
Phony War
After the fall of Poland, French and British troops on the Maginot Line, a system of fortifications built along France’s eastern border sat staring into Germany waiting for something to happen. On the Siegfried Line German troops stared back. The blitzkrieg had given way to the sitzkrieg (“sitting war”), and what some newspapers referred to as the phony war. -
Nonagression pact
As tensions rose over Poland, Stalin surprised everyone by signing a pact with Hitler. Fascist Germany and communist Russia now committed never to attack each other. -
Blitzkreig
Germany’s newest military strategy, or lightning war which made use of advances in military technology—such as fast tanks and
more powerful aircraft—to take the enemy by surprise and then quickly crush all opposition with overwhelming force. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
On Septembr 1, German air force, roared over Poland, raining bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. German tanks raced across the Polish countryside, spreading terror and confusion. This invasion was the first test of Germany’s newest military strategy, the blitzkrieg, or lightning war. -
The Battle of Britain
Because its naval power could not compete with that of Britain, Germany also launched an air war at the same time. The Luftwaffe began making bombing runs over Britain. Its goal was to gain total control of the skies by destroying Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF). The Battle of Britain raged on through the summer and fall. -
Hitler's invasion of Denmark and Norway
Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway in order “to protect [those countries’] freedom and independence.” But in truth, Hitler planned to build bases along the coasts to strike at Great Britain. -
Hitler's invasion of the Netherlands
After invading Norway and Denmark, Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which were overrun by the end of May. The phony war had ended. -
Marshall Phillipe Petain
Germans would occupy the northern part of
France, and a Nazi-controlled puppet government, headed
by Marshal Philippe Pétain, would be set up at Vichy,
in southern France. -
Battle of the Atlantic
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler ordered submarine raids against ships along America’s east coast. The German aim in the Battle of the Atlantic was to prevent food and war materials from reaching Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Britain depended on supplies from the sea. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
A Japanese dive-bomber swooped low over Pearl Harbor. The bomber was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplanes
launched from six aircraft carriers. he Japanese had killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178 more. The surprise raid had sunk or damaged 21 ships, including 8 battleships—nearly the whole U.S. Pacific fleet. More than 300 aircraft were severely damaged or destroyed. -
U.S Convoy System
Convoys were groups of ships traveling together for mutual protection, as they had done in the First World War. The convoys were escorted across the Atlantic by destroyers
equipped with sonar for detecting submarines underwater. They were also accompanied by airplanes that used radar to spot U-boats on the ocean’s surface. -
Battle of Stalingard
In the summer of 1942, the Germans took the offensive in the southern Soviet Union. Hitler hoped to capture Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains. He also wanted to wipe out Stalingrad, a major industrial center on the Volga River. -
Operation Torch
The British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of the Second World War. -
Bloody Anzio
Hitler was determined to stop the Allies in Italy rather than fight on German soil. One of the hardest battles the Allies encountered in Europe was fought less than 40 miles from Rome. This battle, “Bloody Anzio,” lasted four months and left about 25,000
Allied and 30,000 Axis casualties -
Unconditional Surrender
Roosevelt, Churchill, and their commanders met in Casablanca. At this meeting, the two leaders agreed to accept only the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. That is, enemy nations would have to accept whatever terms of peace the Allies dictated. -
D-day
T he first day of the invasion. Shortly after midnight, three divisions parachuted down behind German lines. They were followed in the early morning hours by thousands upon
thousands of seaborne soldiers—the largest land-sea-air
operation in army history. -
The Battle of the Bulge
Under cover of dense fog, eight German tank divisions broke through weak American defenses along an 80-mile front. Hitler hoped that a victory would split American and British forces and break up Allied supply lines. Tanks drove 60 miles into Allied territory, creating a bulge in the lines that gave this desperate last ditch offensive its name. -
Harry S. Truman
Became the nation’s 33rd president after Roosevelt had a stroke and died. -
Death of Hitler
Hitler shot himself while his new wife swallowed
poison. In accordance with Hitler’s orders, the two bodies were carried outside, soaked with gasoline, and burned. -
V-E Day
The Allies celebrated V-E Day—Victory in Europe Day. The war in Europe was finally over.
