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1921, Jan. 30
Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the Nazi Party through becoming stronger as a public speaker. -
Period: to
War Span
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1922- Prime Minister
Benito Mussolini appointed Prime Minister of Italy and was the leader of the fascist party -
1929- Soviet Union
Josef Stalin sole dictator of the Soviet Union (USSR) -
1931 Japan’s Army seizes Manchuria, China
Japan had long planned an attack on China. Within a few days Japan had seized Manchuria. -
1933, March 21 - Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany
Hitler's rise to power was due to the people's outrage at the treaty that crippled them -
1935 Neutrality Acts passed by US Congress
This prohibited the export of weapons and implements of war -
1935 Italian Army invades Ethiopia in Africa
1935 Italian Army invades Ethiopia in Africa -
1936 Militarist take control of Japanese Government
1936 Militarist take control of Japanese Government
The military extremists overthrew the government in Japan. -
1936 Hitler sends troops into Rhineland of Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty
1936 Hitler sends troops into Rhineland of Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty- Hitler sent troops into Rhineland. -
1937 Japan’s army pillages Nanjing, China; massacre a quarter of a million people.
1937 Japan’s army pillages Nanjing, China; massacre a quarter of a million people. Many people, along with being killed were raped as well. -
1938 Munich Pact signed giving the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany
1938 Munich Pact signed giving the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany -
1938 Nazis begin rounding up Jews for labor camps
1938 Nazis begin rounding up Jews for labor camps -
1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact signed by Hitler and Stalin
On August 23, 1939–shortly before World War II (1939-45) broke out in Europe–enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. With Europe on the brink of another major war, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) viewed the pact as a way to keep nation on peaceful terms with Germany, giving him time to build up the Soviet military. . -
1939 Sept 1st - Nazis invade Poland; Britain and France declare war on Germany
In response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. -
1940 May 10 Nazis invade Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium – take control
During World War II, Germany overran much of Europe using a new tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Blitzkrieg involved the massing of planes, tanks, and artillery. These forces would break through enemy defenses along a narrow front. Air power prevented the enemy from closing the breach. German forces encircled opposing troops, forcing them to surrender. -
1940 July 10 Battle of Britain begins – Royal Air Force defeats German Air Force to prevent invasion of their island
In the summer and fall of 1940, German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom. A significant turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population. Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion. -
1940 July 14 - 22 Germany invades France and forces it to surrender
Germany attacked in the west on May 10, 1940. Initially, British and French commanders had believed that German forces would attack through central Belgium as they had in World War I, and rushed forces to the Franco-Belgian border to meet the German attack. The main German attack however, went through the Ardennes Forest in southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. German tanks and infantry quickly broke through the French defensive lines and advanced to the coast. -
1940 Sept 16 - First time Peacetime Draft in US
Required men between 26 and 35 to enlist in the military -
1941 Hitler breaks Pact with Stalin’s Russia and invades - USSR which now joins England in fighting the Germans
When Hitler invades Russia, he not only loses an important ally, but also gains another enemy. -
1941 Churchill and FDR issue the Atlantic Charter
Spoke of what Britain and the U.S.'s war aims. -
1941 Japanese invade French Indochina (Viet. Laos, Cambodia)
The Japanese needed the resources that French Indochina had and so they needed to invade and gain control of the area before Britain and the U.S. caught wind of what they were doing. -
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1941, Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor in Hawaii attacked by Japanese Naval and Air forces, US declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy declare war on the US - Dec. 9
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor causing America to declare war on Japan and in turn, on the 9th of December Japan declared war on the U.S.. -
1942 Philippines fall to Japanese – Bataan Death March
After courageously fighting the Japanese with dwindling supplies, American and Filipino troops were finally overrun and forced to march to Bataan on what is now known as the Bataan Death March due to it's high rate of casualties. -
1942 Japanese Americans interned in isolated camps
After the Pearl Harbor attacks, racial tensions between Japanese Americans and Americans grew until the government rounded up all of the Japanese Americans and put them into Internment Camps near the middle of the country. -
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1942, June 4-7 Battle of Midway, turning point of war in the Pacific
Americans beat the previously invincible Japanese Navy while only losing one of their own ships. -
1942 Russians stop Nazi advance at Stalingrad save Moscow
This battle showed that the German army could be defeated and it also derailed Germany's confidence. -
1943 British and US forces defeat German and Italian armies in North Africa
This marked a turning point of a major push against the Axis Powers. -
1943 Zoot Suit Riots – Los Angeles, CA
Young Mexican boys were beaten because of high racial tension at the time. They were identified by DAs and what became known as zoot suits. Some boys were forced to strip naked in the middle of roads of sidewalks. -
1943 July - Italy surrenders, Mussolini dismissed as Prime Min.
Italy surrenders unconditionally. The Italian President relieves Mussolini of his duties as Prime Minister. Italy forms a new government because of this. -
1944 June 6 - D-Day invasion of France at Normandy by Allies
Was started with paratroopers dropped down which were then followed by reinforcements that truly helped turn the tide of the war. -
1944 Aug. - Paris retaken by Allies Forces
Germany was weakly defending Paris. One of the German commanders was told to burn everything important in Paris before the invasion. -
1944 Dec. Battle of the Bulge – last offensive of German Forces
Caught the American troops in the coldest winter recorded in Europe with very little supplies. Allies won the battle but with high casualties. -
1945 Jan. – US forces return to recapture the Philippines
They succeed and get some Japanese POWs. -
1945 April 16th - FDR dies, Harry S. Truman becomes President
FDR got the US in place to win the war and Truman finished it off. -
1945 May 8th - V-E Day, war ends in Europe
The acceptance of Germany's unconditional surrender. -
1945 Aug. - First Atomic Bombs dropped
First Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. -
1945 Aug. 14th – V-J Day, Japan surrenders to Allied Forces
America celebrates it's victory over the Japanese forces. -
1946 War Crimes Trials held in Nuremberg, Germany; Manila, Philippines and Tokyo, Japan.
Range in punishments from execution, life in prison and other undesirable things.
