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The Treaty of Versailles was a 1919 peace treaty signed by Germany and the Allied Powers that officially ended World War I. It imposed severe terms on Germany, including territorial losses, demilitarization, disarmament, and significant reparations, and established the League of Nations -
The Empire of Japan's Kwantung Army invaded the Manchuria region of the Republic of China on 18 September 1931, immediately following the Mukden incident, a false flag event staged by Japanese military personnel as a pretext to invade. -
The Holocaust known in Hebrew as the Shoah was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany -
Italians invade Ethiopia - UPI ArchivesOn October 3, 1935, Fascist Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, invaded Ethiopia, a symbol of African independence, using superior modern weaponry and inflicting widespread atrocities including the use of poison gas, which led to the capture of the capital, Addis Ababa, in May 1936 and the subsequent Italian annexation of Ethiopia. -
The German Remilitarization of the Rhineland occurred on March 7, 1936. On this date, German troops reoccupied the Rhineland, a region demilitarized by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, violating international agreements and taking a significant risk that paid off for Adolf Hitler. -
In 1934, Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in Austria. This turned into an attempt to overthrow the government. Chancellor Dollfuss was murdered but the attempted coup failed because the Austrian military intervened to back up the government. -
The Evian Conference was an international meeting held in Evian, France, from July 6 to July 15, 1938, in response to the growing Jewish refugee crisis precipitated by escalating anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. -
The Munich Conference concluded that the Sudetenland territory would be ceded to Germany. In addition, Hitler would take over portions of Czechoslovakia provided he would not seek further expansion. The Czechoslovakian government was told that it could challenge Hitler to war, but it would do so without any support. -
The Wagner-Rogers Bill was a 1939 piece of legislation proposed by Senator Robert Wagner and Representative Edith Nourse Rogers that would have allowed 20,000 German refugee children, under the age of 14, to enter the United States outside of existing immigration quotas -
The MS St. Louis was a German ocean liner that, in 1939, carried over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Denied entry to Cuba and the United States, the ship was forced to return to Europe. -
a World War II German military tactic involving a fast, concentrated, and mobile attack using armored tanks, mechanized infantry, artillery, and close air support to achieve rapid, decisive victories by bypassing and paralyzing the enemy's defenses. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact, also known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, was a non-aggression treaty signed on August 23, 1939, with secret protocols to divide Poland and Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, -
German troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, triggering World War II. In response to German aggression, Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany -
The Battle of the Atlantic pitted U-boats and other warships of the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) and aircraft of the Luftwaffe (Air Force) against the Royal Navy -
The "cash and carry" policy was a trade agreement implemented by the U.S. during the late 1930s and early 1940s, which allowed warring nations to purchase goods and military supplies from America if they paid in full with cash and transported the goods on their own ships -
In the United Kingdom the Battle of Britain is recognised officially as having taken place between 10th July and 31st October 1940. The Germans do not recognise these dates in the same way. -
The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on 2 September 1940, according to which 50 Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson-class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. -
The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was a United States program that allowed the President to provide military and economic aid, such as weapons, food, and supplies, to Allied nations vital to American defense during World War II -
The Atlantic Charter was a 1941 joint declaration by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill outlining their vision for a postwar world following World War II, establishing eight common principles that included self-determination, free trade, disarmament, and economic cooperation. Announced on August 14, 1941 -
On 7 December 1941, Japan launched a surprise air attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Japanese forces also overran Allied possessions in south-east Asia and The Philippines. Japan hoped for a short war, seeking to quickly weaken US naval strength and capture strategically vital oil supplies. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. -
The Battle of Midway occurred when the U.S. Navy intercepted a Japanese invasion fleet heading for Midway Island, achieving an overwhelming victory and resulting in the turning point of the war in the Pacific. -
The War Refugee Board (WRB) was a U.S. government agency created in January 1944 by President Roosevelt to rescue Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution during World War II -
The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. -
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front -
On April 1, 1969, Kishi told President Nixon that "many Japanese feel that if Japan is to play a greater role in Asia, it is quite unacceptable for part of their country to remain occupied by a foreign power." Kishi also believed that maintaining the status quo in Okinawa could risk political fallout. -
Buchenwald prisoners stormed the watchtower and seized control of the camp. US forces liberated the camp the same day. -
Little Boy was a type of atomic bomb created by the Manhattan Project during World War II. The name is also often used to describe the specific bomb (L-11) used in the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay on 6 August 1945, making it the first nuclear weapon used in warfare -
Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) was the design of the nuclear weapon the United States used for seven of the first eight nuclear weapons ever detonated in history. It is also the most powerful design to ever be used in warfare. -
Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day[1]) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. -
The United Nations officially came into existence and was established on October 24, 1945, when its Charter, signed earlier that year, came into force after ratification by the majority of the original 51 member states. This date is now commemorated annually as United Nations Day -
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries -
The Truman Doctrine was a U.S. foreign policy, announced by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947, that pledged American support to "free peoples" resisting subjugation by authoritarian forces or "outside pressures". -
The Marshall Plan was a U.S. foreign aid program from 1948–1951 that provided over $13 billion to help Western European countries rebuild after World War II, aiming to stabilize economies, restore industries, and counter the spread of communism -
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a direct response to the atrocities of World War II -
NATO was formed on April 4, 1949, but it is not a World War II organization; it was a direct result of the post-war geopolitical situation and the rising tensions with the Soviet Union after WWII ended in 1945