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Paris Peace Conference
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The Allied powers met at the Palace of Versaille to create the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI. The Treaty created the League of Nations that was supposed to keep peace after WWI. -
Nine Power Treaty
A Treaty signed by the United States, Belgium, British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and Portugal to respect the sovereignty, the independence, and the territorial and administrative integrity of China -
Mussolini takes over Italy's Government
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Mussolini founded Fascist Party. Thirty thousand Fascists marched to Rome and demanded King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge of government. -
Beer Hall Putsch
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Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group aiming to seize control of the state government, march on Berlin, and overthrow the German federal government. This failed. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
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An agreement to outlaw war, often called the Pact of Paris. However this did little to stop the rising of militarism and prevent WWII. -
U.S. Stock Market Crash
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Investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost which sent the country into a depression -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Japan blamed China for sabatoging the Manchurian Railroad and used that as an excuse to attack Manchuria, They also wanted China's resources and needed more land to grow due to large a large population. -
Nazi's reach a political majority in Germany
Federal elections were held in Germany following the premature dissolution of the Reichstag. -
Hitler becomes Germany's Chancellor
President Paul von Hindenburg names Adolf Hitler, leader or fÜhrer of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany. -
Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations
Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being accused of events in Manchuria. -
Rohm Purge
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Also known as "Night of the Long Knives", this day marks Hitler's order of a bloody purge on his own political party. Hundreds of Nazis were assasinated that he feared would become a threat in the future. -
Hitler Openly Defies the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler went to Berlin and immediately held a Cabinet meeting and assembled members of the Army's General Staff. He then announced a major decision he had just come to – Germany would openly defy the military limitations set by the Treaty of Versailles and re-arm. -
Nuremburg Laws
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On this day in 1935, German Jews are stripped of their citizenship, reducing them to mere "subjects" of the state. -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Italy uses a border dispute as an excuse to invade Ethiopia in 1935. This was the second challenge to the League of Nations after Japan's invasion of Manchuria. -
Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland
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Hitler breaks the Treaty of Versailles by sending German troops into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone along the Rhine river in western Germany. -
Franco becomes Dictator of Spain
During the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco is named head of the rebel Nationalist government in Spain. Two years later Franco defeated the Republicans in the civil war and became ruler of all of Spain. He served as dictator until his death in 1975. -
Germany Annexes Austria
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German troops march into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. Hitler accompanied the troops into Austria, where enthusiastic crowds met them. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government. -
Hitler demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia
Without consulting Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain promises to give Hitler all the areas of Czechslovakia where more than 50 per cent of the population is German. Hitler decides he wants ALL of the country and Chamberlain refuses. -
Munich Conference
At Munich, France and Britain appease Hitler and give him the Sudetenland. They do this to prevent war. German troops march into the Sudetenland and are welcomed as heroes. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
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Signing the Pact of Steel, Italy and Germany agree to a military and political alliance, giving birth formally to the Axis powers, which will ultimately include Japan. -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
A nonaggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union that was concluded only a few days before the beginning of World War II and divided eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. -
Nazi invasion of Poland
Some 1.5 million German troops invade Poland along their border with German-controlled territory. At the same time, Germans bombed Polish airfields and attacked their Navy. Hitler claimed this was a defensive action, but France and Britain were not convinced. They declared war Germany, beginning World War II. -
Battle of Britain
Germas begin a long series of bombings on Great Britain. This battle will last three and a half months. Britain had less fighters than Germany, but had an effective radar system that prevented a sneak attack. Britain also had much better planes that could make tighter turns than the German planes. -
Lend Lease Act
On this day, FDR signs the Lend Lease Act which provides money and materials to allies in war. This act was designed to support Great Britain throughout the war. By November, Congress extended the Lend Lease Act to the Soviet Union. -
Operation Barbarossa
On this day over 3 million German soldiers invaded Russia. Despite warnings from his council about fighting two fronts, Hitler still went through with the invasion. This violated the "pact" signed between Russia and Germany in 1939. Hitler had asked Russia to join the Axis a month before this invasion. -
Pear Harbor Bombing
On this day Japanese fighter planes attacked the Pear Harbor Naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese destroyed nearly 20 naval vessels and almost 200 planes. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died in this attack. After this attack, America declares war on Japan. Three days later Italy and Germany declare war on America. After two years of conflict, America had finally joined WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting between Nazi officials about the "Final Solution" to the "Jewish Question". They discussed different means of killing/moving the Jews until the gas vans became the solution. These killed a thousand people a day and proved to be a fast and effective way to kill Jews. The detailed minutes kept from this meeting provided strong evidence during the Nuremburg war crime trials. -
Doolittle Raid
On this day 16 American B-25 bombers launched from an aircraft carrier attacked Japan's mainland. This attack did little real damage to Japan but it hurt their governments prestige. They thought the attack came from Midway Island and ordered an attack on it. -
Battle of Midway
This four day battle on the island of Midway became a major turning point of WWII, The outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet destroyed 4 Japanese vessels while only losing one of their own to the previously inincible Japanese Navy. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. -
D-Day and Operation Overlord
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On this day known as D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the go-ahead on a massive invasion of Europe known as Operation Overlord. On June 8, Eisenhower was able to report that the Allies had landed on the beaches of Normandy. -
Operation Valkyrie
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, chief of the German army reserve, planted a bomb during a conference to kill Hitler. Someone moved the briefcase which contained the bomb and it saved Hitler's life. This was part of Operation Valkrie, or the overthrow of the centeral government in Berlin. With Hitler's survival, the operation failed and the men responsible were shot. Later 5,000 German enemies of Hitler were dead by either murder or suicide. -
Battle of the Bulge
Germans launch last major offensive of the war. The plan was to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. This battle was catastrophic for America and thousads of U.S. troops were killed or captured. This battle lasted three weeks and did not turn in America's favor until the weather cleared up and American aircrafts were able to bomb and strafe German positions. -
Adolf Hitler commits suicide
Holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide pill and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a "1,000-year" Reich. -
V-E Day
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Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. This is the day German troops surrendered. The main concern of German soldiers was to avoid the Soviet Forces to prevent being taken prisoner. Banners and flags filled the cities to celbrate the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
Little Boy Dropped
American B-29 bomber drops the world's first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout. There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing. -
Fat Man Dropped
The United State drops their second bomb on Nagasaki. This leads to Japan's unconditional surrender. After this second devestating attack by the United State, they had a third atomic bomb ready. This was not necessary because they surrendered. -
V-J Day
On this day Victory over Japan was celebrated back in the States as the USS Missouri hosts the formal surrender of the Japanese government to the Allies. -
Nuremberg Trials
Twenty-four high ranking Nazi officials went on trial in Nuremberg, Germany for WWII charges. The trial was conducted by an international court with representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. Twelve of the Nazis were sentenced to death, 7 sentenced to prison, and 3 were aquitted. Of the other two, one commited suicide and the other was deemed mentally unstable for trial. This trial lasted 10 months and consisted of 216 court sessions. -
Japanese War Crime Trials
International Military Tribunals for the Far East begins hearing the case against 28 Japanese military and government officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during World War II. The trial ended with 25 of 28 Japanese defendants being found guilty. Seven were sentenced to death, sixteen were sentenced life imprisonment, and two were given shorter prison sentences.
