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Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany
Hitler joined the Nazi Party. He proved to be such a powerful public speaker and organizer that he quickly became the party's leader. -
Benito Mussolini's facist government in Italy
Facism strressed nationalism and placed the interests of the state above those of individuals. -
Mein Kampf
Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf "to secure for the German people the land and soil to which they are entitled on this earth." -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Japan launched a suprise attack and seized control of the Chinese province of Manchuria. -
Strom troopers
Many men who were out of work joined Hitler's private army, the storm troopers. -
Third Reich
Hitler established the Third Reich once he dismantled Germany's democratic Weimar Republic. -
Hiter's military build-up in Germany
Hitler began a military buildup in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia
Tens of thousands of Italian soldiers stood ready to advance on Ethiopia. -
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. -
Francisco Franco
A group of Spanish army officers led by Francisco Franco, rebelled against the Spanish republic. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
German and Italian dictators signed a formal alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. -
Hitler's Anschluss
Germany announced that its Anschluss with Austria was complete. -
Munich Agreement
Daladier and Chamberlain signed the Munch Agreement, which turned the Sudetenland over to Germany without a single shot being fired. -
Joseph Stalin's totalitarian government in the Soviet Union
Stalin 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. -
Blitzkrieg
Germany's newest military strategy, the blitzkrieg, was used when Germany invaded Poland. -
Nonagression Pact
Stalin suprised everyone by signing a nonaggression pact with Hitler. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Britain and France declared war on Germany two days following the terror in Poland. -
Phony War
French and British troops on the Maginot Line, sat staring into Germany, waiting for something to happen. The blitzkrieg had given way to what the Germans called the sitzkrieg (sitting war), and what some newspapers referred to as the phony war. -
Battle of the Atlantic
Hitler ordered the 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 Britiain and the Soviet Union. -
Hiter's invasion of Denmark and Norway
Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway in order "to protect ['those countries'] freedom ad independence." -
Hitler's invasion of the Netherlands
Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which were overrun by the end of May. The phony war ended. -
The Battle of Britain
The Germans began to assemble an invasion fleet along the French coast. -
Germany and Italy's invasion of France
Italy entered the war on the side of Germany and invaded France from the south as the Germans closed in on Paris from the north. -
Marshal Philippe Petain
A Nazi-controlled puppet government, headed by Marhal Philippe Petain, would be set up at Vichy, in southern France. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans had been fighting in the Soviet Union. -
Pearl Harbor attack
A japanese dive-bomber, which was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplanes, swooped over Pearl Harbor. -
U.S. convoy system
The Allies organzed their cargo ships into convoys. Convoys were escorted across the Atlantic by destroyers with sonar for detecting submarines underwater. -
Operation Torch
U.S. and Britain invaded French North Africa. -
Bloody Anzio
The battle lasted four moths and left about 25,000 Allied and 30,000 Axis casualties. -
D-Day
The Allied invasion was originally set for June 5, but bad weather forced a delay. Banking on a forecast for clearing skies, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for D-Day. -
The Battle of the Bulge
Eight German tank divisions broke through weak American defenses along an 80-mile front, -
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman becamethe nation's 33rd president after President Roosevelt died from a stroke. -
Death of Hitler
Hitler shot imself while his new wife swallowed poison -
Unconditional Surrender
Germany surrenders to the Allies -
V-E Day
The Allies celebrated V-E Day. The war in Europe was finally over.