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Mussolini and the Fascists come to power in Italy
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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
As the power shifted towards military control, Japan started on a course of aggressive military expanison; Manchuria the first of it's targets. -
Hitler and the Nazis come to power in Germany
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Neutrality Acts passed in the U.S.
Seeing the tension grow in the European and Asian countries, U.S. wanted to make it clear they wanted no part of the war brewing. -
Munich Conference
The leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy agreed to allow Germany to annex certain areas of Czechoslovakia. -
Kristallnacht-The Night of Broken Glass
It was the day German soldiers attacked and destroyed Jewish establishments and homes. -
Formation of the Axis Powers
The day Germany, Italy, and Japan joined forces. (Made a pact to back each other up if they go to war.) -
Germany and USSR sign a Non-Aggression Pact
the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. With Europe pushing closer towards another major war, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin viewed the pact as a way to keep his nation on peaceful terms with Germany, while giving him time to build up the Soviet military. -
Germany invades Poland/WWII Begins
Germany invades Poland against the.wishes of Great Britain and France, causing GB and France to declare war on Germany. Though they were at war, GB and France did little to protect or fight with Poland, causing their defeat. -
Battle of of the Atlantic
During six years of naval warfare, German U-boats and warships – and later Italian submarines – were pitted against Allied convoys transporting military equipment and supplies across the Atlantic to Great Britain and the Soviet Union. This lasted until May 7, 1945 -
Rescue of Dunkirk
Evacuation of Dunkirk, codenamed Operation Dynamo, took place between 26 May and 4 June 1940. A flotilla of 900 naval and civilian craft was sent across the Channel under RAF protection and managed to rescue 338,226 people. During the evacuation, the Luftwaffe attacked whenever the weather allowed, reducing the town of Dunkirk to rubble and destroying 235 vessels and 106 aircraft. A further 220,000 Allied troops were rescued. -
France falls to Germany
After the Dunkirk rescue, Luftwaffe initiated the air raids on Paris. On June 12, German forces penetrate France’s final lines of defense. On June 22, France signs armistice with Germany and the next day, Hitler visits Paris. -
Presidential Election of 1940
F.D.Roosevelt goes for his third term as President and wins. He becomes the first and only president to serve more than two terms. -
Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act
This basically said the U.S. will sell goods to the Allies, as long as they came and got the supplies themselves. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development project that produced the first atomic bombs during World War II. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. Japan was labelled a prime target for the atomic bomb. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
While a Japanese speaker comes and sits down with the President, reassuring Japan will not attack the U.S., General Tojo was preparing for an attack on Hawaii. The Japanese were trying to gain control of the Pacific, which so happens to inhabit Hawaii of the United States. On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes flew over Pearl Harbor and realised bombs on Naval ships and docks. This led to the United States joining the Allies on December 8, 1941. -
Relocation of Japanese American Camps
Succumbing to bad advice and popular opinion, President Roosevelt signed an executive order in February 1942 ordering the relocation of all Americans of Japanese ancestry to concentration camps in the interior of the United States. Evacuation orders were posted in Japanese-American communities giving instructions on how to comply with the executive order. Many families sold their homes, their stores, and most of their assets. -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese. The approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March. -
Battle of Midway Island
A naval battle, fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the United States destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. Together with the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Midway ended the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific.This lasted until June 7, 1942 -
Rosie The Riveter Campaign
This was created to encourage women to get a job during the World War, since the.men were overseas. -
D-Day Invasion
more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. -
Presidential Election of 1944
F.D. Roosevelt was running for his fourth term and won, but sadly died before he could start. Harry Truman was named the 33rd President of the U.S. -
Battle of Bulge
Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. It lasted until January 25, 1945. Fun Fact: the battle recieved its name from a battle formation the Allies used to defend themselves against the Germans. Resembled a 'bulge'. -
Allied Invasion/Victory in the Philippines
the Liberation of the Philippines was the American and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines, during World War II. This lasted until March 1945 with Allies as the victor. -
Yalta Conference
. At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill discussed with Stalin the conditions under which the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan and all three agreed that, in exchange for potentially crucial Soviet participation in the Pacific theater, the Soviets would be granted a sphere of influence in Manchuria following Japan’s surrender. This lasted until February 11, 1945 with the Soviets agreeing with the terms. -
V-E Day
Germany and Italy surrender to the Allies! After Hitler and Mussolini took their lives (along with their loved ones), their countries saw no point in continuing the fighting. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
With Germany and Italy out of the war, Japan still refused to quit (They are a very stubborn country). With that said, the U.S. let the first atomic bomb fall on Hiroshima. With the damage done, the U.S. asked Japan again to surrender; as you'd expect, they refused again. So, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, getting the surrender afterwards. -
Surrender of Japan
With the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroyed by atomic weapons, the will of the Japanese leadership was tested. Then it came the news that the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, with troops crossing into northeastern China an hour later. These three reasons led to Emperor Showa's decision to break the deadlock at his council which debated fruitlessly whether or not to respond to the Allies' call for unconditional surrender. -
Formation of the United Nations
It sought bipartisan support and in September 1943 the Republican Party endorsed U.S. participation in a postwar international organization, after which both houses of Congress overwhelmingly endorsed participation. Roosevelt also sought to convince the public that an international organization was the best means to prevent future wars.
