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Mussolini's March on Rome
The March was a planned event by Mussolini and his supporters. Together, they demanded political power from the Italian government. This was not a violent march, but the group wanted to make sure that they were heard. King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy ended up inviting Mussolini to create a new government. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Before Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin acted as a successor and eventually gained control of the Soviet Union. Stalin used his powers to outmaneuver other leaders and gain more power. He is known for using the secret police and "Great Purge" to eliminate anyone who stood in his way of gaining more power. He was never happy with his strength. -
Hitler writes "Mein Kampf"
Hitler was convicted of high treason and sentenced to 5 years in prison after him and his followers staged the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. Hitler ended up spending less than a year in prison, and in that time, he wrote "Mein Kampf", his political autobiography. It described how Hitler became antisemitic and expressed his ideologies. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
1st “five year plan” in USSR, which was created by Stalin, was created and executed to create quick growth and large scale industrialization. In this period, heavy industrialization and agricultural changes were made. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan was looking for raw materials to power the industries that were rapidly growing in Japan, so the military invaded Manchuria to get those materials. The Soviet Union clashed with Japan in Manchuria, and they clashed in a nearby river and battled for about 4 months. It ended with Japan leaving in defeat. -
Holomodor
Holomodor, also known as the Ukranian Famine, was not a natural, but man-made famine in Ukraine that killed millions. This was a result of Stalin forcing collectivization of agriculture and grain. This was aimed to crush Ukranian resistance to Soviet rule and punish Ukrainian peasants. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor at the head of a coalition government in 1933. This action gave the Nazis government power, and would lead to the rise of Hitler's dictatorship and devastation of WW II. -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The “Night of the Long Knives”, was a grave action taken by Hitler and his guards. Hitler had feared that the paramilitary SA group was becoming too powerful, and that they needed to be stopped. This led to Hitler ordering his elite SS guards to murder the SA leaders. -
Nuremberg Laws Enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were laws that related to the race of the people. The laws were the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood. The first was created to ensure that if Germany came to power, only pure Germans would be citizens. The others were things along the same line. They were made to keep Jews out and multiply pure Aryans/Germans -
Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
The Italian Invasion was one of the earlier battles that made way for WWII. This invasion took place after a border incident, which gave Mussolini an excuse to intervene. This ended in Ethiopia surrendering to Italy. -
The Great Purge and gulags
The Great Purge consists of 3 publicized show trials held in the Soviet Union in the 1930's. Many Old Bolsheviks were found guilty of treason. These criminals were executed or imprisoned. It was later found out that the guilt were actually innocent, and pressured by fear to state their crimes. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a revolt from the military of Spain against the Republican government. The Nationalists were given help through the Nazis and Italians. This war was foreshadowing the chaos of WWII. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Imperial Japanese Army was massacred, killed, raped, looted, and committed many more horrid things to the citizens of Nanking, China. The army sought to break Chinese resistance and assert dominance and control over Nanking as a part of their plan to overthrow and take over China. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also known as "The Night of Broken Glass", took place when Nazi leaders sent out a plethora of attacks on the Jews. These Nazi leaders broke glass and vandalized Jewish-owned businesses, such as restaurants and banks. This event make Jewish survival almost impossible. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Hitler wanted to gain more land and more power to take over the lands he wanted for Germany. The Nazis justified their actions by putting out propaganda about the Polish who executed Germans. This started WWII as a whole. -
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor with Japanese planes dropping explosive bombs from their planes/the sky. This event was so significant because it led America into the war and fight.