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Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Joseph Stalin took over control of the communist party and the Soviet Union. He took this position after the death of Vladimir Lenin and used his position in the soviet communist party to become dictator. He went on to be one of the bloodiest tyrants in world history. -
Mussolini's March on Rome
Mussolini along with other fascist leaders in Italy and an aggravated middle class planned for an insurrection on October 28th 1922. The result of this march was Mussolini becoming dictator and the beginning of fascist rule in Italy. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf was the political manifesto written by Adolf Hitler outlining his beliefs and goals for Germany. This manifesto promoted the main ideas of Nazism which include an extreme antisemitism, a racist world view, and an aggressive foreign policy geared toward gaining more land in Europe. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The first five year plan was a plan for mass industrialization across the USSR. The goal of this plan was to achieve collective agriculture and to develop heavy industry. The first five year plan saw a fifty percent increase in industrial output. -
Japan invades Manchuria
On September 18th 1931 Japan invaded the region of China of Manchuria without declaration of war going against the League of Nations. This invasion was set out for the purpose of gaining more land and resources for Japan due to Japan's limited supply of both. It was targeted for its oil, rubber, and lumber. -
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine also known as the terror-famine that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932-1933. This was the result of Stalin's policies as dictator and collectivization leading to a drop in production, disorganization of the rural economy and food shortages. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
On January 30th 1933 HItler was named leader or fuhrer of the Nazi party as chancellor of Germany. Hitler had gained a mass following of German citizens upset at the condition of the country after WW!. This marked a crucial turning point for Germany and the world as he had a demented vision to make Germany a unified one-party state through any means necessary/ -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The "Night of the Long Knives" was a purging of Nazi leaders ordered by Adolf Hitler in fear that the paramilitary group had become too powerful. This purge was carried out by Hitler's elite SS gaurds and included the killing of other political opponets of Hitler. -
Nuremberg Laws enacted
The Nuremburg Laws were two antisemitic laws passed to deprave Jewish Germans of their rights. The first law deprived Jews of their German citizenship, making them "subjects of the state". The other law called the "Blood Protection Law" for short forbid the marriage or sexual relations between Jews and German citizens. These laws were the first steps that would lead toward the Holocaust. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
The Italian invasion of Ethiopia showed the League of Nations' ineffectiveness and lack of power in preventing invasions. Italy had before tried to invade Ethiopia in the 1890s, but failed. A border incident between the two nations gave Mussolini an excuse to invade Ethiopia once again. The Ethiopian army was poorly trained and armed against the Italian military, allowing for a major victory showcasing Italy's power and nationalism. -
Spanish civil war
The Spanish civil war was a military revolt against the republican government of Spain led by rebel Nationalists. This civil war would last for three years taking the lives of 500,000 men and traumatizing those who survived. The result of this war was a period of dictatorship in Spain that lasted until the mid-1970s. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking was the name given to the Japanese order to destroy the Chinese city of Nanking. Japanese General Matsui Iwane gave this order resulting in multiple war crimes including the massacre of around 200,000 men and the raping of at least 20,000 women and girls. -
The Great Purge and gulags
The Great Purge was a brutal political campaign carried out by Joseph Stalin meant to eliminate any dissenting members of the communist party. At least 750,000 people were executed during the Great Purge and more than a million other people were sent to forced labor camps, known as gulags. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also known as the night of broken glass, was an incident led by Nazis and civilians in Germany that burned down synagogues, Jewish homes, schools, and businesses along with the murder of around 100 Jews. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Prior to this event the policies surrounding the extermination of Jews were relatively non-violent, however this would only get worse after this night. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland.
Germany invaded its eastern neighbors on September 1st 1939. Hitler would use Poland as a basis for how he intended to invade other countries. He used the new strategy of Blitzkrieg, which involved bombarding the enemy in bombings via airplane. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7th 1941. This attack destroyed around 20 American naval vessels, over 300 airplanes, and killed more than 2,400 Americans. The day after the attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
