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Hitler rises in power
Hitler became leader of the nazi party after being released from prison for nine months. He re-established the Nazis as a political party, which was a drastic change from it’s prior stance. -
Stalin becomes leader of Soviet Russia
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Maginot line construcion begins
A defensive structure along French borders. This was France’s most complicated attempt at defense from Germany’s imminent attack. -
Japan seizes Manchuria
Japan took over a seemingly insignificant landmass, and the League of Nations did nothing. This really proved them powerless and resulted in an enormous loss of respect for the LON. -
Stimson Doctrine
An application of ex injuria jus non oritur. -
Hitler appointed as Chancellor of German Reich
Hitler was elected as leader of the German Reich, meaning he was the leader of Germany. Because Hitler was a disgruntled soldier in WW1, his grudge against the Allies is one of the main factors and is what instigates WW2. He states he will “Make Germany great again” but he never said how. When he carried out his attempts to reunite the german speaking populace, he does it in a hostile manner that ultimately results in WW2. -
FDR becomes president
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Gestapo formed
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Nazi Book burnings
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Neutrality Acts
A series of laws and court orders passed by Congress to ensure neutrality on the United State’s part. These fared much better than those in WW1, up until Pearl Harbor outraged the American populace. -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Due to an incident on the Italian border, Mussolini found the perfect excuse to invade Ethiopia. This happened because Italy is trying to get the land it was denied at WW1, and become noticed by other nations- though again, it would ultimately be viewed as an insignificant nation. -
Hitler occupies the Rhineland
Under the guise of simply wanting to reunite the German-speaking peoples under one banner, Hitler took the Rhineland facing almost no resistance. -
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Spanish Civil War
A series of unfortunate events triggered when a group of people in favor of a monarchy and those against it clashed. The war ended when the Republicans issued a surrender in 1938. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
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Hitler Youth formed
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Anchluss
Nazi Germany annexes Austria into it’s territory. Similar to the above, they faced little resistance, and this was ignored due to Hitler’s excuse for taking the lands. -
Construciton on maginot line ends
The Maginot Line, though ultimately proven unsucessful, was a French attempt to defend themselves via a series of forts. -
Evian Conference
A conference held by Theodore Roosevelt. The purpose was to encourage emigration of Jewish refugees and create a global organisation to deal with the immigration problem. -
Munich Conference
A conference in which Hitler demanded that he be able to annex the Sudentland into Germany. Shockingly, this was allowed under the assumption that he would stop there. He did not. -
Germany occupies Sutdenland
Due to the Munich Conference, Germany was allowed to occupy the Sudentland. Again, with little to no resistance. -
Kristallnacht
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Pact of Steel
Germany and Italy make their alliance official. This is a military and political alliance- that is, Germany and Italy will watch each other’s backs and support each other in times of war and peace. -
Nazi- soviet non agression pact
A deal that means Russia and Germany will not attack each other. Of course, Hitler violated this later on in the war. This did not work well for Hitler, and Russia ended uo winning. Why he invaded them in the winter is beyond me. -
Cash and Carry
Cash and carry, a system in which the Allies can buy goods from America, with no discount and assuming they pay in full and shipping. This was done in an attempt to keep neutrality. -
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Sitskreig
Also known as a Sitzkreig, the phony war is the period of time after Poland was invaded. During this period, an eerie silence- a calm before the storm, if you will- took place. Nothing happened in terms of war. -
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Blitzkreig
A German word for “Lightning war”. A method which consists of short attacks on certain areas. This preserved lives and made the army seem much more fierce, because it struck in one place with all of it’s might. -
Lend Lease
This allowed America to help the Allies without loss of lives. By sending monetary support to the Allies without actually sending boots on the ground, the U.S made its stance clear, though with unforeseen repercussions. -
Destroyers for bases
In exchange for land, America and Britain made a deal. The Americans would transfer to the Royal Navy, and America got rights to British land. -
Pearl Harbor
On december seventh, a day that will live in infamy, a small attack force of Japanese planes attacked the small military base of pearl harbor and killed over two thousand American soldiers. Outraged, America declared war on the Axis powers and eventually helped the Allies win WW2. a fun quote: the General who ordered the attack said that if they were to invade america, there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass. -
Wansee conference
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Washington naval conference