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Mussolini's March on Rome
This was an organized mass demonstration in October of 1922, which resulted in Mussolini's National Fascist Party ascending to power in Italy. Fascist leaders had planned an insurrection to take power, and succeeded in establishing Mussolini as the dictator of Italy. This insurrection marked the beginning of fascist rule, and was the start of a new age in Italy. This event no doubt gave other dictators the confidence to plan their own rise to absolute power over a nation, using similar tactics. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf was Hitler's philosophical autobiography, which held his blueprint and agenda for a Third Reich, and detailed his plans for what would later begin the Nazi regime, and WW2. This book became very popular, and was influential in establishing Hitler as a household name, and popularizing his political views and party, which he would use to eventually gain complete control over Germany. This book played a great role in furthering Hitler's political goals, which led to WW2, etc. -
The 1st Five Year Plan in the USSR
This was the beginning of a list of plans and economic goals, in which Stalin wanted to implement to turn the USSR from a weak and poor country, into the industrial and military regime that it is now today. However, this came with a great price, as millions of Stalin's own people starved to death and suffered a great deal as a result, making Stalin responsible for massive amounts of death. To Stalin, the ends justified the means, and he did succeed in making the USSR very powerful. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Stalin became the dictator of the USSR after years of consolidating power, eliminating political enemies, and working as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Under Stalin's reign, the Soviet Union was transformed into a military and industrial superpower. However, this came at a great cost of human life and suffering, as Stalin was a tyrannical dictator, known for brutality, mass starvations, executions of political enemies, etc. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, in order to establish the puppet state of Manchukuo. This breached the League of Nations, and resulted in Japan leaving the League. Japan used Manchuria as a way to expand in power, and used it to harvest resources that Japan was lacking in. This invasion was very important because it led to Japanese occupation of China during WW2. Japan used Manchuria as a stepping stone to invade China. -
Holodomor begins (Terror-Famine, or the Great Famine) in Soviet Ukraine
Holodomor was a man-made famine and genocide created by Stalin's decision to collectivize agriculture, which forced people to give up their farms and property, to create communal farms. This created a lot of rebellions, and Stalin made decisions to deepen the famine. Ukraine was forcibly starved, which led to total deaths ranging from either 3 to 12 million people. This was a grievous crime against humanity, as Stalin starved and executed countless innocent people. This had far reaching affects. -
Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany
Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany, which allowed him to begin consolidating power, turning the German public against his scapegoat of the Jewish population, and allowing him to become the tyrannical dictator as he is known today. Hitler's appointment as Chancellor marked a major turning point for Germany, and for the rest of the world. Hitler was able to begin turning Germany into a powerful, one party regime, and once Hitler was named Chancellor, there was no stopping his momentum. -
"Night of the Long Knives" in Germany
The Knight of the Long Knives was a great purge that happened in Nazi Germany, orchestrated by Adolf Hitler. This purge was a series of executions of political leaders and anyone who possibly represented a threat to Hitler's power and control over Nazi Germany. The SS secret police carried out these executions, and were responsible for Hitler eliminating his political opponents, and keeping Nazi Germany firmly under only his control alone. The purge strengthened military support for Hitler. -
Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
This was a war of aggression between Italy and Ethiopia, and was important in showing how weak the League of Nations actually was in stopping countries from doing whatever they wanted. This war resulted in Ethiopia coming under the rule of Italy, and for the entire world to see that the League of Nations was weak, and couldn't actually stop anyone. This is important in terms of WW2, as it meant that companies could invade other countries with little to no repercussions. -
Nuremburg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were anti-semitic and discriminatory laws that allowed Nazi Germany to segregate, confine, and eventually eradicate the Jewish population in Germany. These laws were crucial towards forcing public attitude towards Jewish people to be negative, and began to discriminate and allow them to be persecuted. These laws made the Nazi persecution of the Jews official, and legally established the basis of what would come to be the Holocaust. -
The Great Purge and Gulags
Stalin created horrific labor camps in Siberia, called Gulags, in order to send political opponents, dissidents, and threats to his rule in the USSR. Here, people would work and suffer until they died a brutal death. Stalin also organized a great purge, in order to rid the USSR of threats to his rule. This led to the executions of at least 750,000 people, and more than a million people sent to the Gulags. This caused rampant terror, and worked to keep anyone from resisting Stalin's rule. -
Spanish Civil War begins
This was a military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, vs Nationalists, who were rebels. This civil war came after a military coupe, in which the nationalists, who were backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, tried to overthrow the government, who was backed by the Soviet Union, the United States, and other countries from Europe. The Spanish Civil War ended with the Nationalists victorious, and many people saw this civil war as an example of Fascism vs Democracy. -
The Rape of Nanking
It is difficult to describe the atrocities and horror that came from the Rape of Nanking, in which mass murder and mass rape was committed by Imperial Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, in China. The Japanese butchered between 50,000 to 300,000 civilians, raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, and would even do things like throw babies into the air and catch them with bayonets. This was a terrible blight on human history, and is often denied by Japanese nationalists. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, or "The Night of Broken Glass," was when Nazis torched synagogues, destroyed and vandalized Jewish homes, destroyed Jewish businesses, and killed Jewish people. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested, and some sent to concentration camps. This was done at the request of Hitler and the Nazi party, as Hitler wanted to blame the country's problems on the Jewish population, and force the public to despise them. Conditions towards Jewish people continue to worsen after Kristallnacht. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
Nazi Germany invades Poland, in order to regain lost territory and ultimately rule their geographic neighbors. The Germans used their blitzkrieg strategy, and this event actually sparked WW2. This was a massive amount cataclysm, which resulted in the world being completely changed. WW2 began, Nazi Germany established itself as a tyrannical regime that needed to be stopped, and the rest is history. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. This act was responsible for the United States entering into WW2, and turned Japan into one of our great enemies. Japanese suicide bombers severely crippled the US naval and air strength in the area, as Pearl Harbor served as a critical point for our battleships to stay, and have access to the Pacific ocean. This was an incredibly important event, that contributed towards US entry into WW2.
