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Establishment of League of Nations
The league of Nations was established to create world peace and diplomatic cooperation through collective security and disarmament. The league was not joined by the United States and Soviet Union later left leading it to be weak. This made the league weak and unable to stop the Japanese, Italian and German aggression. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty was enforced on Germany and ended world war I. The treaty stripped Germany of land and its colonial possessions. It also enforced harsh reparations that were unrealistic to pay back. This led to hyper inflation and a bad economy. The treaty also blamed Germany as the cause of the war. This created widespread resentment and criticism from the people. It was important because it was used by Hitler to spread Nazi rhetoric and hate for the allies. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression started in the United States and spread to Germany. It led to hyper-inflation, very high employment, stock market collapse and business failures. Industrial capacity in Germany fell by 50%. This caused public dissent that was taken advantage of by the Nazis. It led to the rise of the majority of both the Nazis and Communist in the Reich stag. The depression was used by the Nazi's to support their anti-democracy and Nationalist beliefs. -
Annexation of Sudetenland
The Sudetenland was a part of Czechoslovakia that was primarily German speaking. Hitler demanded that this part join German due to their heritage and Nationalism. The Munich agreement signed by France and Britain forced Czechoslovakia to give the land to Hitler. The event is important because it make Hitler seem powerful and is an example of the policy of appeasement which led to World War II. -
Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact
The Nazi-Soviet pact was an agreement between the two countries that during an invasion they would split Poland in-half. They also agreed not to attack each other meaning German would not half to fight a 2 front war and it gave the Soviet union time to prepare. This was important for Germany as it gave them to opportunity to invade Poland without Soviet intervention. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany claimed Poland attacked one of their radio towers. The invasion started when Germany attacked Danzig. Germany used blitzkrieg tactics to quickly overwhelm Poland. The Soviets then invaded through the east and Poland was divided between the 2. The battle resulted in 14000 German casualties and 66000 Polish casualties. The polish army continued to fight on in exile. It was important because it marked the start of the war and Germany's use of blitzkrieg tactics. -
Battle of Britan
The battle was over air dominance in the English channel and Germany launched attacks to destroy Britain's air defenses radars and major cities like London. Britan's superior aircraft and Germany's lack of consistent plan led to Germany suffering losses and postponing the land invasion of Britain indefinitely. It was important as Germany's first major defeat and helped establish Britan as an Allied base in future plans. -
Fall of Paris
The battle of Paris started when Germany used its blitzkrieg technique to invade France through the low countries avoiding the Maginot line. French forces were quickly overwhelmed and lost. This led to German occupation of France and establishment of Vichy for the south. The Battle was a significant victory for Germany in World War II and showed its significant military power. -
Operation Barbarossa
The operation was the Germany invasion of the USSR and was the largest in history at the time. In the start the Germans made large advances, but ended up facing a harsh Russian winter and Soviet resistance. The operation was delayed by 5 weeks because the Germans need to secure the Balkans which caused them to face the winter and they were unprepared and suffered great losses. The operation ended up being a significant failure and eventually led to Germany's downfall. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad important to soviet’s for supplying the south with troops and resources.The Germans surrounded the city and faced fierce Soviet urban warfare. It was part of Germany’s plan to capture the south, an important economic hub of the USSR. The battle reached a turning point when the Soviets launched a counter offensive and Hitler also ordered not to retreat. The winter heavily weakened Nazi forces and soviet's reclaimed the city. It was an important turning point on the eastern front. -
Operation Gomorah
Operation Gomorah was the bombing of the city of Hamburg. It was conducted by the British and United States air force. The goal was to cripple Germany's industry and demoralize the population. The operation killed 40000 people and displaced 1,000,000. It was important in testing new allied technologies in radar. -
Allied invasion of Italy
The allied invasion started in north Africa and Sicily and was successful. They then moved to conquer mainland Italy and faced a year and a half of resistance from German forces until their surrender in 1945. This affected the axis powers negatively as they lost their ally and had to divert forces from other fronts to fight off the invasion. The battle was important in testing amphibian invasions for future invasions like D-Day. -
Operation Thunderclap and Bombing of Dresden
Operation Thunderclap was a plan by the allies to bomb major German cities in an effort to demoralize the population. This led to the bombing of Dresden that led to significant civilian casualties and massive destruction to the city. The bombing was important in destroying German infrastructure and moral, but also raised the question of if Bombing civilians was moral. -
D-Day
The battle of D-Day was the invasion of Normandy by the allied forces to liberate northern France. The invasion was led by Dwight D. Eisenhower and consisted of 150000 soldiers. The soldiers landed on 5 different beaches and was successful in establishing a base in northern France. It eventually led to the full liberation of France and invasion of Germany. The battle is seen as a turning point in the war for the allies on the western front. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe day celebrated the end of the war in Europe after the Nazi surrender in May 8,1945. The treaty was signed in Reims, France and ratified in Berlin. The day was marked by celebrations across Europe and North America and ended the conflict in Europe.