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Mussolini’s March on Rome
In 1922 Italian politician Mussolini marched on Rome to demand the resignation of the government and that a Fascist government be allowed to take over instead. His goal was able to be obtained because this march marked the beginning of fascist rule and the end of regimes of socialists and liberals. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf was the manifesto written by Hitler, in German it translates to "my struggle". It had promoted the key components of Nazism: rabid antisemitism and a racist world view. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The 1st five year plan in the USSR had a purpose to initiate rapid and large-scale industrialization across the USSR. It also included agriculture through highly mechanized farming. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Stalin was the dictator of the USSR from 1929 to 1953. Joseph Stalin and Hitler signed what was known as the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Stalin however proceeded to annex parts of Poland and Romania. This lead to Germany breaking the pact and invaded the USSR. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan invaded Manchuria seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries. Manchuria was known for being rich in iron and coal. -
Holodomor
Holodomor was a man made famine that ended up killing 3,900,000 Ukrainians. The famine was orchestrated by USSR leader Stalin. Stalin wanted to "curtail Ukraine's cultural autonomy". -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Once Hitler was appointed as chancellor it was marked as a turning point for Germany. Hitler had broke all the terms of the Treaty of Versailles as he expanded the army, reintroduced conscription, and began developing a new air force. -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The Night of the Long Knives was the purge of Nazi leaders by Adolf Hitler. He had a fear that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, and therefore ordered his SS guards to murder the organization's leaders. It was a turning point for the German government. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
Once Italy had invaded Ethiopia, they were subjected to Italian rule. This had demonstrated the the League of Nations was ineffective when League decisions were not supported by the great powers. -
Nuremburg Laws enacted
These laws were the first laws made to be racist against the Jewish community. They had banned marriage between Jews and non-Jewish Germans, and prohibited Jews from employing German women under the age of 45 as maids. Jews were also were deprived of German citizenship -
Spanish civil war
Spanish generals Emilio Mola and Francisco Franco had launched an uprising to overthrow the country's democratically elected republic. As a result of the war, the Spanish had to relinquish claims on Cuba. The United States had also annexed the state of Hawaii during the conflict. About 200,000 people died as the result of this war. -
The Great Purge and gulags
The Great Purge was a brutal political campaign led by USSR dictator Stalin to eliminate members of the Communist Party that disagreed with him. It went from 1936-1938. The gulags were Soviet labor camps housed political prisoners and criminals of the Soviet Union. -
The Rape of Nanking
In 1937 the Japanese Imperial Army began to invade and take the capital of the Republic of China, Nanjing. During this massacre 150,000 soldiers were killed, 50,000 make citizens were also killed and 20,000 women and young girls were raped or killed in the process. This had all happened during the Sino-Japanese War that preceded World War II. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also known as The Night of Broken Glass. Nazis torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. Up until Kristallnacht the attacks on Jewish people were non-violent. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland.
Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and rule their neighbor to the east. Germany also claimed that Poland was persecuting Germans living in Poland. By Germany doing this it had initiated World War II in Europe. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Japanese Navy Air Service. They had attacked the US naval base at in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is what caused the US to join WWII.