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Mein Kampf
My Struggle, it was a book that Hitler wrote that set forth the basic beliefs of Nazism that became the plan of action fo the Nazi Party. -
Benito Mussolini's fascist government in Italy
Fascist stressed nationalism and placed the interests of the state above those of individuals. Power must rest with a single strong leader and a small groupof devoted party members. -
Joseph Stalin's totalitarian government in the Soviet Union
A government that tried to exert complete control over its citizens. Individuals have no rights, and the government suppresses all opposition. -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
Japan surprised attacked and seized control of the Chinses province. Within months Japanese troops controlled the entire province, twice as big as Texas. -
Storm troopers
Some 6 million Germans were unemployed and joined Hitler's private army. -
Third Reich
Hitler dismantled Germany's democratic Weimar Republic and established, Third German Empire. According to Hitler it would last a thousand years. -
Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany
Hitler was a jobless soldier by the end of World War I, he joined the Nazi Party and proved to be a powerful speaker and organizer. Nazism was based on extreme nationalism. By mid 1932 6 millions Germans were unemployed and joined Hitler's storm troopers. Hitler was appointed prime minister. -
Hitler's military build-up in Germany
Hitler began a military buildup in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia
Mussolini began building his new Roman Empire, starting with Ethiopia. Tens of thousands of Italian soldiers stood ready to advance on the country. By May 1936, Ethiopia had fallen. -
Hitler invades the Rhineland
After Hitler built his military he sent troops into Rhineland a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. The League didn't stop him. -
Franciso Franco
A group of Spanish army officers led by Franciso Franco rebelled against Spanish republic. Revolts broke out all over Spain and the Spanish Civil War began. About 3.000 Americans formed the Abraham Lincoln Battalion and travled to Spain to fight against Franco. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
The war forged a close relationship between German and italian dictators, who signed a formal alliance. -
Hitler's Anschluss
Germany wanted to have a union with Austria and German troops marched into Austria unopposed. -
Munich Agreement
England and Frecnh prime ministers were invited by Hitler to speak about Czechoslovakia's annexation. They believed Hitler when he said it would be his last territorial deman. To avoid war they signed the agreement. -
Nonaggression pact
Stalin surprised everyone by signing the pact with Hitler. Germany and Russia now committed never to attack each other. They also signed a secret treaty that made them divide Poland between each other. -
Blitzkrieg
Lighting war, it was a new military strategy used in Polan first. German air forced dropped bombs and military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. German tanks raced across Polish countryside. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Because of the lighting war stragety German used to invade Poland Britain and France decalred war on Germany who were military aids to Poland -
Phony war
It was a staring contest between Britain and French troops against German troops. -
Hitler's invasion of Denmark and Norway
Hitler launched a surprised invasion in order to protect those countries freedom and independence. But in truth Hitler planned to build bases along the coasts to strike a Great Britain. -
The Battle of Britain
Germans began to assemble an invasion fleet along the French coast, but because its naval power couldn't compete with that of Britain they also launched an air war at the same time. Its goal was to gain control of the skies by destorying Britain's Royal Air Force. Britain fought back and eventually Hitler withdrew his air force. -
Hitler's invasion of the Netherlands
Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. -
Germany and Italy's invasion of France
Hitler's tanks through the Ardennes, a region of wooded ravines in northeast France. German offensive trapped 4000,000 French and British soldiers as they fled. Italy then entered and invaded France from the south as the Germans closed in on Paris from the north. -
Marshal Philippe Petain
Hitler handed French officers his terms of surrender. Germans would occupy the northern part of France and a Nazi-controlled puppet goberment, headed by Marshal Philippe Petain, would be set up at Vichy in southern France. -
Pearl Harbor attack
Japanese dive-bomber swooped low over Pearl Harbor, the larget U.S. naval base in the Pacific. The bomber was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplanes launched from six aircraft carriers. In less than two hours Japanese killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178, it sunk 21 ships, damaged 300 aircrafts. -
U.S. convoy system
Because Germany was getting the upper hand by sinking 87 unarmed American ships, the Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys, groups of ships traveling together for mutual protection, as they did in WWI. -
Battle of the Atlantic
Hitler ordered submarine raids against ships along America's east coast. The aim was to prevent food and war materials from reaching Great Britain and Russia. -
Battle of Stalingrad
German army and airforce confidently entered Stalingrad and bombed the city at night. Russia almost abandoned their city but a furious Stalin said to defend their country. By September the Germans controlled nine-tenths of the city. As winter rolled along, the Russians used that as an advantage and trapped the Germans in their city. Germany surrendered in January 31st. -
Operation Torch
Stalin pressured Britain and America to open a second front in Western Europe. He argued that an invasion across the English Channel would force Hitler to divert troops from the Soviet front. Churchill and Roosevelt didn't think the Allies had enough troops to invade European soil. They launched Operation Torch, an invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa, commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower. 107,000 Allied troops landed in Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers in North Africa. -
Unconditional surrender
Enemy nations would have to accept whatever terms of peace the Allies dicated. -
Bloody Anzio
Hitler was determined to fight the Allies in Italy rather than in German soil. It was one of the hardest battles the Allies fought and it was less than 40 miles away from Rome and left 25,000 Allied and 30,000 Axis casualties. -
D-Day
Millions of American, British, and Canadian invaded then German invaded France. They invaded 5 beaches, with seaborne soldiers, parachute men, and weapons. Besides the Allies having so much weapons Germany still faught back brutally. -
The Battle of the Bulge
America had captured the German town, Aachen. This incourgaed Hitler to break Allied lines and recapture it. Tanks drove into the Allied territory and created a bulge in the lines. Germans lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks and assault guns, and 1,600 planes. -
Harry S. Truman
President Roosevelt was posing for a picture when he had a stroke and died. That night Truman became America's 33rd president. -
Death of Hitler
Hitler married Eva Braun and shot himself and his wife drank poison. -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day, the war had ended.
