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Hitler wanted every German speaking region to be unified under him. This was directly outlawed in the Treaty of Versailles.
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An agreement was reached that allowed Germany to annex portions of Czechoslovakia. These parts were called the "Sudetenland."
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Britain had begun to rearm and install new radar systems. Poland had been threatened by Hitler, and this rearming of Britain reassured them.
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In order to reach Poland, Hitler first had to cross through Czechoslovakia. He occupied the country, breaking the agreement reached in Munich.
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Hitler and Stalin got together and signed a pact to prevent violence. It promised peace with each other, however it also contained an agreement on how they were going to divide up Poland.
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This invasion was not without resistance. Civilians were killed, buildings were destroyed, and the battle raged for about a month.
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Upset by the invasion of Poland, both France and Great Britain declared war on Germany.
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In order to ensure the safety of supply routes and to establish a base from which to break the naval blockade, Hitler decided to invade both Denmark and Norway.
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Hitler essentially began a war with Holland and Belgium. Cities were bombed nearly to extinction and the countries were occupied by German forces.
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After the Norwegian campaign that ended in disaster, Neville Chamberlain resigned from office. He had also been under pressure to more actively engage in the war. Winston Churchill took his place.
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General Gort (the British commander-in-chief) took troops and retreated to Dunkirk coast. Under fire, the troops waited for ships to rescue them. Over 338,000 soldiers were taken off the coast and many of them went on to form the center of the Free French army.
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Italy entered on the Axis side. The motivation to join was the possibility of wealth that war spoils could bring.
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Germany and France signed this peace agreement which divided France in half. One section of France was left under French control. The other was under German occupation.
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The Battle of Britain had four major phases.
1.Hitler sent bombers to attack British ports.
2. Bomb raid became centered on airfields.
3. Hitler heavily bombed London, hoping to destroy British morale.
4. Daylight bombings largely failed. Hitler began to instead send bombs at night raids on many large cities.
The bombings and raids had come almost to a standstill by October 31. -
Signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan, this pact untied the Axis powers.
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Germany and Italy started to attack Yugoslavia which started the fight in Northern Africa.
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Acting directly against a treaty signed in 1939, Hitler surprised the Russians by sending 3 million soldiers and 3,500 tanks into Russia.
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In order to reach colonies owned by the British, French, and Dutch, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
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Great Britain and the US officially went to war with Japan.
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Japan is defeated by the US, eventually leading the US to push Japan back.
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The US partnered with Britain managed to defeat all Axis forces that were in North Africa.
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The Battle of Stalingrad, a fight that had been going on for more than six months, ended. Germany lost to Russia, making it their first victory against Germany.
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Mussolini was kicked out of power. The new government surrendered and then joined the Allies.
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An attack was launched by the allies against German troops on the Beach of Normandy. The Germans had been given false information and were not able to counter the attack quickly enough.
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The Allies liberated Paris from German control.
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Three people were killed in London after the first bomb hits.
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In a desperate attempt, Germany launched a final offensive movement. It was not duccessful, and the Allies were victorious.
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FDR died and President truman took his place.
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Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans. He was executed in Giulino di Mezzegra.
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Hitler went into his bomb shelter with his mistress. He then swallowed a cyanide capsule.
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Admiral Donitz, Hitler's successor, surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
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An atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima becasue the Japanese were refusing to surrender.
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Shortly after Russia declared war on Japan, they attacked and invaded Manchuria.
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Following the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan still refused to surrender. In order to force their surrender, the US bombed the port at Nagasaki.
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The Japanese completely surrender to the Allies and World War II is finally ended.
