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Period: to
WWII
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(A) Hawly-Smoot Tarriff
The Hoover administration, trying to stay isolationist, passes the Hawley-Smoot Tarriff. It left little room for negotiation in foreign trade. -
(A) Japan Attacks Chinese Manchuria
Japan breaks the Nine Powers Treaty by invading Chinese Mancuria. The Hoover administration passes the Stimson Doctrine in response, stating that the U.S. will not recognize illegally owned territories of Japan. -
(A) London Conference
The London Conference was to discuss international economic cooperation. Its atendees were Britain, America, and other leaders from European natinos. The U.S. did not cooperate because it wanted to stay isolated from the oncoming war. -
(A) Good Neighbor Policy
A part of isolationism, FDR removed troops stationed in Latin-America in an attempt to avoid any sort of conflicts. -
(A) Reciprocal Trade Agreement
Congress authorized the President to negotiate tarrif rates with other nations. This was acknowledging that the Hawly-Smoot Tarrif was hurting their economic situation. -
(B) 1935 Neutrality Act
The U.S. passed an act stating that arms could not be traded to nations at war, even if said nation was a victim of aggression. -
(B) Italy Invades Ethiopia
The first act of European aggression was when Mussolini ordered Italian troops to invade Ethiopia. Ethiopia's leader pleaded with the League of Nations for help, but was given the cold shoulder. -
(B) 1936 Neutrality Act
No loans could be made to nations at war. Americans could not travel on the ships of nations at war. -
(B) Rome-Berlin Axis Formed
Italy's Mussolini and Germany's Hitler formed the Axis Powers in 1936. -
(B) 1937 Neutality Act: Non-munitions cash and carry
Nations at war that wanted to trade for non-munitions had to come to America to receive said goods. -
(C) Rape of Nanking
A brawl between Japanese and Chinese soldiers escalates into a full scale Japanese invasion of China. Villages were raided and ransacked, Nanking being the worst. This lasted until January 1938. -
(C) Hitler Annexes Austria
Nazi troops march into Austria and annex it. -
(C) Germany and Soviet Union Sign Nonaggression Pact
Hitler and Stalin sign a ten year nonaggression pact, only for Hitler to betray him a year later. -
(C) Invasion of Poland
Nazi troops march into Poland and the invasion starts. Two days later, Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
(D) 1939 Neutrality Act: Ending the embargo
Roosevelt presses Congress to repeal the arms embargo. Belligerentes could now buy munitions from the U.S., provided it was still on a cash and carry basis. -
(D) Nazi troops spread over Europe
Nazi troops spread out over Europe into Denmark and Norway, and weeks later the Netherlands, Belgium, and Northern France. -
(D) Operation Sea Lion
Hitler ordered a large-scale invasion on Great Britain, pitting his Luftwaffe against the British Royal Air Force. The exact day is unbeknownst to us. -
(C) US Trade Embargo on Japan
US stopped trading scrap metal, oil, and steel to Japan. Exact date of this embargo could not be found, but we know it was in late 1940. -
(E) America sends military supplies to China
After the military embargo, the U.S. starts to send military hardware to the leader of the Chinese resistance, Chiang Kai-shek. The exact day cannot be found over the internet. -
(D) Lend-Lease Act
Congress approves the Lend-Lease Act, allowing Roosevelt to lend war materials to countries he supported. After a deal where the U.S. gave Britain 50 old destroyer planes in late 1940, America could no longer hide behind a mask of neutrality, but lend-lease was the icing in the cake. America was now involved in the war. Hitler saw this as a form of declaring war and ordered his troops to attack American ships. -
(E) Japanese-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Before Hitler invades the Soviet Union, Japan signs a nonaggression pact with Stalin. -
(E) FDR freezes Japanese assets
As tensions rose between the U.S. and Japan, FDR froze all Japanese assets in the America. Japan responded by doing the same thing in theirs. This only hurt their negotiations further. -
(D) Atlantic Charter
Roosevelt and Churchill met and formed a statement that highlighted the ambitions of America in the war. At this point, the U.S. was willing to commit anything but troops to the war. -
(E) U.S. break Japanese code
In the summer of 1941 the U.S. broke the Japanese code. This is important and relevant to the timeline because they falsely anticipated an attack on November 25th, and were therefore unprepared for an attack on Pearl Harbor. -
(E) Pearl Harbor
Japan launches a surprise air raid on an American naval base in Hawaii. The U.S. declares war the next day, and soon after Hitler declares war on the U.S.