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Mussolini took years to achieve what could be defined as a dictatorship. Mussolini started his time in power by buying support from both the working class and the industrial bosses. In the March election that followed the Acerbo Law, the Fascist Party got 65% of the votes cast and, therefore, easily got the 2/3rds of parliamentary seats – a clear majority.
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From November 8 to November 9, 1923, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and his followers staged the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, a failed takeover of the government in Bavaria, a state in southern Germany. Since 1921, Hitler had led the Nazi Party, a fledgling political group that promoted German pride and anti-Semitism and was unhappy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. World War I (1914-18) and required many concessions and reparations from Germany. (Failed takeover)
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The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement signed by a number of nations in 1928, named after Frank B. Kellogg, United States Secretary of State. Its first signatories, on August 27, 1928, were the United States, France, and Germany; most other powers signed afterwards. Although the pact was unsuccessful in preventing the re-militarization that eventually led to World War II. (This agreement essentially renounced war and said it should/will not be used as a tool of foreign policy.)
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The United States Stock Market crashes making it an economic worldwide depression.
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During 1931 Japan had invaded Manchuria without declarations of war, and breaking the rules of the League of Nations. They invaded for their resources and additional land for a growing population. The League of Nations will not do anything to stop this.
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The Nazis became the majority political party in the election of July 1932. Nazis have a majority control for the first time in Germany’s parliament.
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In 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg names Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany. In an election held in July 1932, the Nazis won 230 governmental seats; together with the Communists, the next largest party, they made up over half of the Reichstag. In the next round of elections in November, the Nazis lost—and Germany was even more determined to get Hitler into power. (Hitler was now able to gain complete power over the country of Germany)
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Japan awed the world when they decided to drop out of the League of Nations. The League of Nations had adopted a report blaming Japan for events in Manchuria. They blamed Japan for all the damage and destruction to their town, and therefore they dropped out. Japan argued about how they made Manchuria what it is today by taking over the government and how they recovered it from Russia. (Following invasion of Manchuria, Japan withdrew from the L of N making their way for war.
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Adolf Hitler ordered a bloody purge of his own political party, assassinating hundreds of Nazis who he believed had the potential to become political enemies in the future. The leadership of the Nazi Storm Troopers, whose 4 million members helped bring Hitler to power were especially targeted. He thought they knew too much and were going to compromise his plans.
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Hitler announced to the cabinet that he wouldn’t follow the Treaty of Versaille anymore and he would continue to acquire without hiding it from the world.
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The Nuremberg Laws were two laws which excluded the Jews from German life, as well as took away some of their natural rights. They were first declared at the annual Nazi rally held in Nuremberg in 1935. At that rally, Hitler delivered a speech about the Jewish controversy. Subsequently, on September 15, 1935 the two laws were approved. These laws limited Jews to many things like: Jews marrying non-Jews.
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Benito Mussolini adopted Adolf Hitler's plans to expand German territories by acquiring all territories it considered German. Mussolini followed this policy when he invaded Ethiopia. Mussolini claimed that his policies of expansion were not different from that of other colonial powers in Africa.
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Hitler defied the Treaty of Versaille by sending troops passed the Rhineland. This was meant to be a buffer zone between France and Germany preventing hostility and not creating it. The League didn’t do anything to stop the militarization, even though France was furious.
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Japanese had much control over Manchuria (Chinese province) in 1931. This was one of the first steps in Japan’s battle to conquer total control over China. Japan invaded China and murdered the chinese. It was called “the rape of nanking” because it left no one unharmed.
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Germany and Austria were unable to ally according to the Treaty of Versaille, but Germany ended up making Austria part of their country anyways. Germany had added an extra 5 million people to their empire overnight.
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Hitler demanded that all of Sudetenland would be given to Germany. (much controversy and uncompromisingly)
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In late 1938 a crisis developed in Europe. Adolf Hitler had already annexed Austria the year before. Now he wanted to also take the "Sudetenland" region of Czechslovakia and make the territory a part of Germany. He claimed that the German speaking inhabitants of this land were being mistreated by the Czech government. On September 29, 1938 they called the Munich Conference. Hitler met with representatives of the heads of state from France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. An agreement was reached
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Night of Broken Glass: The attack came after Herschel Grynszpan, a 17 year old Jew living in Paris, shot and killed a member of the German Embassy staff there because of the poor treatment his father and his family received in the hands of the Nazis in Germany. On October 27, Grynszpan's family and over 15,000 other Jews, originally from Poland, had been expelled from Germany without any warning. They were forcibly transported by trains and dropped off the Polish border.
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These laws restricted all aspects of their public and private lives. This mostly affected the Jews’ lives because it restricted their participation in German activities.
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When Einstein sent his letter to President Roosevelt, scientists were still learning about nuclear energy. In this story about the Manhattan Project, and Einstein’s letters to FDR, learn how nuclear energy works and how radiation exposure can cause serious illness.
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Hitler signed a treaty with Russia(USSR). The treaty stated that neither country would take aggressive action towards each other.
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Blitzkreig….lightning war…. Hitlers offensive strategy
Tripartite pact… the “Axis Powers”.... (Germany, Italy, Japan)
Hitler’s storm troopers invaded Poland and claimed self defense from an invasion of Germany. Poland surrendered in less than a month. -
Armistice was signed on June 22, 1940. The Germans advance continues through the south driving before it not only the retreating French army, but also 10 million refugees fleeing for their lives.
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Germany invaded the lower countries and also France, but started with the Netherlands. German units were just crossing the canal defense line close to Dunkirk, the only remaining port by which the British Force could be evacuated, when an unaccountable order from German leader Adolf Hitler not only stopped their advance, but actually called them back to the canal line instead of retreating.
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Largest air battle of WWII
Luftwaffe
RAF- "Royal Air Force"
The Blitz- German bombing raids of London
The Tube- underground subway tunnel
British citizens fled to shelters and homes as sirens rang all day and night. -
The Axis powers are formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan become allies with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in Berlin.
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US Congress passes legislation to aid war-torn allies
$48,601,365,000 total in loans
Britain $31 billion
Soviet Union $11 billion
France $3 billion
China $1.5 billion
Other European $500 million
South America $400 million
Piece of legislation passed in America that allowed American government to loan money/supplies/war efforts to countries at war in Europe like Great Britain, France and their allies. -
(Hitlers biggest mistake) Hitler broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and he invaded Russia. This fails and Germans withdraw from Russia with many defeats that lead into the Allies Invasion of Berlin.
Operation Stalingrad
winter 1942-1943
russian victory, britain loss
Operation Barbarossa
June 22, 1941
3 million german soldiers -
Japan surprise attacks the United States in Hawaii. Japan believed that America was involved and they could have a huge advantage in the Pacific.
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The United Nations met and preserved peace and resolve conflicts throughout the countries.
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Hitler and many other officials held this conference to plan the “final solution” for the Jewish problem in Germany and the other territories they conquered.
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The Japanese assembled about 78,000 prisoners in this forced march. They began marching up the east coast of Bataan. Although they didn't know it, their destination was north of the peninsula. The horrible conditions and harsh treatment of the prisoners during the Bataan Death March resulted in an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 deaths.
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America wanted revenge against the Japanese leader Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. This attack would symbolize revenge from the surprise Pearl Harbor attack and Japan was easy to attack from the air.
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This was the turning point for the Allies. They gained great advantages and delivered an attack on naval forces in Japan from the intelligence they gained from the Island of Midway.
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German people successfully took parts of USSR during the Operation Barbarossa. They stopped at Stalingrad and sieged the city while fighting a Russian Opponent. Russians didn’t give up and they captured close to 90,000 Germans. This was the turning point in the European Theatre.
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The US troops targeted the islands that were not as strongly defended by the Japanese. They took control of those islands first and made them their own with military bases and landing strips. Then they proceeded to attack other islands from the bases they had established on those islands. Slowly the US army moved closer to Japan, taking control of many of the surrounding islands.
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“Europes soft underbelly”
November 1942-May 1943
George S. Patton led American troops (allies) -
This was the closest attempt on the assassination of Hitler. This occurred when Nazi officers (who opposed Hitler) made an attempt to use Valkyrie to hold an overthrow after they assassinated.
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Majdanek was a concentration camp outside of Poland. The camp covered 667 acres of land and 360,000 people were killed in the 3 years this camp was established.
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Allies planned to invade europe (France)
D-Day was the start of Operation Overlord
Invaded the beaches of Normandy, France
June 6, 1944- invaded France
SUCCESS!! -
This battle was Germany’s last attempt to break the Allied Forces that were closing in on Germany. Axis powers pussed the Allied powers back towards France and that created a “bulge” between them. Allies eventually invaded Berlin after they overcame German offense.
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While the Allied forces were closing in on Berlin, Hitler hid out in his bunker. Hitler and his mistress, Eva Braun, were planning to kill themselves with cyanide pills and a pistol. (Germany surrendered 8 days later to the Allies)
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Allies celebrated the end of the European theatre as the Nazi army laid down their arms throughout Europe.
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The United States used huge atomic weapons against Japan. This atomic bomb crushed the city of Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands of citizens. While Japan was still trying to comprehend this disaster, three days later the United States struck again, but on Nagasaki this time.
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Nearly a month after bombs were dropped, Japan finally and formally surrendered to the Allies while aboard the USS Missouri.
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The Nuremberg Trials lasted for sometimes 10 months at a time. These laws sentenced many Nazis to death.
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The Tokyo War Crime Trials convicted 25 out of 28 defendants and sentenced 7 of them to death.
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The Cold War began not too long after World War II ended in 1945. Although, the Soviet Union was an important member of the Allied Powers, there was great distrust between the Soviet Union and the rest of the Allies. The Allies were concerned with the bad leadership of Joseph Stalin as well as the spread of communism. The Cold War came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
