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Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
This popular song was written in 1931 by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and composer Jay Gorney. It was recorded by Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee. This song showed how deep the depression was embeded in American culture. It came to be known as "an anthem of the shattered dreams of the era". -
The Star Spangled Banner
In 1931 Congress designated "The Star Spangled Banner", written by Francis Scott Key, as the national anthem. Showing that even in a time of depression and difficulty Americans still had pride and love for their country, -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
The Japanese invaded Manchuia because of Japan being and island, had limited land and resources and therefore needed to be able to take over parts of the mainland of Asia. This began with the invasion of Manchuria in a Railway Blitzkrieg.Japanese forces took over both the north and the south of the country by January 4th and 5th. -
Albert Einstein in the United States
Albert Einstein immigrated into the United States in 1933 where he became a professor at Princeton University. While in the United States he wrote his famous letter to President Roosevelt in 1939 recommending the development of the atomic bomb, a crutial part of warfare in World War II. -
Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
Hitler, a WWI veteran, begans speaking in Beer Halls and telling anyone who would listen about how Germany could once again be powerful and he laided the blame for Germany's downfall on the Treaty of Versailles, Communists, and Jews. Hitler tried several times to overthrow the government of Germany, and he finally won his spot as the head of Parliment, this is the beginning of Hitler's power trip. -
National Labor Relations Act is created
Also know as the Wagner act, this gave workers the right to arbitrate disputes between unions and employers and prohibited employers from interfering with union activities. Because of the rapidly declining standards of living during the depression, The National Labor Relations Act was put in place during the Second New Deal in an attempt to get the economy back on its feet. -
Walt Disney produces first Animated Movie
Walt Disney produced the first full-length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.This shows that Hollywood was in full swing, despite the depressed economy. This showcases the idea of escapism. Americans felt the need to escape from their everyday trails by going to the movies and distracting themselves from the very real problems they were facing everyday. -
Anschluss
On March 12th 1938 Germany annexed Austria, this was known as the Anschluss. The Chancellor of Austria had intented to stay independent, but could no longer withstand the power of the German and Austrian Nazis. German troops quickly put reinforcement troops in Austria. Creating Anschluss was a major event because it was part of Hitler's plan to create and empire of German-speaking countries. -
Munich Conference
On 29 September 1938 the Munich Conference was held, during which Hitler met with heads of state from France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. An agreement was reached that Hitler could invade the Sudetenland as long as he did not invade anywhere else. All four heads of the countries signed the agreement, these were: Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain (UK), Edouard Daladier (France), and Benito Mussolini. -
Grapes of Wrath is Published
The Grapes of Wrath, the story of the Joad family from Okalahoma, is published in 1939.It was written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940.This was a controversial work because it depicted the struggles that Americans were truly facing, however some did not want to come to terms with the fact that this was actually occuring. -
The Non-Aggression Pact
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was created because Hitler was determined not to repeat the same mistake of fighting a two-front war fare, as Germany had in WWI which Hitler saw as a fatal faux-pas. This was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union with the intent of keeping each from invading Poland because it was the country in the middle of these two power-houses. It lasted until t 1941 when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. -
Start of WWII
The start of World War II is marked by the German invasion of Poland. France, Britain, and the countries of the Commonwealth (or the Allied forces) declared war on Germany. This is not when the U.S. enters the war, but it is the initial declaration of war on the Nazi and facist forces. -
Churchill Becomes Prime Minister of England
Churchill had been among the first to recognise the growing threat of Hitler long before the start of World War II, he was a very important man of the time period, a leader of one of the stronger Allies- one of the first to declare war on Germany and to accpect the fact that Hilter and the Axis forces were a true threat. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was one of the most famous battles of WW2, the Germans were fighting for control of the English Channel and the air above it. The battle began as Airforce fighting,the German Luftwaffe vs the Royal Air Force. Aug. 23rd to Sept. 6th, the Luftwaffe started night time bombing cities. Sept. 15th was the last major episode of the battle, this day, the Luftwaffe lost 60 planes and the RAF lost 28. causing Hitler to postpone the invasion of Britain though the night time raids. -
FDR's "Garden Hose" Press Confernce
Roosevelt addresses the country with the anology of lending a garden hose to a neighbor whose house is on fire, for what he sees as nessacary involvement in the upcoming war, FDR knows that the American people are still feeling that they want to be in isolation, so he must be tactical in persuading involvement in WW2 little by little.
