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Great Depression Begins
The Great Depression started when the stock market crashed. America immediatly withdrew all the loans they made to Germany, who already had an incredibly weak and unstable economy. Once America withdrew all the loans Germany needed to pay its economy and debts, the economy immediatly fell. The German people started blaming others for their problems and provided an oppurtunity for Hitler to rise. -
Japan conquers Manchuria in northern China
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The Nazis implement the “Final Solution”
Before the Final Solution, Jews' rights were already being slowly taken away. Kristallnacht was the first act of violence afainst Jews, and the Final Solution was to kill all Jews. -
Roosevelt first elected president
Roosevelt was elected president during the Great Depression andproposed the New Deal and Social Security act. He made many attempts to help the people. He was elected for 4 terms. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
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Nuremberg Laws
A series of laws in Germany that slowly stripped the Jews of their rights. -
Hitler and Mussolini form the Rome-Berlin Axis
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Japan invades China
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Germany invades Austria
Austria didn't put up a fight and willingly joined Germany. Their people didn't mind because the majority spoke German. -
Britain’s appeasement of Germany
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler in Munich, Germany to reach peaceful agreement. Chamberlain gave Hitler Sudetenlan in order for Hitler to stop conquering more land. -
Kristallnacht
Before Kristallnacht the Jews' rights were already being taken away from the Nuremberg laws, but this was the first act of violence against them. Kristallnacht lasted from November 9 to November 10, 1938. -
Germany & Soviet Union have a nonaggression pact
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Germany invades Poland - blitzkrieg (start of WWII)
After Chamberlain agreed to give Germany Sudetenland in order for Hitler to stop invading countries, Hitler invaded Poland. France and England immediatly declared war on Hitler. -
Germany invades Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and France (Vichy France)
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German air force (Luftwaffe) bombs London and other civilian targets in the Battle of Britain
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Japan joins the Axis Powers
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Lend-Lease Act
The act that allowed the US to send supplies to the Allies. America considered this a neutral act. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
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Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor with no warning, shocking and outraging many Americans. The US joins WWII after the bombing. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was a transfer by the Japanese army of American and Filipino war prisoners. They were treated with extreme cruelty, and many of them died before they could reach their destination. -
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee were a regiment of all black airmen. They never actually fought in battle, but they helped the cause of social justice -
Japanese-American incarceration
After Pearl Harbor, Americans were scared and suspicious of Japanese Americans. They believed that the JApanese Americans were spies and all meant America harm. They governemtn forced all the Japaneses Americans, niisei, to move to internment camps. -
Manhattan Project
It was a reasearch and development center to develop the atomic bomb. It cost the US 2 billion dollars to reasearch and produce the first atom bomb. -
Battle of Mid-Way
The Battle of Mid-Way was the most important naval battle in the Pacific. The Japanese sent Navy out to attack the island of Midway because it was it was the key to Pearl Harbor's defense. -
British forces stop the German advance at El Alamein
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Guadacanal
This was the first allied defense against the Japanese. Guadacanal used to be under control of Britain, but was taken over by Japan. Altough there were more American casualties than Japanese casualties, the US managed to drive the rival back. -
German forces surrender at Stalingrad
German forces were trapped in the Russian winter with no supplies and unable to surrender because Hitler refused to let them. Von Paulus finally defied Hitler and surrendered. -
Rose the Riveter
When WWII started, all the men went off to fight the war leaving many jobs behind. Women took over and worked on indutrial factories, producing weapons and artillery. Rose the Riveter showed a new kind of woman, the kind that could do hard work just like the men. -
D-Day
US forces attacked Normany, France and tried to take over the beach. It was a high risk mission and many American soldiers died, but they succeded in taking the beach. German forces didn't expect the US to attack. -
Battle of the Bulge
German soldiers attacked American troops by surprised and killed many Americans soldiers. -
Yalta Conference
It was a conference with the big three, Britain, US, and the Soviet Union. They discussed the future of Germany and Europe. -
Iwo Jima
It was a battle where Americans troops tried to take over the island of Iwo Jima. The island was heavily fortified, but the Americans won after a bloody month long battle. -
Okinawa
Okinawa was targeted after Amerca was island hopping. The Allies wanted to use Okinawa as an air base because it was so close to Japan mainland. -
Roosevelt dies, Truman becomes president
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Formation of the United Nations
50 nations met in San Francisco to discuss a new peacekeeping organization to replace the weak and ineffective League of Nations June 26, 1945 - all 50 nations ratified the charter, creating a new international peacekeeping body known as the United Nations. President Roosevelt had urged Americans not to turn their backs on the world again. Unlike the League of Nations, the United States is a member of the United Nations. -
Allied forces advance on Berlin, Germany surrenders
Hitler had commited suicide, and German forces were losing all the land they gained. -
Potsdam Conference
Decision was made to put Nazi war criminals on trial. -
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The final product of all the research during Project Manhattan. The bomb on Hiroshima was the first atomb bomb dropped, and when Japan refused to surrender, America dropped another on Nagasaki. -
Japanese officials sign an official letter of surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri, ending World War II
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Nuremberg Trials
24 defendents, including some of Hitler's top officials. Herman Goering who was the creator & head of Gestapo and part of the secret police, charged with crimes against humanity. 19 were found guilty, 12 were sentenced to death. People are responsible for their actions, even in wartime. -
Marshall Plan
Congress approved Secrety of State George Marchall's plan to help boost European economies. The US gave more than 13 billiion dollars to help the antions of Europ get back on their feet.
