-
Mussolini's March on Rome
The March on Rome was the insurrection that allowed Mussolini to come to power in Italy. Fascist party leaders organized a military assault on the Italian government, which resulted in the downfall of the former Prime Minister, Luigi Facta. The March on Rome resulted in the transfer of power in the Italian government to Mussolini. That transfer was legal, but was only possible due to the surrender of existing authority under fascist intimidation, which set a disturbing tone for the future. -
Hitler Writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler's manifesto and autobiography, was published on July 18, 1925 and was written during Hitler's prison term in 1924 after he was convicted of treason for the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. While Hitler's coup had failed, he maintained loyal followers and used Mein Kampf to further spread Nazi propaganda. Hitler's influence spread through the sale of his book, which aided his rise to power early in the 1930s. -
Stalin's Rise to Power
After Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin rose to power in the Soviet Union over the course of the rest of the 1920s. Stalin ruled the Soviet Union harshly and allied with Adolf Hitler in 1939 with the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. This agreement later dissolved, but Stalin remained in control of the USSR for another decade and his influence has lasted even longer. -
The First Five-Year Plan
In Stalin's USSR, five year plans were used to plan economic growth for the nation. The first five year plan in the USSR came into effect from 1928 to 1932 with the goal of developing heavy industry and collectivized agriculture. Collectivization was one of the causes of the Holodomor (see entry) and it worsened the nation-wide famine, combining to result in the deaths of millions of people. -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
On September 18, 1931 the Japanese staged the Mukden Incident and sent forces in from Korea (which was occupied by the Japanese at the time) and seized major cities in the Liaoning and Kirin provinces. The Manchurian region of China was rich in coal and iron, resources the Japanese wanted to fuel their industrial growth, so by invading the Japanese gained access to these resources as well as additional territory. By February 27, 1932, Manchuria was fully controlled by the Japanese military. -
Holodomor
The Holodomor was the government-caused famine that struck Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, during the midst of a wider famine throughout the USSR. Unlike the rest of the famine, the Holodomor was worsened by political orders aimed specifically at the Ukraine region. These decrees were largely in response to fear that Ukraine would continue rebelling against Stalin's USSR and break away. This threatened Stalin's control, so he retaliated by starving Ukraine. -
Hitler is Appointed German Chancellor
On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany by the German president, Paul von Hindenburg. As chancellor, Hitler was the head of a coalition government, of which the Nazi Party held a majority. While the chancellorship did not grant Hitler the dictatorial power he aimed for, it paved the way for him to merge the presidency and the chancellorship in 1934 after the death of Paul von HIndenburg. The chancellorship is what secured Hitler's power within the German government. -
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives was a purge of Nazi leaders by Hitler to eliminate any threats, perceived or otherwise, to Hitler's total control of the German government. By eliminating those who could jeopardize his control, Hitler secured his position as a dictator. He consolidated power and suppressed opposition within the government, which led to Hitler having full control over its operations. -
Enactment of the Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were a series of laws passed by the Nazi regime meant to discriminate against the Jewish people. The original two laws first banned any stripped all Jews of their political rights and also banned marriage and sexual relations between Jewish people and people of "German or related blood". These laws stripped Jewish people of German citizenship, denied them the right to vote or hold public office, and began the regulation of the personal lives of German Jews. -
Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
Italy had tried, unsuccessfully, to conquer Ethiopia in the 1890s and after a conflict with the Italian Somaliland, Mussolini used the conflict as an excuse to intervene and attempt to successfully conquer Ethiopia. This attempt was successful, but internationally, the British took issue with Mussolini's takeover. This further heightened tensions between Western democracies and fascist states in the lead up to WWII. -
The Great Purge and Gulags
The Great Purge was a political campaign by Joseph Stalin that meant to eliminate any dissent within the Communist Party as well as anyone Stalin considered a threat. Numbers vary, but generally the number of casualties is estimated at roughly 750,000 with over a million other individuals sent to forced labor prisons known as Gulags. The terrorization of the Soviet Union lasted from 1936 to 1938, but the fear and distrust it generated among the people lasted decades. -
The Rape of Nanking
The rape of Nanking was the massacre and mutilation of Chinese civilians following the Battle of Nanking. The Imperial Japanese Army razed the city, committing a variety of atrocities including arson, looting, mass rape, and mass murder. Roughly 200,000 casualties were reported, though the number has been estimated as high as 300,000 in some records. The weeks long occupation and massacre has impacted relations between China and Japan for decades, with ripple effects throughout the world. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, the night of November 9-10, 1938, was a night of horrific violence aimed at Jews in Germany instigated by the Nazi regime. Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues throughout Germany were destroyed, windows were shattered, buildings were burned, and over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps such as Dachau. Kristallnacht was the first time Jewish people were arrested on a massive scale simply for being Jewish. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War, fought between 1936 and 1939, was referred to by the U.S. Ambassador to Spain as a "dress rehearsal" for WWII. The conflict was between supporters of the existing, communist-leaning government and a coalition of nationalists, conservatives, and traditionalists.but was perceived in the broader international context as a struggle between fascism and communism. This struggle was a major part of the next several decades of history. -
Nazi Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939 the Nazi army invaded Poland in what was called a blitzkrieg, or a surprise attack. Germany tried to justify the invasion through Nazi propaganda claiming that Poland had been planning to attack Germany along with Britain and France. This event is generally regarded as the official start of WWII as just two days later both Britain and France declared war on Germany in response to the invasion. The lines had been drawn and the war had begun. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu on the island of Oahu. This bombing resulted in over 2,400 deaths and damage to roughly twenty naval vessels, and finally drew the United States into WWII. Japan's attack on the United States enraged the American people and finally garnered the necessary public support to enter WWII. The next day's Congressional vote to declare war was overwhelming.