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Officially ended World War I, imposing harsh terms in Germany, including territorial losses, disarmament, and substantial reparation payments, while also establishing the League of Nations -
Benito Mussolini's Fascist Party seized power in 1922, establishing a totalitarian regime that glorified the state and used aggressive foreign policy. -
The first Five-Year Plan in the Soviet Union, initiated by Jospeh Stalin, aimed to rapidly industrialize the country and collectivize agriculture, transforming it from primarily society into an industrial power. -
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939, marked by high unemployment, poverty, and widespread bank failures, originating with the stock market crash of 1929 and impacting economies worldwide. -
The "Third Reich" was the official Nazi designation for the German state and regime from 1933 to 1945, led by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, claiming it was the successor to the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire. -
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, initiating World War II, primarily due to Hitler's desire for "Lebensraum" (living space) in Eastern Europe and his belief in the superiority of the Aryan race, leading to the planned extermination of the Polish population. -
The Battle of Britain was a crucial World War II air campaign where the Royal Air Force (RAF) successfully defended the UK against the German Luftwaffe's relentless bombing raids from July to October 1940, preventing a German invasion. -
The Holocaust, from 1941 to 1945, was led by the Nazis under Adolf Hitler. They aimed to eliminate Jews and other groups through the "Final Solution," creating concentration and extermination camps where people faced terrible conditions, forced labor, and mass killings. -
Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The surprise attack by some 350 Japanese aircraft sunk or badly damaged eighteen US naval vessels, including eight battleships, destroyed or damaged 300 US aircraft, and killed 2,403 men. -
A decisive naval victory for the United States against Japan in June 1942, is considered a turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II, effectively shifting the balance of power from Japan to the United States. -
Was a brutal, protracted urban conflict between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany for control of the city of Stalingrad from August 1942 to February 1943, resulting in immense casualties and a turning point in the Eastern Front. -
The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe and a turning point in World War II. -
The last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II, a surprise attack in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg that aimed to split Allied forces and regain control of the Meuse River and Antwerp, but ultimately failed due to determined Allied resistance and the German's inability to sustain the offensive. -
The United States dropped an atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, resulting in the immediate deaths of tens of thousands and the long-term devastation of the city and its inhabitants. -
The Japanese surrender in World War II, officially formalized on September 2, 1945, on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, came after a series of devastating defeats, including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan.