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Hitlers Rise to Power
In 1921, Hitler began his rise to power when he became the leader of the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party). -
Japan Invades Manchuria
This became known as the "Mukden Incident". -
Germany quits 'League of Nations'
In 1933, after gaining dictatorial power, Hitler announced that Germany was officialy quitting the "League of Nations". -
Hitler violates Treaty of Versailles
On March 16, 1935, Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles when he began to rebuild the German army. -
Italy Invades & Annexes Ethiopia
Also known as the "Second Italo-Ethiopian War", the Italian invasion of Ethiopia was the (and was successful) invasion carried out the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. -
Japan Invades China
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese forces invaded China and began fire at the Lugou bridge (gateway to China's most important trading centers), and as a result of this, Japan gained control of the area. This conflict evolved into what became known as the "Second Sino-Japanese War". -
Germany takes over Austria (Anschluss)
This annexation became known as "Anschluss", which means annexation or connection in German. -
Munich Agreement is signed (Appeasement)
The Munich Agreement was signed at the Munich Conference in Germany by the European superpower countries (as well as the Soviet Union). This agreement was in essence a form of appeasement which gave Hitler the right to invade and annex parts of Sudetenland as long as he didn't invade anyone else after that. -
Kristallnacht - The Beginning of the Hollocaust
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) was the first antisemetic actions carried out by the Nazis, and was ignored by the German and Austrian governments. On that night, (as the name suggests) Nazis, SA members, and antisemetic civillians broke into many Jewish-owned stores, homes, and buildings, and burned many Jewish synagogues, leaving broken shards of glass and rubble all over the streets. In addition, the beginning of concentration camps came about on this night;The Hollocaust had begun. -
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact is signed
In 1939, the leaders of Germany and the Soviet Union went to Moscow to sign a "Non-Aggression Pact" stating that neither country would harm or threaten to harm each other but would instead remain neutral towards one another. This pact was officially known as the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact". As both countries expected this to only serve as a means of delaying combat between each other, it was no surprise that Germany broke the pact when in 1941, Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union. -
Germany Invades Poland
Also known as the "September Campaign", the German invasion of Poland was when the allied power had had enough of appeasing Hitlers invasions, and declared war on Germany (other then the U.S.). This in turn, marked the beginning of World War II. -
Battle of Britain
This was the air campaign by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom. Dispite Germany's effort, the British army was successfully able to defeat the German forces using radar to detect when the planes were about to attack. This was the first time Germany was defeated in WWII. -
Tripartite Pact is signed
Agreement signed in 1940 by leaders of Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
Pearl Harbor is bombed
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (U.S. territory). Even though the United States was attempted to avoid joining World War II, this left them no choice but to declare war on Japan, and thus enter the war. -
U.S. declares war on Japan
On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt states that the bombing of Pearl Harbor that took place a day before was "a date which will live in infamy" after announcing that the U.S. has declared war on Japan for the attack. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was between the U.S. and Japan. The Japanese plan was to defeat the U.S. with this attack, but the planned was not successfull. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major WWII battle in the city of Stalingrad (now known as Volograd) which was fought between the Axis Powers and the Soviet Union. This battle, lasted 5 months, and was noted to be the larged and bloodiest battle in all of history. -
Italian Government Surrenders
On September 8, 1943, the allied powers were successfuly defeat the Italian army by forcing them to surrender. This marked the end of (facist) totalitarian rule in Italy. . -
D-Day
Also known as Operation Overlord, D-Day was the day that the allied powers invaded Normany and began their plan to liberate the German invaded countries defeat the Nazi army. -
Hitler commits suicide in his bunker
On April 30th, 1945 Hitler saw that the end was near and Germany would soon be beat by the allied powers and rather then accepting defeat at that time, he commited suicide in his bunker by shooting himself in the head. -
V-E Day
V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) was the day that Germany surrendered to the allied forces, marking the end of the war on the European front (Western). -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first Atomic Bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing lots of destruction to the cities. As a result, however, Japan surrendered to the allied powers in fear of another attack. This marked the end of the fighting in the Pacific Theatre and the end of the war. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Nagasaki
On August 9, 1945 the United States dropped the first Atomic Bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing lots of destruction to the cities. As a result, however, Japan surrendered to the allied powers in fear of another attack. This marked the end of the fighting in the Pacific Theatre and the end of the war.
