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This climax of power for the Nazis resulted in deep rooted fear and respect in German citizens. The Nazi's became virtually untouchable by political opponents. The party's power is also what allowed Hitler to gain popularity and begin significantly influencing societal ideals. Additionally, Paul Von Hindenburg made Hitler chancellor because he was at the head of such a powerful party and needed to be monitored. -
Hitler was appointed Chancellor on January 1, 1933 by Paul Von Hindenburg. Hindenburg believed that Hitler would be a critical asset, yet also needed to be a monitored individual. Within the year that he was appointed Chancellor, Hitler got civil rights suspended AND received the Enabling Acts. With these actions came the ability to start persecuting Jews and abolish the Presidency, both of which lead to him becoming the unstoppable Fuhrer who convinced the Germans that Jews were expendable. -
When President Paul Von Hindenburg died, Hitler abolished the office of president and declared himself Fuhrer. This position granted him supreme power over the Reichstag and the Nazi Party. He also required the German Army to swear allegiance to him. There remained no means by which Hitler's power could be taken away. This event was significant because it removed any opposition, in the army or government, to Hitler's plans of world domination, allowing him to seamlessly cause a war in Europe. -
In February of 1939, 5 months after the Munich Pact, Hitler ordered his army to take the rest of Northern Czechoslovakia. By breaking the Munich Pact, Hitler proved that he was an unreliable, dangerous figure in Europe. Furthermore, it revealed to Britain and France that Hitler was on a path of domination, and probably STARTED the fire that was needed to ignite a declaration of war after Germany's invasion of Poland. -
Germany invaded Poland using a Blitzkrieg, aka an all-out air and ground attack. After a month of the destructive battle for occupation, Poland fell under complete German control. This invasion was significant to WWII because it is what lead Britain and France to declare war on Germany. As this was the invasion that led to a declaration of war on Germany, it could be considered the start of WWII. -
Tensions between Japan and the U.S. had been heightened for months as Japan continued seizing French colonies in Indo-China. The US was worried about the integrity of China's open door policy if Japan succeeded in its Asian domination. As a result of Japan's movements into several French colonies on July 24, FDR froze all Japanese assets in the US and stopped trade with Japan on July 26, 1941. This action undoubtedly created the strong Japanese motivation to attack Pearl Harbor later that year. -
On December 7, 1941, Japanese bomber planes executed an aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over 300 Japanese planes were involved in the attack, which was divided into 2 waves. Almost 200 US planes were destroyed and all 8 US Navy battleships in the harbor were damaged. This is significant to WWII because it is what lead the US to declare war on Japan on December 7, 1941. Consequently, it also lead to the US fighting the war against Germany in Europe, for Germany was Japan's ally. -
The 5 month battle of Stalingrad, lasting from August 1942-February 1943, was a harshly fought battle in Southwestern Russia. It was one of the largest, deadliest battle of WWII. The weather was frigid, which the Germans were not prepared for. Additionally, the Soviets fought this battle without the help of Allied forces, which proved very difficult despite their victory. This battle was significant to WWII because it halted the German advancement East and boosted the Soviet's confidence. -
On June 6, 1944, 175,000 allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were code named Omaha, Sword, Juno, Utah, and Gold. Over 4,000 allied soldiers were killed during the day-long operation. The allies succeeded in breaking through the Atlantic Wall, which was the heavily fortified German defense of the beaches. This invasion was significant to WWII because it allowed the Allies to begin pushing Hitlers forces out of Eastern Europe and back into Germany. -
On August 9, 1941, a US B-29 dropped an atomic bomb, code named "Fat Man", on the port city of Nagasaki, Japan. The attack was the 2nd of the US's atomic bomb droppings on Japanese soil. It killed 40,000 people instantly, and had a total death toll of nearly 200,000. This attack's purpose was to prevent a US mainland invasion of Japan by ending the war. This attack is significant to WWII because it resulted in Japan unconditionally surrendering to the US, otherwise known as the end of WWII.
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