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Mussolini's March on Rome
Benito Mussolini's March on Rome was when Mussolini and the fascist groups known as blackshirts marched towards Rome in order to overthrow the government and make the Fascist party the most important political party. It resulted in Mussolini becoming the leader of Italy and was significant because it was the beginning of fascist rule in Italy. -
Stalin Becomes Dictator of USSR
Joseph Stalin became the dictator of the USSR after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the USSR at the time, died. When Lenin died, Stalin worked to eliminate all of his competitors and eventually became dictator by the 1930s. This event was very significant because Stalin became leader of one of the most powerful nations at the time and played a very important role in defeating Hitler and the Germans. -
Hitler Writes Mein Kampf
Hitler published the first volume of Mein Kampf, his autobiography, on July 18, 1925. It was significant because he essentially laid out a plan for everything he wanted to do. It even included his plan to combat the Russians. He wrote most of it when he was in jail in 1924. -
1st five year plan in USSR
The first five year plan was a list of economic goals for the USSR that was made by Joseph Stalin. It started in 1928 and ended in 1932. The purpose of the first five year plan was to start a period of industrialization. Stalin wanted to increase industrialization greatly over a short period of time. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria lasted from September 18, 1931 to February 27, 1932. Japan invaded Manchuria because their land did not have a lot of natural resources and they wanted more land that had things like rubber, oil, and trees. This event was significant because Japan broke the rules of the League of Nations by not declaring war. -
Holodomor
Holodomor was a famine located in Soviet Ukraine that started in 1932 and ended in 1933 and was also known as the Great Famine. It began when Stalin decided to combine many of the Ukrainian farms. They ended up taking land from Ukrainian farmers and deporting many peasants that did not want to give up their land. This led to food shortages, mismanagement, and rebellions. It was meant to build socialism and was a very significant event as it was responsible for the deaths of 3-12 million people. -
Hitler Appointed Chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany after he spoke out against the punishments put in place for Germany after WW1 and made promises to help fix the country. Hindenburg named Hitler leader of the Nazi party after he felt intimidated by the many supporters of Hitler. This was very significant because Hitler was the leader of one of the biggest powers during the war. -
Night of the Long Knives in Germany
The Night of the Long Knives in Germany began on June 30, 1934 and ended on July 2, 1934. It was a 3 day purge of Nazi leaders where Hitler ordered the murder of certain Nazi members of the paramilitary SA. Hitler's purpose in this was because he was scared that they would become too powerful and he wanted to prevent another rebellion. Hitler ended up killing hundreds. It was significant because it essentially showed that Hitler was the ruler of Germany. -
Nuremberg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg laws were written by Hitler and essentially took rights away from the Jewish. They took away Jewish citizenship. They also made marriage between Germans and Jewish illegal. These laws were very significant because it was basically the beginning of the Holocaust. These laws were meant to take away the rights of the Jewish. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
The Italian invasion of Ethiopia lasted from October 3, 1935 to May 5, 1936. The League of Nations tried to punish the Italians for the attack through economic sanctions, however, it did not work because there was no support. The purpose of the attack was to make the Italian Army look more powerful after they had lost the first conflict with Ethiopia in 1896. It was a significant event because the Italians won and were able to claim more land. -
The Great Purge and Gulags
The Great Purge was when Stalin executed people associated with the Bolsheviks and sent many people to the gulags. Stalin's purpose in doing this was to prevent people from betraying him and to enhance the Soviet communist party. The event was significant because it showed the extent Stalin went to protect his rule. The Gulags were prisons that worked as labor camps and held roughly 18 million. The Great Purge lasted from Aug. 1936-Nov. 17, 1938. The gulags lasted until Stalin's death. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939. The Spanish Civil War was fought between the Republicans that were made up of the Spanish government and unions, communists, peasants, and anarchists. The other side was the rebel Nationalists group that was made up of mainly the upper class. The war was significant because it was the most violent event since World War 1. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking was when Japanese Soldiers began burning and destroying Nanking, the capital of China during the Sino-Japanese war, while also terrorizing the civilians after capturing the city. It lasted from 1937 to Jan. 1938. The Japanese soldiers killed hundreds of thousands of Chinese some of which were women, men, and surrendered soldiers. They also raped and killed many of the civilians. The event was significant because it consisted of the murder of many innocent Chinese by Japanese. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht lasted two days and started on November 9, 1938. It consisted of an attack by both German citizens and German paramilitary soldiers on the Jewish community. They destroyed Jewish Synagogues, schools, homes, and businesses. They killed nearly 100 Jewish while also arresting roughly 30,000 and sending them to concentration camps. It was significant because it was one of the first violent attacks on the Jewish community. -
Nazi Germany Invades Poland
The Nazi invasion of Poland lasted from September 1, 1939 to October 6, 1939. Nazi Germany's purpose for invading Poland was because they wanted to reclaim lost land. It was a significant event because it was when Germany first started using the blitzkrieg method of invasion. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in order to destroy the American fleet and weaken the American army. The attack on pearl harbor ended up damaging or sinking 21 ships and damaging or destroying roughly 75% of the American planes. Their goal was to force the Americans to give up and not join the war. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor was significant because it eventually led the US to join World War 2.