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The Treaty of Versailles sparked conflict between Germany and other world powers. As the conclusion to WWI, the Treaty forced Germany to give back territories to France and pay an insurmountable sum back to the winning countries of the war, which would in turn create economic problems for the world.
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Though World War II did not officially start until 1939, Hitler's election to Chancellor of Germany created tension throughout the globe and only six years later, after appointing himself supreme leader of Germany, his election would give him the power to start WWII by invading Poland.
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In its first act of military aggression under the Hitler regime, Germany violates the terms of both the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and the 1925 Locarno Pact by militarizing the Rhineland, a strictly demilitarized zone on Germany’s Western Front.
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The invasion of Poland was the start of yet another massive world war. On Sept. 1, 1939, Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland. Through bombings and open fire, many civilians in Poland perished, and the Nazis continued to occupy the area even with oncoming threats from other countries.
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Germany's breach of agreement between the world powers was Hitler's invasion of Poland. Upon this invasion, World War II would begin.
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France signs its official surrender to Germany. Giving Germany even more power as the war begins to escalate.
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Germany, Italy, and Japan meet to finalize their mutual agreement throughout WWII. The Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin to formalize the alliance of the Axis Powers.
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In the largest German military effort of World War II, Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. After the invasion, the Soviet Union officially joined the Allied nations.
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The bombings on Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack by the Japanese on the US port in Hawaii. The goal of the attack was to destroy the US naval fleet that would prevent Japanese conquests in Asia. Along with this motivation, the US wanted to keep Japan from becoming a world power and passed embargoes on their exports to Japan to give themselves greater power. The destruction of Pearl Harbor gave Japan power over the Pacific.
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The attack on Pearl Harbor was the trigger of the United States' involvement in World War II. On December 7, 1941, after the bombings, the US passed through Congress, the bill to declare war.
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The Allies defeat Japan near the Hawaiian coast in the Battle of Midway. The battle marks a turning point in favor of the Allies.
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German troops surrender to the Soviet Red Army in Stalingrad, USSR.
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General Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly announces Italy’s surrender to the Allies. Italy becomes the first of the Axis Powers to break and substantially weaken the Tripartite Pact between Germany, Japan, and formerly Italy.
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On June 6, 1944, Allied troops of WWII landed along a 50-mile stretch of armed French coastline to fight the Nazis of Germany on the beaches of Normandy.
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Japan's navy is defeated by the Allies in the Battle of Leyte Gulf near the Philippines. Now having taken out Italy and Japan, the Allies only had Germany left to conquer.
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President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and Premier Stalin meet in Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula. During the Yalta Conference, the leaders discuss terms for Germany’s ultimate surrender, including reparations, government, and borders. Additionally, the Soviet Union decides to join the fighting against Japan in the Pacific, following Germany’s surrender.
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Known as Victory in Europe Day, VE-day was the end of WWII in Europe. The United States and Britain finally celebrated victory. After Hitler's suicide in April of 1945, his successor signed the official surrender of Germany.
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The United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, becoming the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry in any war. The bomb’s sudden impact took the lives of 60,000 to 80,000 Japanese, American, and Korean inhabitants. In the months following the explosion, the total fatalities rose to an estimated 135,000 as direct or indirect result of the bomb and the radiation.
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Just three days later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. The detriment of this bomb had the same effect as the first and more Japanese lives were lost and counting.
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Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan officially surrendered to the Allied powers, bringing the end to the World War. The Instrument of Surrender, prepared by the War Department and approved by President Truman, was the signed agreement between the world nations.
