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Japan Blows Railroad
On the night og September 18, 1931, Japanese soldiers blew up part of railway. The soldiers were disguised as Chinese soldiers. Their purpose was to give Japan an excuse to blame China and occupy Manchuria. -
The Investigation
The League of Nations sent investigatoors. When the investigators' report condemned the japnese action, Japan withdrew from the League. The United States did not recongnize the Japanese takeover of Manchuria but was unwilling to threaten force. -
Violation of The Treaty of Versailles
Adolph Hitler believed Germans needed more land. In 1935, he announced a new air force and a militart draft. the next year, he sent troops into the demilitarized Rhineland. All these steps violated the Treaty of Versailles. Destracted by the Great Depression, ohter countries did not interfese. Britian tried appeasement, or meeting Germany's demands. -
Germany Violates the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler announced the creation of a new air force. One week later, he began a military draft that would expand Germany's army from 100,000 to 550,000 troops. These steps were in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. -
A Front Against Japan
When clashes brock out between Chinese and Japanese troops, Chiang Kai-shek practiced a poicy of appeasement. The Japanese army moved south into China. Protests occurred in several Chinese cities. In December 1936, Chiang stopped fighting the Communists to focus on the Japanese. He formed a front against Japan. -
Japan Seizes Nanjing
Chinese and Japanese forces clashed in 1937. Japan seized the Chinese capital of Nanjing in Deceber 1937. Chiang's government fled but fought on. -
Hitler Joins Austria to Germany
Italy and Germany helped General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In the Anschouss, or union, of 1938, Hitler joined Austria to Germany. -
Demands for appeasement
Hitler's next objective was the destruction of Czechoslovakia. On September 15, 1938, he demanded that Germany be given the Sudetenland, an area in northwestern Czechoslovakia that was inhabited largely by Germans. He expressed his willingness to rist"world war" to achieve his objective. -
The Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact
In March 1939, Hitler occupied more Czech territory. He demaned the Polish port of Danzing. Britain offered to protect Poland in case of war. To prevent a British-French-Soviet alliance, Hitler signed a pact with Joseph Stalin, head of the Soviet Union. The pact was called the nazi-soviet non-aggression pact. -
Hitler's Early Victories
After a winter of waiting, Hitler resumed the attack on April 9, 91940, with another biltzkrieg against Denmark and Norway. One month later, on May 10, Germany launched an attack on the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The mail assault was through Luxembourg and the Ardennes Forest. -
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Rights to Mineral Resources
In the summer of 1940, Japan demanded the right to mineral resources in French Indochina. The United States objected. Japan bought oil and scrap iron from the United States. The United States threatened to apply economic sanctions, which would cut off badly needed materials. Japan decided to launch a surprise attack on the United States and Southeast Asia at the same time. -
the Beginnging of the Battle of Britain
Hitler realized that an amphibious invasion of Britain could succeed only if Germany gained control of the air. At the beginning of August 1940, the Luffwaffe-- the German air force-- launched a major offensive. German planes bombed Dritish air and naval bases, harbors, communication centera, and war industries. -
The End of The Battle of Britain
In September, in relation of a British attack on Berlin, Hitler ordered a shift in strategy. Instead of bombing military targets, the Luffwaffe began massive bombing of British cities. Hitler hoped in this way to break British morale. Instead, because military targets were not being hit, the British were able to rebuild their air strength quickly. Soon, the British air force was inflicting major losses on Luffwaffe bombers. At the end of September, Hitler postponed the invasion of Britain indefi
