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Nazis Began Forcing Jews Out of Poland
As Hitler gained support and power, he implemented more strict regulations against Jews. Throughout the war, the Nazis sent millions of Jews from their homes in Poland and other European countries to concentration camps to work or starve to death. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Japan wanted power equal to that of the Western powers so they invaded Manchuria in hopes that they could acquire this power. The League of Nations condemned their aggression but could not do anything to stop it. Japan was eventually able to overrun most of eastern China. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
With the support of the people of Germany, Hitler was elected chancellor though legal means under the Weimar constitution. -
Mussolini Invades Ethiopia
Mussolini, desiring to act on his imperialist ambitions and upset about an earlier defeat, attacked Ethiopia. Although they resisted, the Ethiopian's weapons and strategies were out of date. Once again, the League of Nations was unable to take any physical action against Italy and they were eventually able to conquer all of Ethiopia. -
Hitler sends troops into the Rhineland
Although he already broke the Versailles Treaty once by building this military, Hitler sent troops into Rhineland which disobeyed the treaty again. Since the Germans hated the treaty they approved of his successful challenge. Western democracies adopted a policy of appeasement instead of action against his aggression. -
Francisco France led revolt leading to a civil war in Spain
The conservative general Francisco Franco, led a revolt that began a bloody civil war between the Nationalists (conservatives and fascists) and the Loyalists (communists, socialists, those who wanted democracies). He was later supported by Hitler and Mussolini. -
Air raids on Guernica
One of the worst air horrors of the Spanish civil war was an air raid on Guernica by Germany. German officials said it was a test to see what their planes could do. -
Anschluss
Hitler wanted to combine Austria and Germany, but Austria's chancellor refused to agree to his demands, even though some citizens favored this annexation. Hitler then sent in troops to "preserve order" and established himself as the new leader of Austria. This violated the Versailles Treaty again. -
Munich Conference
British and French leaders once again chose a policy of appeasement against Germany in order to avoid another war. They made a deal with Hitler that as long as Czechoslovakia would surrender to him, he would have no more plans to further expand Germany's territory. -
Francisco Franco Sets Up Fascist Dictatorship in Spain
After Franco and his army triumphed in the civil war, he established a fascist dictatorship, killed enemies, dismissed prior reforms, and used terror to enforce order. -
Hitler takes Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was one of the few democracies left in Eastern Europe and it supposedly housed 3,000,000 Germans in the Sudetenland. For these reasons, Hitler wanted to invade it. Britain and France were not willing to go to war it and offered Hitler a peaceful solution, which he did not take. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact Signed
Hitler and Joseph Stalin signed a nonaggression act, binding them to peaceful relations. Secretly embedded in the act was an agreement not to fight in war and divide Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe between themselves. The pact was signed out of mutual need not friendship or respect. -
German Forces Invade Poland
German forces invade Poland shortly after the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. This makes Britain and France declare war, beginning WWII. The invasion revealed the power of Hitler's Blitzkrieg. -
Blitzkrieg launched against Norway and Denmark
Hitler's Blitzkrieg ("lightening war") utilizes a combination of the Luftwaffe which would bomb the enemy and then fast-moving tanks and troops would enter the city force the country to surrender. Both Norway and Denmark fell shortly after the Blitzkrieg. -
Miracle of Dunkirk
German forces surprised Britain and France in a neutral zone in Belgium by attacking them and driving them back to the beach of the English Channel. Meanwhile, German troops entered France, further entrapping the British and French soldiers. Britain sent all naval vessels, fishing/pleasure boats, and merchant ships to try to save the remaining allied troops. Despite German air and ground attacks, the armada not only saves the British morale, but it also rescued over 300,000 troops. -
France Surrenders to Germany
faced with low morale and, increasing amounts of invading German soldiers, and the new threat of Italy, France surrendered to German forces. -
Blitz of London Begins
For 57 nights in a row, Germany rained bombs and explosives on London in an attack known as "the blitz". Although many people were killed and much of London was destroyed, London did not surrender and the people did not give up. Citizens continued to go about their daily lives, simply returning to bomb shelters when the sirens sounded. -
Italian Forces Invade Greece
Although Italy encountered stiff resistance and needed Germany's help, they eventually defeated Greece. Soon after Greece and Yugoslavia were added to the Axis powers, they began o employ guerrilla tactics against the occupying forces. -
Final Solution of the Jewish Problem Devised
The Final Solution, or the genocide of all European Jews, was devised by the Nazis after they began to realize that they were loosing the war. The understood that in order to accomplish their goal of ridding the world of Jews, they would need to implement faster, more efficient ways of killing Jews, such as death camps. -
Lend-Lease Act Passed
Franklin D. Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act which would permit him to supply war materials to "any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States". He said although he wanted to remain neutral, he would supply arms to those who were fighting for democracy and freedom. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact Nullified
Hitler Nullified the Nazi-Soviet Pact by invading the Soviet Union in order to gain the raw materials available in the Ural Mountains, the Ukraine, and Siberia. He also wants to conquer communism in Europe and defeat his rival, Stalin -
Germany's Siege of Leningrad
the Soviets began to ration food to only two pieces of bread a day, forcing the people to starve and eat anything. Despite the success of the Germans in killing above a million Leningrad's, the city did nor fall. This attack gave Britain and Stalin an opportunity to form an alliance. -
Pearl Harbor Attacks
Throughout the time that the U.S. and Japan were having peace talks, Japan was preparing for an attack against out most important and full-loaded naval base, Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack killed about 2,400 people and destroyed many vital battleships and aircraft. -
The U.S. Declares War on Japan
A day after the devastating attacks on Pearl harbor by the Japanese, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. -
Germany, Japan, Italy, and Their Allies Declare War on the U.S.
Three days after the U.S. declared war on Japan, Japan and its allies declared war on the U.S.. -
Japan Advanced into French Indonesia and Dutch East Indies
After the successful attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan gained confidence and took American-possessed islands in the Pacific with great ease, such as the Philippines. The conquered many British colonies in Asia and then moved their attention to the Dutch East Indies and French Indonesia. Soon, the new Japanese Empire spanned from Southeast Asia to the western Pacific Ocean. -
Japan Gained Control of the Philippines
After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had won a series of uninterrupted victories against Southeast Asia. They eventually gained control of the Philippines and killed thousands of American and Filipino soldiers as a result. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
In this battle, the Japanese suffered their first major defeat and setback since the war began. For the first time in history, the naval ships in the battle never saw each other, only airplanes from aircraft carries that bombed enemy ships from the sky. The Americans not only sunk a Japanese aircraft carries and destroyed many other airplanes and battleships, but they also prevented the Japanese from gaining many vital islands. -
Battle of Midway
After the successful Battle of the Coral Sea, the Americans won another victory against Japan in the Battle of Midway, which was also fought entirely in the air. The Americans destroyed many battleships and even more planes, making Japan incapable of launching future offensive attacks. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Allies was finally able to stop the advance made by General Rommel in Libya and push him and his army back to Tunisia. This then allowed the Allies to cross the Mediterranean and invade Italy. -
Germans Invading the USSR Surrender to the Soviets
Due to his troops stalling after Moscow and Leningrad, Hitler launched a new offensive to reach the oil fields in the south of the USSR. However, his troops never made it past Stalingrad where they fought in one of the costliest battles in the war. The Soviets eventually surrounded the invading German troops, forcing them to surrender. They were then able to rive the Germans out the USSR completely and eventually advance into Eastern Europe. -
British and American Army Began Invasion of Italy
Due to the Battle of El Alamein, the allies had North Africa under control, allowing them to evade Italy. They first landed in Sicily and then continued into Southern Italy. -
Mussolini is Overthrown
After the Battle of El Alamein, the American Army invaded Sicily and Southern Italy, quickly defeating the Italian forces. Shortly after, the Italians were able to overthrow their ruler Mussolini and signed an unsuccessful armistice. Although the Americans lost many men as they advanced further into Italy, it weakened Hitler's moral and his army, which now had to fight on another front. -
The Tehran Conference
Stalin, fearing Western rule, and Churchill and Roosevelt, fearing Russian rule, met at a conference in Tehran, Iran to discuss policies that would keep them at peace. Churchill and Roosevelt succumbed to Stalin's border desires from the nullified Nazi-Soviet Pact, but they did not agree to Stalin's wish for a second front against Germany inWestern Europe du to a lack of recourses. -
D-Day
The allies invaded German-occupied France at the beach of Normandy in a desperate attempt to win back their ally. Thousands of ships, planes, and men filled the English channel. Despite the thousands of deaths, it was a successful mission. -
Allies Enter Paris
After D-Day, the allies were able to break though the German forces and arrive in Paris where they were able to defeat the Germans with the help of French resistance forces. The allies entering Paris symbolized the liberation of all of France. -
MacArthur Began Fight to Retake the Philippines
General Douglas MacArthur used a method called Island Hopping to gradually gain important Japanese islands in order to move north towards Japan. While Americans were bombing the Japanese in Japan, MacArthur began his attempt to retake the Philippines. -
Battle of the Bulge
After liberating France and while attempting to conquer Germany, the Germans launched a bloody counterattack which lasted more than a month and caused incredible losses on both sides. While the attack did delay the allied advance, if did not stop it. -
Yalta Conference
The three major world leaders, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill agreed that if the United States and England were still fighting Japan after three months of Germany's surrender, then the Soviet Union would help them and join the war. They agreed to grant Stalin possession of southern island and parts of Korea. Lastly, they agreed to divide Germany into four zones governed by each allied country and all of the zones have to hold free elections. -
Air Raids on Dresden
As the allies continued to advance into Germany from France, the used Germany's own tactics against them by attempting to bomb important cities for extended periods of time, therefore demoralizing the citizens and depleting the country of valuable resources. Dresden was not considered a industrial target and the allies ended up killing almost 140,000 and partially destroying one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The allies were giving everything they had to the effort of defeating Japan. However, there were still over two million Japanese willing to fight to the death for their country. This bloody battle showed to the allies that the Japanese would rather die that surrender. -
FDR Dies
Unexpectedly, the President of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt died, allowing Harry Truman to replace him. -
Delegates Meet to Draft a Charter for the UN
Delegates from 50 different nations around the world gathered in order to draft a charter for the United Nations. The UN is an international organization in which each nation receives one vote in the General Assembly. Furthermore, a smaller body called the Security Council, has more power. -
Hitler commits suicide
Hitler did not want to be captured and killed or humiliated by the invading allies so he killed himself in an underground bunker. -
Germany Surrenders
Due to incoming Soviets from the east and Americans, British, and French from the west, Germany, unable to defend themselves any longer, surrendered, ending WWII. -
V-E Day
The day after Germany surrendered, the war in Europe officially ended on the day known as V-E Day. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Japanese continued to show that they would rather die than surrender in WWII. Many young men chose to become kamikaze fighters who undertook suicide missions in order to defeat the Americans. -
Manhattan Project Successfully Tests the First Atomic Bomb
For the first time in history, the top secret mission to develop an atomic bomb was successful. News of the successful Alamogordo atomic bomb was brought to the attention of the unsuspecting president, Harry Truman only a few days later. -
Potsdam Conference
Truman met with other Allied leaders to "issue a warning to Japan to surrender or face 'complete destruction' and 'utter devastation'". However, Japan ignored their warning. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
America, in an attempt to a save American lives due to Japan's unwillingness to surrender, dropped the first atomic bomb in history of Hiroshima. It devastated the land within four square miles and killed almost 70,000 people instantly, not to mention the people who would late die as a result of radiation. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
After the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the Japanese government still refused to surrender. Soon after, America dropped another bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people instantly. -
Empero Hirohito Surrenders
Emperor Hirohito in a desperate attempt to save the lives of his people, surrendered. This was the first time in Japanese history that an emperor had forced a government to surrender. -
Formal Peace Treaty Signed
After Japan finally surrendered, they signed a formal peace treaty on the American battleship Missouri in the Tokyo Bay. -
Nuremberg Trials Begin
After the end of WWII, the allied held war crime trials in Nuremberg, Germany against the Germans. Many Germans and Austrians were tried and found guilty and multiple top Nazis were given the death sentence or imprisoned. They showed the world that military and political leaders could be held accountable for their actions during the war. -
Cold War Begins
During the time that the allies were discussing peace arrangements, new policies, and rationing territory, the conflicting ideologies between Russia and Western Allies were become more and more of a problem. Soon, a mutual distrust arose out of these problems and led to the Cold War. -
Germany is Split
As stated in the agreements from the Yalta Conference, Germany was divided into an east, communist government run by the Soviet Union and a west, democratic side run by the British, French, and Americans. Furthermore, in order to obtain all available recourses, the capital city of Berlin was divided into an and west side as well. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set up by the President of the United States, Harry Truman. It was an attempt to contain the spread of communist to other countries aside from the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an aid package offered to the remaining European democratic governments in order to help them rebuild their moral, economy, and country. -
Berlin Airlift
In an attempt to get rid of the Western Europeans in West Berlin, the Soviet Union cut off all supply routes to Berlin. The Western powers responded by sending constant airlifts into Berlin to give news, food, water, coal, and other supplies to the people. -
NATO Alliance Forms
As tensions continued to rise between the Soviets and the Western Democracies, many nations including the United States and Canada joined to create a military alliance called NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This alliance was a promise to help each other if any nation was attacked.
