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Rise of Mussolini
In 1912 Mussolini was the leading member of the National Directorate of the Italian Socialist Party. In 1914 he was a supporter of the Socialist International. -
Hitler come to power
Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in Germany, when Hitler joined the political party known as the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. This political party was formed and developed during the post-World War I era. -
Power of Stalin
Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1924 until his death in 1953. After Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin died, Stalin outmaneuvered his rivals for control of the party. -
Italy's conquest of Ethiopia
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, a colonial war that started in October 1935. It was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ethiopian Empire, resulted in the occupation of Ethiopia. -
Spanish civil war
A civil war fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalists. In the end, the Nationalist won. -
Rome-Berlin Axis formed
A coalition formed in 1936 between Italy and Germany. An agreement formulated by Italy’s foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano and was formalized by the Pact of Steel in 1939. -
Japanese invasion of China
Japan captured the former Chinese imperial capital of Beijing after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The Japanese continued to push the Chinese forces back. -
Annexing of Austria
On March 9, Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of annexation once and for all. 3 days later the German troops march into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. -
Japanese invasion of the Soviet Union and Mongolia
Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with the Soviet Union.After this, Japan and the Soviet Union signed a Neutrality Pact and turned its focus to the South Pacific. -
Nazi-soviet non-aggression pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. During this, the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. -
War breaks out in Europe.
Germany invaded Poland under the false pretext that the Poles had carried out a series of sabotage operations against German targets. Two days later, on 3 September, after a British ultimatum to Germany to cease military operations was ignored, France declared war on Germany. -
Poland attacked.
Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
Battle of Britain.
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom. The Battle of Britain ended when Germany failed to gain air superiority. -
Axis attack on the USSR.
The Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War. -
War breaks out in the Pacific
Japan launched its first attack against Changsha, a strategically important Chinese city, but was repulsed by late September. To increase pressure on China, Japan had occupied northern Indochina. Afterwards, the United States embargoed iron, steel and mechanical parts against Japan. Others followed. -
Hideki Tojo's power
A general of the Imperial Japanese Army, the leader of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II. As a prime minister, he was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Pearl Harbor.
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating. -
Western Europe/Atlantic & Mediterranean.
Commonwealth forces had launched a counter-offensive, Operation Crusader and reclaimed all the gains the Germans and Italians had made. In North Africa, the Germans launched an offensive pushing the British back to positions at the Gazala Line. -
Pacific.
Japan and its ally Thailand had almost fully conquered Burma, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, and Rabaul. In early May 1942, Japan initiated operations to capture Port Moresby by amphibious assault. -
Battle of Midway.
A crucial and decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. John Keegan called it "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare". -
Battle of Stalingrad.
A successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War -
Eastern Front.
Germany and its allies stopped a major Soviet offensive in central and southern Russia, In May the Germans defeated Soviet offensives in the Kerch Peninsula and at Kharkiv and then launched their main summer offensive against southern Russia. -
Allies gain momentum.
Following the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Allies initiated several operations against Japan in the Pacific. Allied forces were sent to eliminate Japanese forces from the Aleutians. -
D-day.
The landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, -
Allies close in 1944
After three years of Soviet pressure, the Western Allies invaded northern France. After reassigning several Allied divisions from Italy, they also attacked southern France and were successful in the capture. -
Battle of the Bulge.
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe, Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance. -
Death of Roosevelt.
An American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States. Democrat, he won a record four elections and served from March 1933 to his death. -
V-E Day.
Public holiday celebrated to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of WWII. -
V-J Day.
A name chosen for the day on which Japan surrendered, in effect ending WWII. -
Dropping of the Atomic bombs.
The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people.
