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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
In 1931, the Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria. This was called the "Manchurian Incident". It was an attempt by the Japanese Empire to gain control over the whole province. China and the USA broke an agreement of using the railway where Japan get their coal and oil. Japan had an increasing population and needed to gain land so they invaded Manchuria. This semmed to be one of the causes of World War II. -
Stimson Doctrine
The Stimson Doctrine is a policy of the United States federal government giving non-recognition to international territorial changes that were executed by force, (annexed lands). The doctrine was named after Henry L. Stimson, United States Secretary of State in the Hoover Administration. -
Burning of the Reichstag
Less than a month after Hitler became chancellor, the Reichstag burnt down. When the police arrived they found Marinus van der Lubbe on the premises. After being tortured by the Gestapo he confessed to starting the fire. However he denies that he was part of a Communist conspiracy. Hitler later gave orders that all leaders of the German Communist Party should "be hanged that very night." Hermann Goering announced that the Nazi Party planned "to exterminate" German communists. -
The Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Race Laws deprived German Jews of their rights of citizenship, giving them the status of "subjects" in Hitler's Reich. The laws also made it forbidden for Jews to marry or have sexual relations with Aryans or to employ young Aryan women as household help. The Nazis settled on defining a "full Jew" as a person with three Jewish grandparents. Those with less were designated as Mischlinge or a "mixed blood." -
The Hindenburg
On May 6, 1937, the the German passenger airship, the Hindenburg, caught fire and was destroyed. It was attempting to dock at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Of the 97 people on board, 15 were killed along with people killed on the ground. The cause for this daster is still unknown. -
FDR's "Quarantine Speech"
To keep the US a neutral and isolationist country, FDR made a speech calling for an international "quarantine of the aggressor nations". No countries were directly mentioned in the speech, but it was mainly referring to Japan, Italy, and Germany. FDR wanted to cut-off lawless nations. -
The Anschluss
The Anschluss was when Germany took over Austria. The German speaking part of Austria wanted to unite with Germany and Hitler stated that this was his purpose for the annexation of Austria. However, this was against the Treaty of Versailles. -
Munich Conference
On September 28, 1938, leaders of Great Britian, France, Italy and Gernany met in discussion of Germany taking over the Sudetenland. Hitler wanted to erase the bounderies of the Versailles Treaty and gain control of part of Czechoslovakia. He told leaders he would take no more, because Poland was not to be touched. This was called the Munich Agreement. However, five months later, Hitler broke the agreement and took the rest of Czechoslovakia. -
Kristallnacht
The Kristallnacht or the "Night of Broken Glass" was a night when the Gestapo and the SS went through towns of Austria and smashed the windows of Jewish occupations. Thousands of homes and businesses were ransacked, 91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 to 30,000 were arrested and placed in concentration camps. -
The Non-Agression Pact
The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would not attack each other. If there were ever a problem between two countries, it was to be handled reasonably. Also, if Germany attacked Poland, then the Soviet Union would not help. The pact was supposed to last for ten years although it lasted for less than two. When the Nazis attacked Poland, the Soviets stood by and watched. Two days later, the British declared war on Germany and WWII had begun. -
The Gleiwitz incident
The Gleiwitz incident was a staged attack by Nazi forces posing as Poles, against a German radio station on the eve of WW2. The cause of this was to create the appearance of Polish aggression against Germany, which would be used to justify the reasioning behind Germany invading Poland. Hitler stated, "I shall give a propaganda reason for starting the war; whether it is plausible or not. The victor will not be asked whether he told the truth." -
The Start of World War 2
The start of WW2 is most known to be on September 1, 1939 when Nazi-Germany attacked Poland. Many countries around Germany declared war on them for doing this. Recently, Adolf Hitler agreed in the Munich Agreement that he would not take Poland. This made many countries angry at his betrayel. -
Cash and Carry
Under the American Neutrality Act of 1937, the US was forbidden from supplying weapons to any country involved in a war. "Cash and Carry" allowed countries to purchase weapons and war materials from the US only if they were paid for in cash and were transported in that country's own ships. The purpose was to hold neutrality between the United States and European countries. -
Lend/Lease
"Lend/Lease" was the name of the program under which the US supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France and other Allied nations with vast amounts of war material in return for military bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the British West Indies. It was intended to promote the defemse of the US. This act also ended the neutrality of the United States. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an attempt by the German Airforce, or Luftwaffe, to take over the British airspace and destroyal the Royal Air Force. It was the first battle fought entirely in the air. The Royal Air Force’s resistance caused Hitler to abandon the idea of invading Britain and to turn his attention to Russia.
