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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties that was signed at the end of World War I. It ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. The Big Three were David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson. The treaty was written by the Allies with almost no participation by the Germans. -
Washington Naval Conference
The Washington Naval Conference was a military conference called by U.S. President Warren G. Harding. It was held in Washington, D.C., and ended on February 6, 1922. The world’s largest naval powers gathered to discuss naval demilitarization and ways to relieve growing tensions in East Asia.Three major treaties emerged out of the Washington Naval Conference: the Five-Power Treaty, the Four-Power Treaty, and the Nine-Power Treaty. -
Mussolini as Prime Minister
Mussolini becomes Prime Miniser of Italy in 1922. He forged a fascist movement in 1919 and then became prime minister in 1922. Mussolini allied himself with Hitler, relying on the German dictator to help his leadership during World War II. Mussolini’s military in Libya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Albania made Italy predominant in the Mediterranean region, but they exhausted his armed forces by the late 1930s. -
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed takeover of the government in Bavaria, a state in southern Germany by Hilter. This took place in Munich. The putsch and Hitler’s year in prison turned him into a national figure. After prison, he worked to rebuild the Nazi Party and gain power. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan was proposed by the Dawes Committee in 1924. This was by chaired by Charles G. Dawes. The Dawes Plan was an attempt to solve the World War I reparations problem. This problem had afflicted international politics following World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. -
Death of Lenin
The death of Vladimir Lenin was on January 21, 1924. Lenin was the first leader of the Soviet Union. He established the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party. Lenin’s government nationalized industry and distributed land. Joseph Stalin succeeded him as leader of the Soviet Union, even though Lenin told them to not let Stalin rule the Soviet Union. -
Mein Kampf Published
On July 18, 1925 the Mein Kampf is published. The Mein Kampf is an philosophical autobiography of Adolf Hitler. It was a blueprint of his agenda for a Third Reich and a clear exposition of the nightmare that will envelope Europe from 1939 to 1945. The book sold a total of 9,473 copies in its first year. -
Hirohito Becomes Emperor
Hirohito becomes emperor of Japan in 1926 following the death of his father Yoshihito. He was given the title "Showa" ("Enlightened Peace"), and was formally known as Showa Tenno. He set up a militaristic government. . During World War II, Japan attacked almost all of its Asian neighbors, allied itself with Nazi Germany and launched a surprise assault on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. -
1st Five Year Plan
The 1st Five Year Plan was introduced by Joseph Stalin in 1928. It focused on the development of iron and steel, machine-tools, electric power and transport. Joseph Stalin set the workers high targets. He justified these demands by claiming that if rapid industrialization did not take place, the Soviet Union would not be able to defend itself against an invasion from capitalist countries in the west. Stalin argued that it was necessary to pay higher wages to certain workers in order to encourage -
Wall Street Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was the greatest stock market crash in the history of the US. It happened on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, October 29, 1929. It is now known as Black Tuesday. The crash started the Great Depression and stock prices did not reach the same level until late 1954. -
Dachau built
Dachau was built in March of 1933. It was the first Nazi concentration camp and it was located in southern Germany. This happed shortly after Adolf Hitler became chancellor or Germany. Dachau housed political prisoners and it eventually evolved into a death camp where countless thousands of Jews died from disease and overwork or were executed. Artists, intellectuals, the physically and mentally handicapped and homosexuals were also sent there. -
First Neatrality Act is Passed
On August 31, 1935, Congress passed the First Neutrality Act. It prohibited the export of “arms, ammunition, and implements of war” from the US to foreign nations at war. -
Signing of the Rome-Berlin Axis
On October 25, 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis was signed between Italy and Germany. It was an agreement formulated by Italy's foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano, linking the two fascist countries. -
Signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact
The Anti-Comintern Pact was an agreement between Germany and Japan in November 25, 1936 and then between Italy, Germany, and Japan in Novemeber, 6, 1937. It was directed against the Communist International and against the Soviet Union. The treaties were sought by Adolf Hitler. -
Hitler Declares Austria as Part of the Third Reich
On March 12, 1938, German troops march into Austria to declare it as part of the Third Reich. Austrian Nazis wanted to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnig met with Hitler and was bullied. Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss, or “annexation,” but before it took place he gave in to pressure from Hitler and resigned on March 11. -
The Munich Conference is Called
The Munich Conference was called on September 29, 1938. It was a settlement reached by Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy that permitted German annexation of the Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia. -
German Troops Invade Czechoslovakia
German troops invade Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. Hitler’s forces invade and occupy Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was a nation sacrificed in the Munich Pact, which was anattempt to prevent Germany’s imperial aims. -
Mussolini invades Albania
Mussolini invades Albania on April 7, 1939. Mussolini’s troops were unorganized. But, they invade and occupy Albania. -
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact Signed
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was signed shortly before WWI started in Europe. Enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. -
Germany Attacks Poland
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
The Soviet Union Attacks Finland
The Soviet Union Attacks Finland on November 30, 1939. The Red Army crossed the Soviet-Finnish border with 465,000 men and 1,000 aircraft. Helsinki was bombed, and 61 Finns were killed in an air raid. -
Germans Invade Denmark and Norway
The Germans invade Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940. German warships enter major Norwegian ports and deployed thousands of German troops and occupied Norway. At the same time, German forces occupy Danish cities. -
Winston Churchill is Named Prime Minister of GB
Winston Churchill is called to replace Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister on May 10, 1930. It was after Chamberlain's resignation after losing a confidence vote in the House of Commons. -
Germans Invade the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg
Germans invade the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg when Hitler sends his troops. German aircraft proceeded to bomb airfields in Belgium, Holland, France, and Luxembourg. -
Dunkerque is Evacuated
The Dunkerque Evacuation was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France. It happened during WWII between May 27 and June 4, 1940. -
Mussolini Declares War on France and GB
On June 10, 1940 Benito Mussolini declares war on France and Great Britain. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was when German and British air forces fought in the skies over the UK. It was a significant turning point of World War II. Britian won. -
Japan Forms an Alliance with Germany and Italy
Japan Forms an Alliance with Germany and Italy on September 27, 1940. These countries are known as the Axis Powers. -
Erwin Rommel Takes Control of Libya
Erwin Rommel takes control of Libya on February 13, 1941. He reinforces the Italians’ position. -
Germany attacks the Soviet Union
When Germany attacked the Soviet Union the code name was Operation "Barbarossa,". Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. It was the largest German military operation of World War II. -
Roosevelt and Churchill Sign the Atlantic Charter
Roosevelt and Churchill sign the Atlantic Charter in 1941. The Atlantic Charter included eight common principles. The document is considered one of the first key steps toward the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. -
Pearl Harbor is Attacked
Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. FDR called it , "a date which will live in infamy." Japanese planes attacked the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor,which is Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. -
US Congress Declares War on Japan
US Congress declares war on Japan on December 8, 1941. It was in response to Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the day before. It was formulated an hour after the Infamy Speech of US President FDR. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of Nazi Germany. It was held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on January 20, 1942. -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during WWI, about 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. The march was in hot weather and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was started on June 3, 1942. It was a naval battle in the Pacific. US defeated Japan. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was on August 23, 1942. It was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia. -
D-Day
D-Day happened on June 6, 1944. On D-Day, American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along the coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. -
MacArthur Lands in the Phillipines
MacArthur lands in the Phillipines on October 20, 1944. He fulfilled his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942. -
V-E Day
V-E Day was on May 8, 1945. It was the public holiday celebrated to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of WWII of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. -
Postsdam Conference
The Postdam Conference happened on July 17, 1945 through August 2, 1945. It was when The Big Three— Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met in Potsdam, Germany to negotiate terms for the end of WWII. -
V-J Day
On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. There were many celebrations over the final ending of WWII. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day.
