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Mein Kampf
In prison, Hitler became moody and depressed. He put his energy into his book "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle). This book explained to anybody who would read it, his plans for Germany's future. There are also sections on boxing, the growing of roses etc. Many years later, in 1942, Hitler explained to army officers that "Mein Kampf" would never have been written if he had not been sent to prison. -
Germany join the League of Nations
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Wall Street Crash
Was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the stock market in the United States, taking into account the full scope and long duration of their effects. -
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Events that occurred before the Second World War
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Invasion of Manchuria by Japan
On September 18th, in violation of all the Treaty obligations, Japan occupied Manchuria in northeast China. It was to be the first step on the path to World War II. -
Enabling Act
It received it`s name from it`s legal status as an enabling act granting the Cabinet the authority to enact laws without the participation of the Reichstag. -
Japan left the League of Nations
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Hitler as Chancellor
He was appointed chancellor on January 30, 1933, and transformed the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideals of Nazism. -
Reichstag Fire
Was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The fire was used as evidence by the Nazis that the Communists were beginning a plot against the German government. Van der Lubbe and four Communist leaders were subsequently arrested. (Van der Lubbe was a Dutch insurrectionist, council communist, and unemployed bricklayer who had recently arrived in Germany, ostensibly to carry out his political activities, that`s why Hitler wanted to get rid of him). -
Hitler Führer
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The Soviet Union become a member of the League of Nations
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The night of long knives
The Nazi regime carried out a series of political executions. Most of those killed were members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), including Ernst Rohm. At least 85 people died and more than a thousand opponents were arrested. Most of the killings were carried out by the Schutzstaffel (SS) and the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei), the regime's secret police. -
Invasion of Abyssinia by Italy
Mussolini's imperial ambitions were already in play long before the invasion of Greece. Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935, using chemical weapons and adopting a widespread policy of civilian slaughter. His goal was to create a New Roman Empire in the Mediterranean and East Africa. -
Invasion of the Rhineland
Under the terms of The Treaty of Versailles, the Rhineland had been made into a demilitarised zone. Germany had political control of this area, but she was not allowed to put any troops into it. In March 1936, Hitler ordered his troops to re-enter the Rhineland breaking the terms of Treaty once again. -
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Appeasement
Appeasement was a policy used to postpone the out break of the war. It was also used to satisfy Hitler needs to postpone the war. -
Anschluss
Was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938. This annexation was prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles but Hitler did not care. -
Invasion of the Sudetenland
Hitler wanted the Sudetenland, a rich area of then-Czechoslovakia. European leaders decided to allow Hitler to have this area, especially since he promised he would no longer be looking to expand, at the Munich Agreement. This is an example of the Policy of Appeasement. -
Munich Conference
Was an agreement permitting Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the future of the Sudetenland in the face of territorial demands made by Adolf Hitler. The agreement was signed by Nazi Germany, France, Britain, and Italy. The Sudetenland was of immense strategic importance to Czechoslovakia, as most of its border defenses were situated there, and many of its banks were located there as well. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia – a non-German country. People realised that appeasement had failed. They realised that Hitler wanted to rule the world, and would only be stopped by war. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
This meant that each side promised not to attack the other. In return for allowing the Germans to conquer most of Poland, the USSR wolud be given control of the Baltic states and parts of Belarus, the Ukraine and the remainder of Poland.
The pact was supposed to last for ten years; it lasted for less than two. -
Invasion of Poland
Was an invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union that marked the start of World War II. -
Phoney War
The Phoney War was a phase in early World War II—in the months following Britain's declaration of war on Germany.
