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Mussolini Gains Power
Beniot Mussolini came to power in Italy. He would soon embark on an aggressive foreign policy and invade Ethiopia -
Last Detachments Leave Nicaragua
A 12 year occupation of Nicaragua is ended. (America intervenes again the next year when renewed unrest swept through the Latin American country) -
Hitler Comes To Power In Germany
Adolf Hitler gained power in Germany as the head of the Nazi movement. He used domestic dissent and bitterness over WWI to his advantage. He soon imposed a dictatorship in Germany, which he ruled as the Fuhrer -
Pledge of Nonintervention
Secretary of State Hull signs a conditional pledge of nonintervention at the Pan-American Conference. -
Japan Invades China
Japan's armies begin to invade China, marking the beginning of the Pacific phase of WWII -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Russia signs a nonaggression treaty with Hitler, enabling Germany to avoid a two-front war. Russia receives part of eastern Poland as a reward -
Hitler Invades Poland
World War II begins when Hitler invades Poland. England and France declare war soon after. -
FEPC Passed
Banned racial discrimination in war induststries. Led to black employment by the government to rise from 60,000 in 1941 to 200,000 by the end of the war -
Pearl Harbor Attacked
Japanese carrier-based planes attack the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,400 American soldiers and sinking 8 battleships -
U.S. Enters WWII
Germany and Italy declare war against the united States in retaliation for America's declaration of war on Japan. The United States was now fully invovled in WWII -
Declaration of United Nations
Roosevelt and Churchill sign a pledge to fight together until the Axis powers were defeated. The declaration was eventually subscribed to by 26 countries. -
War Production Board Formed
Created by FDR. Allowed business to claim rapid depreciation and huge tax credits for new plants. Also created an allocation system of critical materials. Donald Nelson was placed in charge of the board -
Meeting In Morocco
FDR and Winston Churchill met in Casablanca, Morocco. They declared a policy of unconditional surrender -
Zoot Suit Riots Begin
Violence erupted in Los Angeles when white sailors attacked Mexican American youths. The riots and racial prejudice led to heightened feelings of ethnic identity for Mexican Americans -
D-Day
The day Allied troops crossed the English Channel and opened a second fron in western Europe during WWII. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
America drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, incinerating 4 squiare miles of the city and killing over 60 thousand -
Bombing of Nagasaki
A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki by the United States. -
Election of 1944
Democrat Roosevelt vs. Republican Dewey. Dewey targeted FDR's age and health during the campaign, while FDR chose Harry Truman as his vice president and received more support from labor unions. Won by FDR -
FDR Dies
President Roosevelt dies, devestating the nation and leaving the inexperienced Harry Truman to lead the nation -
End of World War II
Japan signs a formal capitulation agreement on the decks of the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, bringing WWII to a close