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Japan Seizes Manchuria
Japanese military leaders thought that Japan should have an empire equal to those of the Western powers. This success showed the strength of the military in Japan. -
Mussolini invades Ethiopia
Mussolini of Italy decided to act on his own imperialist ambitions, and invaded Ethiopia. This event showed the strength of the weapons that Italy had before World War II, and the strength of their military. -
Hitler goes against the Treaty of Versailles
He built up the German military in defiance of the treaty, and then sent troops to demilitarize Rhineland bordering France, which was an invasion of the treaty. -
Start of the Spanish Civil War
Francisco Franco led a revolt that started a bloody civil war. Other nations jumped in to support both sides, such as Hitler, Mussolini, and the USSR. -
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
Germany, Italy, and Japan came together to form the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis. The Axis powers agreed to fight Soviet Communism. This eventually led to WWII. -
Germany annexes Austria
Hitler sent the German army to "preserve order" in Austria, and indicated his new role as ruler of Austria by making a speech. This violated the treaty of Versailles again -
The Czech Crisis
Hitler decided he wanted to annex Sudetenland, but it was one of only two remaining democracies in Europe. France and Britain were not willing to fight Germany to save it, so they turned to peaceful solutions, but that only made Hitler increase his demands. -
Europe Plunges Towards War
Hitler broke his promises and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. Democracies finally accepted the fact that appeasement had failed. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
This pact bound Hitler and Stalin to peaceful relations, and the two secretly agreed to not fight if the other went to war. -
Invasion of Poland
German forces invade Poland, and two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. This was basically the beginning of World War II.
