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Hitler's Rise to Power
On this date Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialists, became chancellor of Germany, and moved to consolidate his power almost instantaneously. Only a little over a year later, President Hindenburg died, leaving Hitler to completely solidify his power in Germany. Hitler and his expansionism were quite possibly the biggest causes of World War Two. -
Hitler Announces German Rearmament
Completely against the Versailles Treaty (he had previously denounced it publicly), Hitler officially announced rearmament of the German military. In the time from then to the start of World War Two, the number of soldiers in the military had grown ten-fold, and the number of planes had risen from a mere 36 to a massive 8250. -
Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Back before World War One, Italy was promised Ethiopia in the New Imperialism system. When Italy attempted to colonize in Ethiopia, the Natives actually resisted and drove Italy out. This was a major embarrassment for Italy, and after Mussolini took power in Italy, he was determined to redeem his country and successfully take over Ethiopia, which he succeeded in less than a year later. During this event, the League of Nations did absolutely nothing, which really showed to the world how incompete -
Germany Re-Occupies the Rhineland
Against the Treaty of Versailles again, Hitler ordered 22,000 German troops to the Rhineland and completely reoccupied it. The League of Nations once again did nothing. Not even France or Britain did anything individually, due to both nations being occupied with the conflict in Ethiopia. This left no buffer between France and Germany, but France still attempted to increase its defensives on the Maginot Line. -
Start of the Spanish Civil War
Fought between the legally elected Spanish Republic and the rogue Nationalists, and resulting in the Nationalist Francisco Franco taking power as a fascist for 36 years. The Spanish Republic was supported by the Soviet Union, and the Nationalists were supported the other two major fascists at the time, Germany and Italy. -
Announcement of the Rome-Berlin Axis
After several friendly treaties, the German and Italian state officially created an alliance name the Rome-Berlin Axis. It was called this, because Hitler and Mussolini believed they would soon conquer the Earth, and with that the Earth would rotate on its new axis’s, Rome and Berlin. After the war began, Japan joined the alliance, completing the infamous trio known today. -
Anti-Comintern Pact Signed
Signed by Germany and the Empire of Japan, this pact was directed against the Third International, mainly the Soviet Union. More governments, mostly fascist, would join this pact in later years. Italy would be one of the nations to join later, again uniting the three countries known as the Axis Powers. -
Second Sino-Japanese War
Before Germany tried expansionism, Japan was already at it. The Empire of Japan invaded the Republic of China, in an Imperialistic goal to dominate China in order to harvest its natural resources. The war between the two countries began after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The war continued until the end of World War Two. -
USS Panay Incident
The Japanese attacked a United States gunboat named Panay. The boat was anchored in the Yangtze River near China. The Japanese claimed it was a total accident, as they were at war with the Chinese and had not known that the ship was American. They even paid a fine for it. Regardless, the American’s opinions of the Japanese were completely altered after this event. -
German Annexation of Austria
Germany had made it its goal to annex Austria up to four years prior to the actual annexation. Kurt von Schuschnigg, the Austrian Chancellor, attempted to give the Austrian people a vote as to whether or not the Austrian people would fight back, but before the vote could be performed, Schuschnigg resigned from office due to pressure from Hitler. The next day the National Socialists marched into Austria and were greeted excitedly. This League of Nations once again practiced appeasement. -
Battle of Lake Khasan
In this battle the Japanese attempted an attack on an area claimed by the Soviet Union, while they thought it was owned by China. This resulted in a battle between the Japanese and the Soviets, where the later was victorious. This also created tension between the Japanese and Soviets that would not dissolve until the end of World War Two. -
Munich Agreement
In this agreement between Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, Hitler was given permission to annex the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was depending on military aid from France, therefore was too weak to defend the Sudetenland. This is another huge example of the League of Nations’ ineffective appeasement policy. -
German Annexation of Czechoslovakia
Germany’s lust for territory was not quenched after the Munich agreement, and the National Socialists soon took aim to occupy all of Czechoslovakia. The League of Nations still did not learn their lesson, and once again practiced appeasement. As expected, the lust for territory would still continue, but the League of Nations was through with appeasement. -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
This was a non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. It came as a surprise to the rest of the world due to the Anti-Comintern Pact of Germany. Beyond being just a non-aggression pact, it had secret clauses as to how Poland would be divided amongst the two countries after they invaded it, which was only a few weeks after. -
German Invasion of Poland
On this date World War Two officially began. Germany invaded Poland, and the League of Nations was through with their policy of appeasement. On September third, France and Britain declared war on Germany. On the tenth, Canada declared war on Germany. On the seventeenth, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the other side. Finally, all the tension was released, and biggest war in world history had begun.
