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Mussolini's March on Rome
The march to Rome resulted in Mussolini being promoted to prime minister. The King was forced by this march to give this position to Mussolini. This allowed Mussolini to begin his quest in making Italy a fascist country. The fascist party was now an official political party. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
When Lenin died in 1924, Stalin was able to outplay his rivals and won the power struggle for control of the communist party. Then by the late 1920s, Stalin had become the dictator of the Soviet Union. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
While in prison for being sentenced to high treason, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, which means "My Struggle." The book talked about Hitler's Ideology and presented himself as the leader of the extreme right. He also wrote about his hatred of Jews and communist and the future of Germany. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The first "five-year plan" was a plan launched by Stalin in order to speed up the process of industrialization. It also was launched in order to improve transportation and increase agricultural production. It did make help industrialization but the living standards of the people were still low. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan invaded Manchuria because it was seeking materials to support its growing industries. Japan was suffering from the Great Depression and was desperate in overcoming this. They claimed an explosion on one of their railroads was an attack by China and used this to justify their invasion. -
Holodomor begins
Stalin felt threatened by Ukraine's rebellion and their strengthening cultural autonomy. This caused Stalin to take drastic measures to destroy Ukraine's peasantry to prevent them from being able to seek independence. He starved the people in Ukraine, killing millions. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed chancellor by Hindenburg. He was not immediately appointed as chancellor even though he was the leader of his party which had become one of the largest parties in the Reichstag as it took economic and political instability forces to convince Hindenburg. This gave the Nazis power. -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The "Night of the Long Knives" was a purge conducted by the Nazi leaders which killed many of Adolf Hitler's political opponents and people who were seen as opponents. This purge helped secure Hitler's and the Nazi party's power in Germany. It drastically reduced the size of the SA, which was Hitler's main political rival. -
Nuremburg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were racist and antisemitic laws that were enacted that were announced at a Nazi party rally. They were enacted because the Nazis wanted to put their ideas about race into law. It pushed their false theory that the world was divided into races with some of them not being not equally strong and valuable The "German Aryan" race was the strongest and most valued race. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
The aim of invading Ethiopia was to boost Italian national prestige and imperialism. It drove the Ethiopian emperor into exile which paved the way for the Italian occupation of the land. This invasion also tested the capacity and will of the League of Nations. -
The Great Purge begins
The Great Purge was a brutal campaign that Stalin led that targeted and killed members of the Communist Party that were dissenting and anyone else who he believed to be considered a threat. He killed about 750,000 people during the Great Purge which lasted until 1938. About a million of survivors were sent to places called Gulags which were forced labor camps. -
Spanish civil war
The Spanish Civil War was a military revolt that escalated into a civil war against the Republican government of Spain. The Civil War is sometimes called the Prelude to World War 2. It is known as one of the bloodiest conflicts Western Europe had experienced with about 200,000 people dying as a result of systematic killings, mob violence, torture, and other brutalities. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
The Anti-Comintern pact was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan, stating that they would work together to stop the spread of communism. The pact was mainly aimed at USSR, -
The Rape of the Nanking
Nanking, the capital of China, fell to the Japanese forces through brutal force. The Japanese used brutal force and conducted manslaughter against the Nanking people while taking over the city. About 50,000 male civilians were killed and 20,000 women and girls were raped and many were killed. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht or The Night of the Broken Glass is one of the series of pogroms led by Nazi leaders against the Jewish population. In these pogroms, people vandalized and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses and homes. The streets were covered in glass from broken windows of the business which is how the pogrom got its name. Many Jews were killed during the pogrom and 30,000 male Jews were arrested and brought into concentration camps.