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Events Leading to WWII
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Hitler Comes to Power
Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German airforce. Compulsory military service was also introduced. Although Britain and France were aware of Hitler's actions, they were also concerned about the rise of Communism and believed that a stronger Germany might help to prevent the spread of Communism to the West. -
Germany withdraws from the League of Nations
The League of Nations was an international organisation set up to keep world peace. All countries would be members of the League and that if there were disputes between countries they could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. Germany left this group and went on its own. -
US Neutrality Act
The Neutrality Act, preventing the United States from aiding anyone in the war, is passed.It was designed to keep the United States out of a possible European war by banning shipment of war materiel. This is to ensure that no harm is done to the U.S. The is law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. -
Italian Army invades Ethiopia in Africa
The Italian army invades Ethiopia in Africa. Ethiopia's military was very outdated, so the Italian army won with ease. Fascist in Italy, had adopted Hitler's plan to expand German by acquiring all territories it considered German. Mussolini followed this policy when he invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) -
Militarists in Japanese Government
Militarists take control of the Japanese government. Japan became obsessed with militarism and the Japanese military grows and strengthen. During the 1930s, the military established almost complete control over the government. Many political enemies were assassinated, and communists persecuted. Indoctrination and censorship in education and media were further intensified. Navy and army officers soon occupied most of the important offices, including the one of the prime minister. -
Spanish Civil War
The spanish civil war begins and spain is torn apart. Germany sends the Condor Legion to Spain.military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. -
Formation of the Rome-Berlin Axis
This Axis set the stage for World War II. The sides that would fight against each other were forming with finality. Italy distanced itself from the European democracies, demanding Lebensraum in the Mediterranean from the British. This increased tensions in the region, tensions that would finally come to snap when Germany went too far in invading Poland. It also increased the feeling of security in both Germany and Italy, knowing that they had solid allies. -
Troops in the Rhineland
Adolf Hitler sends his troops into the Rhinelands. This was, for Germany, a violation of the Versailles Treaty. Under the terms 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. Therefore, many Germans concluded that they did not actually fully control the area despite it being in Germany itself. -
Japan’s army attacks China
Japan's army attacks the town of Nanjing, China. They massacre a quarter of a million people.On July 16, 1937, a few days after the beginning of Japan's undeclared war on China, Secretary Hull issued a statement of fundamental principles of international policy. The Secretary stated that any situation in which armed hostilities were in progress or were threatened was a situation wherein rights and interests of all nations either were or might be seriously affected. Therefore, he felt it a duty t -
Hossbach Conference
The Hossbach Conference or memorandum clearly indicates that Hitler wanted war so that he could get for Germany the living space in Eastern Europe he believed that Nazi Germany needed. Others believe that the document is too vague to give a clear indication of Hitler’s plans despite the use of words such as attacker when referring to Nazi Germany. -
Japan destroys US gunboat
Japanese fighters bombed US gunboat on the Yangtze river in china. Japan apologized and paid for the mistake.The USS Panay incident was a Japanese attack on the American gunboat Panay while she was anchored in the Yangtze River outside Nanking, China on 12 December 1937. Japan and the United States were not at war at the time. The Japanese claimed that they did not see the American flags painted on the deck of the gunboat, apologized, and paid an indemnity. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich Agreement or Munich Pact was an international agreement established in 1938 which was designed to avoid war between the powers of Europe by allowing Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland. Sudetenland was the western regions of Czechoslovakia, which were primarily inhabited by ethnic Germans. This, in turn created tension between Germany and most of Western Europe. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union met and signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which guaranteed that the two countries would not attack each other. By signing this pact, Germany had protected itself from having to fight a two-front war in the soon-to-begin World War II; the Soviet Union was awarded land, including parts of Poland and the Baltic States. The pact was broken when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union less than two years later, on June 22, 1941. -
Britain and Poland sign a Mutual Assistance Treaty
The treaty provided a temporary assurance, the permanent agreement would not be directed against any other country but would be designed to assure Great Britain and Poland of mutual assistance in the event of any threat, direct or indirect, to the independence of either. Thusly Britain guaranteed Polish independence. -
Germany invades Poland
The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war--what would become the "blitzkrieg" strategy. Once the German forces had plowed their way through, devastating a swath of territory, infantry moved in, picking off any remaining resistance. Once Hitler had a base of operations within the target country, he immediately began setting up "security" forces to annihilate all enemies of his Nazi ideology, whether racial, religious, or political.
