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Selective Service Act is passed
When the US formally joined World War I, the Allied powers needed support in military troops to be able to defeat the Central Powers. To bring this support, the US Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which gave the president the right to draft soldiers. The act stated that all men in the US had to register for military service if they were between the ages of 21 to 30. -
Hitler is named leader of the Nazi Party in Germany
Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party in 1919 after Germany was defeated in war. He was known for being a very charismatic and passionate orator and in his speeches, he used powerful language to blame the Marxists and the Jews for the disgrace that Germany was suffering. Due to his orator talent, he became the leader of the Party that was eventually renamed to the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi). -
The Kellogg-Briand Pact (also known as the Pact of Paris) is signed
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an attempt to keep the peace between the countries in order to prevent any future war. The Pact was created between the French foreign minister, Aristide Briand and the U.S. secretary of state Frank B. Kellogg and the pact stated that the nations that signed it were agreeing to eliminate war as an instrument of national policy. This pact was not efficient at all, as there were many exceptions along with the fact that the Treaty of Versailles had failed too. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan was interested in the Manchurian territory, as its 200,000 square km could help solve their overpopulation problem and the raw materials found in this land could help restore their economy. By 1930, Japan had control over the Manchurian railway and the explosion in the Manchuria Railway on September 18, 1931, worked as an excuse for Japan to invade the land. The League of Nations did nothing because their only way to withdraw Japan was with an economic sanction, which was already crashed -
The Enabling Act of 1933 is issued
This act stated that Hitler had complete and absolute power over Germany, which eventually led to him being one of the cruelest dictators in history. He gained easy support from the quorum because all the Communist leaders were in jail after the Reichstag Fire and he convinced the Catholic parliamentarians that the religion would stay the same. -
Neutrality Act of 1935 signed
In order to prevent the United States from getting involved in any possible war, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed this act that stated that the exportation of ammunition, arms, and basically any implement of war to any foreign country that was in the war was prohibited. Also, citizens were advised to not travel in war zones and if they did, it was under their own risk. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt wins a third term as president
Roosevelt was nominated to an unprecedented third term in the presidency on July 18, 1940, and he was criticized for running again because it was supposed that presidents could not serve more than two terms in their charge. Roosevelt knew that the whole country needed him in order to face the situation that was going on in Europe and Hitler’s dictatorship. -
The Lend-Lease program is enabled
Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill needed help to win the war against Germany so on January 10, 1941, Roosevelt introduced the Lend-Lease program to the US Congress which stated that the US could lend arms to Britain in order to maintain the security of the country and without getting directly involved in the bloody World War II. If they helped Britain and assured its security, the United States would be safe too. -
A. Philip Randolph’s march and Roosevelt’s response
Randolph was one of the most important activist leaders from the black race that participated in the labor movement. He organized a mass march on Washington and its objective was to protest against discrimination of the black race in World War II and in Roosevelt’s New Deal program. This march pressured Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802 which stated that black people would no longer be discriminated against for jobs and war duties. With this, the march was canceled. -
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
The U.S. had a Navy base located near Honolulu, Hawaii known as Pearl Harbor. On this date, Japan launched a surprise attack by sending hundreds of warplanes to destroy everything in Pearl Harbor. Almost 2,500 Americans died that day and 1,000 people were wounded. Japan destroyed 20 American naval vessels, 300 airplanes, and 8 battleships. After this attack, Roosevelt declared war on Japan and officially entered World War II. -
Adolf Hitler declares war against the United States
After Pearl Harbor, Germany and Japan knew that war against the US was declared. The German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop only agreed to declare war on the US if Japan was attacked, but they were the attacker. Hitler ignored his ideas and knew that they had to declare war to the US and defeat them, which made it easier for them to defeat Russia, eventually, with the help of Japan. Therefore, he passed a copy of the declaration of war to the American Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
