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Japan invades Manchuria
An explosion destroyed a section of railway track near the city of Mukden. The Japanese, who owned the railway, blamed Chinese nationalists for the incident and used the opprotunity to retaliate and invade Manchuria. source https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/mukden-incident#:~:text=On%20September%2018%2C%201931%2C%20an,to%20retaliate%20and%20invade%20Manchuria -
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Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation.
On October 25 - November 1, 1936 Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation on October 25th. On November 1, the Rome-Berlin Axis is announced -
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact
The Anti-Comintern Pact was directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement. -
Japan invades China
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace. -
Italy joins Germany and Japan in the Anti-Comintern Pact
They would work together to stop the spread of Communism around the globe. -
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Germany incorporates Austria in the Anschuluss
The reason Germany incorporated Austria was because the Anschluss was among the first major steps in Austrian-born Hitler's desire to create a Greater German Reich that was to include all ethnic Germans and all the lands and territories that the German Empire had lost after the First World War. -
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement.
The Munich agreement forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany. -
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The Slovaks declare their independence and form a Slovak Republic.
The Slovaks declared independence and formed a Slovak Republic was because they were under German pressure. And the Germans occupy the dismantled Czech lands in violation of the Munich agreement and formed the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia -
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Fascist Italy invades and annexes Albania
Although Albania had been under strong Italian influence since 1927, Italy's political leader, Benito Mussolini wanted direct control over the country to increase his and Italy's prestige, provide a response to Germany's annexation of Austria and occupation of Czechoslovakia, and to have firm control over Albania. -
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non- aggression agreement and a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. Nazi propagandists accused Poland of persecuting ethnic Germans living in Poland which is what led them to invade poland -
Great Britain and France declare war on Germany
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
The Soviet Union invades Poland
The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east. The Polish government flees into exile via Romania, first to France and then later to Great Britain. -
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Warsaw surrenders
Warsaw surrenders on September 27. Germany and the Soviet Union divide Poland between them. -
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The Soviet Union invades Finland
The Soviet Union invades Finland, initiating the so-called Winter War. The Finns sue for an armistice and cede the northern shores of Lake Ladoga to the Soviet Union. They also cede the small Finnish coastline on the Arctic Sea. -
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Germany invades Denmark and Norway
Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack. Norway holds out until June 9. -
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Germany attacks western Europe
Germany attacks western Europe, specifically France and the neutral Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established -
Italy enters the war
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. -
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The Battle of Britain ends in defeat
The air war known as the Battle of Britain ends in defeat for Nazi Germany. Hitler called off his planned invasion of Britain and the Battle of Britain ended. Both sides suffered enormous loss of life and aircraft. Still, Britain weakened the Luftwaffe and prevented Germany from achieving air superiority. It was the first major defeat of the war for Hitler. -
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The Soviet Uniion occupies the Baltic states
The Soviet Union occupies the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) on June 14–18. On July 14–15, it engineers Communist coup d’états in each of these countries and then annexes them as Soviet Republics on August 3–6. -
The Soviet Union forces Romania to cede
The Soviet Union forces Romania to cede the eastern province of Bessarabia and the northern half of Bukovina to Soviet Ukraine.