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Czar Nicholas II overthrown in Russian Revolution
Nicholas II was forced to be abdicated by the Bolshevik government due to the fact the entire country hated him. They disliked his choices, and the fact that the monarchy had all these riches while the poor had nothing. This is important because of the fact that the entire Russian Revolution started because of him being an incompetent leader, and people wanted to change into a more democratic government. -
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Russian Civil War (Russian Revolution)
The Russian Civil War, better known as the Russian Revolution, was a time period during Russia's history when the citizens of Russia began to revolt against the long history of a monarchy being the sole government. This started from the dislike of the Czar at the time being, Nicholas, and slowly developed into a need for a government that was sustainable. Such as a democratic one. This was important because it shifted the way Russia would operate from here on and further. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
The aftermath of World War One had brought up a treaty that all of the countries who participated in the war needed to sign. However, despite everyone signing the treaty, nobody was happy about the outcome or resolutions that came with the treaty. Germany was weakened, and had parts of their military removed as well as their land. Colonized countries were disregarded, and even the European powers couldn't afford war costs. This ignited the tension for WW2. -
Mussolini becomes leader of Italy
Giving his speech on January 3, 1925, he asserted his right to declare supreme power over Italy. While he did not become the dictator of Italy overnight, this was a very clear sign that he was now becoming the dictator of Italy. The king, after being swarmed by Blackshirts (his supporters), gave in, and eventually let Mussolini become the ruling prime minister. -
Lenin dies
Due to a stroke from 2 bullets being left in his body, Lenin ended up passing away because of how bad the stroke was. This ended up allowing Stalin to become the next leader of the Soviet Union. -
Stalin becomes leader of the Soviet Union
When Lenin ended up passing away, Stalin was given the gift of organizing his funeral. Because of the election prior to this, he was already going to become the successor to Lenin when he passed away. He was officially hailed as the leader of the Soviet Union in April. Not only is this important because it changed the way Russians had to live, but also because of the events of World War Two quickly coming out, Stalin was going to have to make a bond with a country. -
Japan invades Manchuria
In order to seek raw materials and fuel for their own industries, Japan had decided to invade a small province of China. This province bordered the Soviet Union, and could become a neutral zone to prevent the possibility of the Soviet Union trying to overtake Japan. This only led to more military aggression in China, and ended up becoming a puppet state for Japan. -
Hitler elected leader of Germany
After a several of electoral victories by the Nazi party (Hitler's own party), he was appointed as chancellor of Germany in 1933. This was the beginning of his rise to power, as he was able to not only be present in the government, but at such a high position too. -
First concentration camp opens in Germany
The first concentration camp called 'Dachau' was one of the first concentration camps built and ended up being one of the longest running camps. This camp was made for Hitler's enemies, such as communists or people who were political prisoners. These people were considered enemies of the state, and were forced to do labor, and ended up suffering from the poor conditions. This was only the beginning of the eventual hundreds of camps about to be built. -
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Italy vs. Ethopia
Ethiopia was one out of the two independent countries in Africa, however, this did not stop Italy from trying to invade it. They had brought numerous weapons such as poisonous gas, flame throwers, as well as concentration camps in order to take over the country. There were deliberate attacks on the country sent by Italy on the hospitals, and thousands of citizens died because of this. -
Hitler sends his troops to the Rhineland
Hitler had sent 20,000 troops to Rhineland, an area that was supposed to be a neutral zone for military warfare and fighting. It was a strip of land that bordered France, Belgium, as well as the Netherlands. It ended up strengthening Hitler's power as the leader of Germany. -
Japan commits the “R*pe of Nanjing”
In the span of 6 weeks, Japan invaded Nanjing in order to brutally murder thousands of people living in Nanjing. This ranged from citizens, to soldiers. It was a mass killing that was apart of the Sino-Japanese war for Japan to dominate China, a puppet government was formed afterwards. This would end up ruling over Nanjing until the end of WW2. -
Germany & Austria join in the “Anschluss”
The annexation of Austria into apart of the Federal Reich of Nazi Germany at the time. German troops marched into Austria, and it was one of the first few steps Hitler made in order to create the German empire he had always dreamed of. It was apart of the plan to regain the land that his country lost during WW1. -
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Munich Conference grants Hitler control of the Sudetenland
A settlement between Great Britain, France, and Italy that allowed Germany to annex Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia. Adolf continued to make speeches about Germans in Czechoslovakia needing to come back to Germany in order to be reunited with their homeland. While it bought time for the allies to prepare for the incoming war, it allowed Hitler to pursue in totalitarianism states. -
Hitler & Stalin announce the Nazi-Soviet Pact
A non-aggression pact made between Hitler and Stalin. The two men had agreed that they would not attack each other's countries, which had combined the world's two most secretive leaders at the time together to make a bad idea. A 10 year long pact, and with their influence, they allowed to spread Nazi propaganda across their countries. -
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Hitler invades Poland
Marking the beginning of World War One, Nazi Germany had decided to invade Poland and a small part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union helped to invade Poland, because of the bond Nazi Germany and their country had. Nazi Germany had a strong military influence over Poland, which allowed France and Great Britain to officially declare war on Nazi Germany. Poland had lost 5 million citizens, and Nazi Germany spread propaganda stating Poland was holding Germans hostage. -
Leon Trotsky killed
Leon Trotsky was a Russian Revolutionist, and he had already been exiled by the Soviet Union for being one. When Stalin emerged as leader of the USSR, Trotsky had decided against his order and constantly criticized his rule and the way he worked. He was killed because Stalin knew that Trotsky's beliefs contradicted his own, so he killed him by hiring an assassin on him. -
Japan invades Vietnam
With Japan's ongoing war with China, they had hoped to close off their supply of materials and weapons from other countries when invading Vietnam. They began to strike against the allies in Vietnam, as well as Southeast Asia. They had remained in Vietnam, occupying it until the end of WW2. Japan had completely shaped Vietnam's history in the span of their 5 year occupation there. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan dropped a surprise military strike at Honolulu. They had intended for this attack to be precise, trying to interfere with the military forces at Hawaii in order to meddle with the military actions in Southeast Asia. Not only did soldiers die at Pearl Harbor, tons of military equipment had been destroyed because of the consequences of the bomb. -
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Japan's invasion of the Philippines
The Japanese looked at the Philippines as a good way to expand their territory, their island resources were one of the objectives. Also, the country itself didn't have the best military, allowing Japan to easily take it over. It prevented the allies from placing bases near Southeast Asia, allowing Japan to continue to conquer the majority of the region of Asia.