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Treaty of Versailles is signed
Held Germany responsible for starting WW1 but didn’t resolve the issues that led to the war in the first place. The Treaty of Versailles inflicted punishments on Germany and caused the economy to suffer. It ultimately led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. -
The Weimar Republic is established in Germany
The Weimar Republic was the government in Germany after WW1. during the time that the Weimar Republic was in power there was so much chaos that it allowed Hitler to obtain his power more easily. It fundamentally set the stage for Hitler. -
The League of Nation is created
The League of Nations solve conflicts between countries before they could result in warfare. It had trouble declaring their authority and ultimately failed and disassembled. The United Nations was formed out of the League of Nations. -
French occupation of the Ruhr
France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr in response to Germany not paying the reparations stated in the Treaty of Versailles. French and Belgium wanted to use the resources from the Ruhr to make up for the unpaid payments. Goods from Germany became very expensive while the French occupied the Ruhr, which resulted in hyperinflation. -
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler's attempt at taking over the government in Bavaria. This attempt failed and Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison for treason but he was only there less than a year. This turned him into a national figure. -
The Dawes Plan is created
This was the arrangement for Germany's payments of reparations for causing WW1. It was designed to take Weimar Germany out of hyperinflation and stabilize the economy. -
Benito Mussolini becomes dictator of Italy
Benito Mussolini was a fascist politician who was allied with Hitler during WW2. He hoped that Hitler’s power would build up his leadership. While in power Mussolini had anti-fascist arrested and sentenced to prison without trial. -
The Locarno Treaties are signed
The Locarno Treaties were an agreement signed in an effort to make people and other European countries more confident in Germany. It contained letting Germany into the League of Nations, demilitarization of Rhineland, and securing borders of nations in Europe. -
The Kellogg-Briand Pact is signed
This was an agreement to outlaw war. It was created in an attempt to prevent another world war. Eventually nearly every nation agreed to settle disputes peacefully. However , as we know it was not successful. -
Beginning of the Great Depression
The great depression started with the crash of the stock market and was worsened by the dust bowl. The great depression was the longest economic downturn in history. -
Japan invaded Manchuria
This was one of the first steps toward WW2. Japan invaded Manchuria, violating all treaty commitments. Initially Japan wanted to overtake Manchuria in an effort to deal with their overpopulation problem. -
Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany
Hitler obtained more power over Germany when president Paul von Hindenburg named him chancellor. Hitler obtained his political popularity by addressing peoples frustration with the economy after the great war. -
Italy invaded Ethiopia
Benito Mussolini, became determined to show the power of his government. In order to do this, he invaded Ethiopia, whose people were no match for Italy's weapons and machinery. They were eventually captured and became part of the Italian Empire. -
Germany reoccupied the Rhineland
This invasion was violating the treaty of Versailles. Hitler sent troops to Rhineland in retaliation for a treaty that France signed. Hitler felt that the treaty was hostile. -
Creation of the Rome-Berlin Axis
The Spanish civil war resulted in a new alliance between Germany and Italy; it was named the Rome-Berlin axis. The agreement informally connected the two fascist countries. -
Creation of the Anti-Comintern Pact
An agreement between Germany, Japan, and eventually Italy. The Anti- Comintern pact detailed that if any of the countries who signed it became involved in a war against the Soviet Union, the other signatories would remain neutral. It also stated that none of the signatories would have political treaties with the Soviet Union. -
Germany’s anschluss with Austria
German troops marched into Austria to claim it since Hitler wanted to unite with other German speaking nations. Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg was manipulated by Hitler into naming Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and eventually resigning. -
Signing of the Munich Agreement
After Hitler's anschluss withAustria, he then wanted to do the same to a region of Czechoslovakia, Sudetenland. To prevent another war, the Munich Agreement was signed, allowing Hitler to annex this area of Czechoslovakia, as long as he agreed to end there. Majority of Europe were in favour of this agreement as it prevented the war that Hitler threatened. -
Germany occupied Czechoslovakia
After signing the Munich agreement, Hitler violated its terms. He invaded and captured all areas of Czechoslovakia. Even though his actions were in violation of the terms of the Munich Agreement, Germany faced no consequences. -
Creation of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
After WWII broke out, Germany and the Soviet Union signed an agreement, where they agreed to take no military action against each other for 10 years. This allowed Germany to invade Poland without persecution. The agreement contained secret terms, detailing how Russia and Germany would divide up Eastern Europe. Germany broke this pact by invading the Soviet Union in 1941. -
Germany invaded Poland
German troops invaded Poland violating the Munich act. This showed that the attempted accommodation towards Hitler had failed. This was the official beginning of WWII. -
Britain declared war on Germany
when Germany invaded Poland, Britain realized that its attempt to uphold peace had failed. In response to Hitler's invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Britain felt that they had no choice but to go to war.
