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Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles was an important peace treaty that signified the end of WWI. This treaty had many harsh terms that were imposed on Germany in order to limit their economic recovery following the war. This caused their economic system to collapse, and created motivations that led towards WWII. -
The Weimar Republic is established in Germany
The Weimar Republic was the democratic government in Germany from August 1919, until the beginning of 1933, when it was overthrown by Hitler's Nazi government. This government was very unstable, and had many economic and political crises throughout it. -
The League of Nations is created
The League of Nations was created and became the first worldwide intergovernmental organization with a goal to maintain peace. However, after the United States refused to join, it's success diminished, as well as its support. It eventually disbanded in 1946, but was later reintroduced as the United Nations. -
French Occupation of the Ruhr
One of the terms stated in the Treaty of Versailles was that Ruhr (the area of land bordering Belgium, Germany, and France) was not to be occupied by the French or German army. However, after Germany stopped making their reparation payments, French soldiers invaded the area, angering the German people. -
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Haul Putsch was an attempted takeover of the Weimar Republic by Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff, and their followers. They were thrown in jail, but only further gained both popularity and support throughout Germany. -
The Dawes Plan is created
The Dawes Plan was a plan created to resolve the issues of Germany's inability to pay their WWI reparation payments. Essentially, the United States loaned money to Germany, allowing them to make their reparation payments, and in exchange the French removed their troops from Ruhr. This plan eventually failed though, due to the Great Depression and bankruptcy. -
Benito Mussolini becomes dictator of Italy
Mussolini was originally appointed Prime Minister in 1922. Once this occurred, however, he began dismantling all democratic government, eliminating his competition and opposition. This influenced Hitler to eventually becoming dictator of Germany. -
The Locarno Treaties are signed
The Locarno Treaties were a pact signed to decrease the likelihood of another World War. Germany would be allowed to rebuild and recover, in exchange of a promise to not go to war again. This plan then allowed Hitler to gain power and strength in Germany without interference. -
The Kellogg-Briand Pact is signed
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement to outlaw war, in an attempt to prevent countries from using war to solve disputes. This was signed by most nations involved in WWI, including France, Germany, the United States, and Britain. However this pact was broken by Hitler in 1939, beginning WWII. -
Beginning of the Great Depression
The Great Depression began with Black Thursday, the day of the stock market crash, causing a huge worldwide economic crises. It continued well into the 1930's. Dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini took advantage of this, and rose to power in Germany and Italy. -
Japan invaded Manchuria
While Japan was facing an economic crisis, they became desperate for more resources and powers. They then decided to invade Manchuria, a region within China rich in coal and iron. After capturing this region their dependancy on the United States decreased, as they no longer needed to purchase their resources. This event highlighted the ineffectiveness of The League of Nations, as Japan faced no consequences for the Invasion of Manchuria. -
Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany
On January 30, 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg named Hitler Chancellor of Germany, in an attempt to stabilize Germany's economy and political crises. Hitler immediately introduced his plan, to eliminate politics and create a powerful and united one-party state. This plan was supported throughout Germany, allowing Hitler to quickly become a dictator. -
Italy invaded Ethiopia
Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, became determined to show the strength of his regime. Because of this, he invaded Ethiopia, whose people were no match for Italy's weapons and machinery. They were soon captured and became part of the Italian Empire. -
Germany reoccupied the Rhineland
One of the terms in the Treaty of Versailles, was that Germany was forbidden to occupy an area within their own country, the Rhineland. However in March of 1936, Hitler reinstated his troops, violating the treaty. Once again, The League of Nations did nothing, proving themselves ineffective, and allowing Hitler to continue gaining power. -
Creation of the Rome-Berlin Axis
On October 25, 1936, Germany and Italy became allies, as they were both dictatorships with similar worldviews. They later became known as Axis Powers, and eventually allied with Japan. -
Creation of the Anti-Comintern Pact
A month after the signing of the Rome-Berlin Axis another pact was signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan, called the Anti-Comintern Pact. This was an agreement to fight against communist countries, essentially meaning it was an alliance against Russia. This created tensions, causing Russia to fight with the Allied Powers in WWII. -
Germany’s anschluss with Austria
Another term stated in The Treaty of Versailles, was that Germany was forbidden from having an alliance with Austria. However, Hitler believed that they should be united, as did much of Austria. Hitler then invaded Germany, and instead of being met with opposition, he was met with enthusiasm. Austria and Germany then became allies. -
Signing of the Munich Agreement
After Hitler's alliance and annexation of Austria, 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 decided to violate its terms, invading and capturing all areas of Czechoslovakia. Even though this was a direct 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 the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. This pact allowed Germany to invade Poland without oppression and also contained secret terms, outlining how Russia and Germany would later divide up Eastern Europe. But in 1941, Germany broke this pact by invading the Soviet Union. -
Germany invaded Poland
German troops invaded Poland. It was a direct violation of the Munich act, proving that the attempted appeasement towards Hitler had failed. This was the official beginning of WWII. -
Britain declared war on Germany
In response to Hitler's invasion on Germany, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Britain and Germany revealed that their attempts towards peace and appeasement had failed, and that going to war was no longer a choice. WWII had officially begun.
