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Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Some historians argue that this could be the true beginning of WWII. President Paul von Hindenburg named Adolf Hitler the chancellor of Germany in an attempt to ease political tensions. This became a turning point for Germany and the world as Hitler slowly gained power and took control of Germany. -
Period: to
World War II
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Kristallnacht
The "night of broken glass" refers to a night of violence and massacre by German civilians and military forces alike against Jews. It's estimated that 91 Jewish people were murdered and an additional 30,000 were arrested and incarcerated. This is regarded as the beginning of the Holocaust. -
The Nonaggression Pact
This was a pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in which they agreed not to take any military action against each other for the next 10 years. Stalin viewed this as a way to have time to build up his military while being at peace with Germany, Hitler saw this as a way for Germany to invade Poland unopposed. -
Invasion of Poland
This is the true beginning of WWII as German forces bombard Poland as Hitler is seeking to ultimately rule Poland. This was a demonstation of how Hitler intedned to use blitzkrieg warfare, which was having massive bombing followed by a massive land invasion. Poland was essentially crushed by this, and Great Britain would respond three days later by issuing bombing raids over Germany. -
Britan and France Declare War
Honoring their promise made to Poland, Britain and France declare war of Germany as a result of its invasion. This was significant in symbolizing the importance of the Ally system in the entirety of WWII -
Hitler Promises Peace
In return for being given Sudetenland, Hitler promises to leave the rest of Czechoslvakia alone. This, of course, will prove to be untrue. In May of 1939, Hitler would back out of this promise and take all of Czechoslavakia. -
Hitler Seizes the Low Countries
Nazi Germany is truly beginning to take over Europe. Hitler leads his armies to conquer Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. This occurs at the height of Nazi power and is important to Hitler's mission of seizing the entire world as a part of his plans for world domination and the creation of a "German master race". -
France Surrenders
France is crushed by German forces and the new blitzkrieg style of warfare that Hitler has enforced. Eventually, France surrenders and agrees to sign an armistice. France falling theGermany now means that Great Britain is standing alone against the Axis powers. -
The Arsenal of Democracy
Preisdent Roosevelt delivered a fireside chat to the American people where he discussed an "arsenal of democracy". This chat was important in uniting the American people against the Nazi forces. When he spoke, he promised that the U.S. would provide military supplies to the United Kingdom while remaining "out of the war". In reality though, this was drawing very clear lines between ally and axis powers. -
U.S. Seizing Axis Ships
The United States Coast Guard begins to seize German ships that sail into American ports, and keep them in "protective custody". At this point, the United States is still claiming to be somewhat "neutral" in the war. But this is another example of them clearly choosing a side in the war. -
Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad began with the millions of German soldiers flooding into Soviet Russia and making huge advances. Then winter hit, and the Germans would suffer immensely for months afterwards. This would mark the beginning of the end for the German offensive. There would still be three more years of war, but this was a definite turning point in opposition of Germany. -
North African Campaign
This was the first major Ally offensive. British and U.S. armies attacked Axis power African corps. Victory for the Ally forces in this campaign lead to the Italian Campaign. This would lead the the fall of Fascist Italy and the elimination of a German ally. -
D-Day
Generl Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States lead U.S. and Allied troops into Normandy. The armies would then battle through France and Belgium, then on into Germany. Meanwhile, Russian troops fought from the East. This was truly the beginning of the end of the war. In less than a year, Germany would surrender to Ally powers. -
The Yalta Conference
This was a meeting between the heads of government of the United States, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. The meeting was mostly intended to work on re-establishing the nations after such a destructive war. This layed out that Germany must totally surrender, would be split up into occupation zones, and they would be completely demilitarized. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Adolft Hitler committed suicide by a gunshot to the head on April 30th. By this time, the German forces were on the verge of completely collapsing. Hitler had heard earlier of Mussolini's death and feared that his own would become the same sort of spectacle. From here, the continued downfall of Nazi Germany was inevitable.
