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Fascist Party
Benito Mussolini creates the fascist party -
Great Depression
Great Depression hits Germany the hardest because of the statements in the Treaty of Versailles. -
Hitler comes to power
Hitler dominates German Reichstag and is elected Chancellor of Germany. -
Hitler denounces Treaty of Versailles
Hitler publicly denounces Versailles, begins to re-arm Germany -
League of Nations problem
Italy conquers Ethiopia; Ethiopians look to League of Nations for help, but nations were too distracted by the Great Depression -
Rome-Berlin Axis
Germany & Italy form military alliance due to common interests: • dominating Europe and establishing large empires • destruction of Soviet communism -
Hitler's Dream
• German military occupation of the Rhineland • Hitler’s “dream”: to unite all German speaking peoples in Europe in 1 country -
• Munich Pact
o Hitler wanted Sudetenland: German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia (3 mil ethnic Germans) o France & Britain (led by UK prime minister Neville Chamberlain) meet w Hitler in Munich, Germany o 1938: Munich Pact awards Hitler the Sudetenland (& control over most of Czech economy) In exchange Hitler says he’ll stop taking over land o Chamberlain: we achieved “piece in our time” -
Annexation
annexation of Austria in 1938 (Austria gave in to avoid war) -
WWII begins
• September 1,1939: Adolf Hitler invades Poland and break Munich Pact • Hitler’s “justification” invading Poland would give Germany “extra living space” • France & Britain declare war on Germany, Italy declares war on Britain & France, and WWII is in full swing
