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Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy (political)
Benito Mussolini, a socialist ww1 vet, ditches the socialist party in order to create a nationalist right wing (fascist) party in Italy. The new party uses terror to intimidate their opponents on the left. -
Treaty of Versailles is signed (political and economical)
Took place during the Paris Peace Conference at the Palace of Versailles in which the allied and associated powers and Germany signed a treaty signifying the end of World War 1. The events of this led Germany to be unhappy as they had to pay a lot of reparations and were the scapegoat for the first world war -
Hitler joins the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) (political)
While still in the military, Adolf Hitler gets assigned to investigate the German Workers Party. After speaking up against someone in favor of the current government, the people of the party give Hitler a pamphlet and invite him back. After reading the pamphlet Hitler realized he identifies with many of their views and that the party could be turned into a movement to meet his needs. -
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Washington Naval Conference (Political)
An organized meeting in Washington DC between the world’s largest naval powers to discuss disarmament and relieving tensions. Japan and the UK were the two biggest powerhouses besides the United States. By the end of the conference, three major treaties had emerged; the five power treaty, four power treaty, and nine power treaty. -
Mussolini threatened to march on Rome (Political and Social)
After accumulating forces that supported his goal and joined his political party, Mussolini threatened to march on rome and take over the government through violence if they did not willingly give up power. The government’s slow reaction allowed local governments to be taken over and thousands to march armed into rome. The King at the time then decided to dissolve the government and make Mussolini prime minister. -
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Hitler attempts to overthrow the Weimar government (Beer Hall Putsch) (Political)
Hitler planned to take over the Bavarian state government and start a larger fight against the Weimar republic by kidnapping Bavarian officials. Hitler and his supporters marched into a beer hall where one of the politicians was addressing a crowd and took the officials hostage. The putsch then failed when Hitler left the hall to deal with other business and the man watching the leaders let them leave. -
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Hitler goes to prison and writes Mein Kampf (social)
After the failed Beer Hall Putsch, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in Landsberg Prison. Facing backlash from his supporters on the outside, the government ended up reducing hitler’s sentence to a little less than one year. During his time in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf translated to “my struggles”, an autobiography where he rants about the Jews and outlines his future plans and beliefs. -
Kellogg Briand Pact (Political)
the Kellogg Briand Pact was a large attempt at keeping the peace, mainly negotiated between France and the US. The pact hoped to bring the US into a bind where they would be forced to help if a resurgence of German aggression came up again since the US did not join the League of Nations. The pact also hoped for disputes to be settled peacefully and not by war. -
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Japan occupies Manchuria, China (political)
Japan starting taking strategic points in the province of Manchuria, clearly planning to take control over the whole of Manchuria. Japan stated that they had no intent to take territory in china even though they kept doing it regardless. The League of Nations proceeded to condemn Japan calling them out for their actions. This event showed that the League of Nations couldn’t enforce their “power” as they did little to impact the situation except call out Japan for what they were doing. -
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Geneva Disarmament Conference (social and political)
Sixty countries got together for a very unsuccessful conference of reducing armaments. Germany already had to reduce forces from the Treaty of Versailles and said they wouldn’t do anything unless the other countries did the same. France wouldn’t agree on anything unless an international police force was established. when they met again, Hitler was in charge. He rejected anything that didn’t equal out the ground and decided to withdraw from the conference as well as the league of nations. -
Hitler places second in German national elections for president (political)
After former president Paul Von Hindenburg reluctantly decided to run for president one last time, Hitler too competed for office. The first election had Hindenburg the winner but with not enough majority for anything to happen so they had a run-off election. Hindenburg became president again and after a spew of violent uprisings and increasing pressure, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. -
Germany withdraws from League of Nations (social and political)
After failing to negotiate with the rest of the nations at the Geneva Conference, the Hitler-controlled Germany decided to leave the conference as well as the league of nations because their demands were not being met. Hitler wanted everyone to be equal with force reduction, but the other countries would not agree to it. -
President von Hindenburg dies (social)
President Von Hindenburg unsurprisingly dies from old age, putting Adolf Hitler in the office of the president as well as the chancellor. -
Hitler merges offices chancellor & president (political)
After former president Hindenburg dies, Hitler becomes both president and chancellor. With the massive power he then amounted, he abolished the office of the president and declared himself Fuhrer of Germany. Hitler now had no limitations to his power and was essentially the dictator of the country. -
Great Depression ends in Germany (economical)
Hitler’s economics minister began making big improvements towards fixing the German economy. Germany was forced to focus on itself, by being forbidden to send money out of Germany and restricting many imports in order for the country to become self reliant. Other projects from public works like the autobahn highway also played a big part in ending the Great Depression in Germany. -
Mussolini invaded Ethiopia (political)
Mussolini, like Hitler, wanted to expand his land and empire to get stronger. The invasion of Ethiopia was supposed to help Italian prestige because their previous losses and incidents with the African country wounded it. These incidents also were used by Mussolini to rationalize why he was invading Ethiopia, besides the fact that the resources would help them through the Great Depression. -
Hitler militarizes the Rhineland (political)
Before Hitler re militarized the Rhineland, it was declared off limits for troops in the Treaty of Versailles, which Germany signed. Germany under Hitler however did not care about the treaty and renounced it, declaring to get back at the allied forces who put the unfair regulations on Germany in the first place. This was one of the first steps in Hitler’s rapid expansion of power. -
Hitler signs alliance with Mussolini (social and political)
Amongst the rest of Europe, these two fascist countries had similar ideals and their cooperation was almost inevitable. This agreement wasn’t fully formal until both countries signed the pact of steel a few years later. The agreement was on the other hand the beginning of the formation of what would come to be known as the axis powers in the second world war. -
Italy withdraws from League of Nations (political)
After talking with Hitler, Mussolini had become convinced that Germany was the only country Italy would need as an ally to be successful in the future. The league of nations also imposed sanctions on Italy for invading Abyssinia. Consequently, Italy became unhappy and left the league after Germany left. -
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Japanese invasion of China (political)
Conflicts started to begin up again once China started showing resistance to Japanese influence. Japan firstly kept rapidly expanding into China until both countries reached a stalemate. The stalemate was later broke when the allied forces came to help China in the war on the pacific and Japan eventually surrendered. -
Hitler and Nazi Germany annexed Austria (social political and economical)
There was word being spread that Hitler was planning on annexing Austria violently, so the leader of Austria at the time set out to talk to Hitler. Things didn’t go to well for Austria and they were bullied to the point where the chancellor resigned and pleaded that no one resist when Germany invaded. Hitler then invaded and turned Austria into a Nazi government. -
Hitler and Nazi Germany gain Sudetenland (political)
Hitler, after taking over Austria and reoccupying the Rhineland, told Britain and France that was he was done expanding. After meeting with the leader of Britain at the time, he asked for Sudetenland and he agreed to give Sudetenland to Hitler as long as he didn't invade Czechoslovakia because they wanted to avoid war at all costs. -
Hitler occupies Czechoslovakia (political)
Hitler lied to the Prime Minister of Britain and after getting Sudetenland, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia fully. No One did anything because France and Britain at the time were not ready to attack Germany, but they agreed that if he invaded Poland, that it would be too far and they would help out. -
Hitler and Stalin sign Non-Aggression Pact (political and social)
Hitler wanted to make taking over Poland was as easy as possible, so he went into action to sign an agreement with the USSR to make sure that his interests were not opposed. Stalin also wanted time to build his military without having to worry about Germany so they both got their way for a time. -
Germany invades Poland (political and social)
The start of World War II. Hitler wanted to take back the land Germany lost and attacks Poland using his “blitzkrieg” strategy of bombing excessively and quickly and then moving infantry in to finish the job. Unpreparedness and miscalculations on Poland’s side led Germany to have even more of an upper hand taking over. -
Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany (political and social)
After promising to help out Poland and fight against Germany if they invaded Poland, the two countries declare war on Germany. -
France surrenders and is occupied by Nazi Germany (political)
Germany and the Nazis were having success invading France and had already taken Paris. The prime minister was then replaced and is telling everyone that he is going to sign a pact with the nazis, surrendering France. -
Japan Italy and Germany sign the Tripartite Pact (social and political)
The official forming of the axis powers that said that assistance will be provided to each other if attacked by another country not yet in the war. That specifically was aimed at America who was currently neutral. The pact also talked about how after the war, Italy and Germany will be in control of a “new europe” and Japan gets majority of East Asia.
