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Mussolini takes power in Italy
Mussolini was elected in 1922 and was quick to turn italy into a dictatorship. With total control, Mussolini teamed up with Hitler and fought along side him through out World War II. -
U.S. Stock Market Crashes
The stock market crash, also known as "Black Tuesday," ended the roaring '20's and sent the united states into the worst economic status in history. Because many foreign economies depended on the U.S; this terrible day effected the entire world's economic status. -
Japan seizes Manchuria
The population in Japan was growing rapidly and they needed a place to expand. Against the goverments demands, the nationalists invaded Manchuria and took control. The goverment again ordered them to stop but the nationalists refused, demenstrating not only their power but the weakness in the Japanese government. -
FDR is elected president
After blaming Hoover for the Great Depression, the american people were eager to find hope in their new president. FDR tried many approaches to recovering the country and was extremely successful. Because of his focus on the nation and not foreign affairs, the U.S. was able to stay out of war for a very long time. -
Hitler is named chancellor of Germany
After promising the German people a way out of the debt from WWI, Hitler had complete control. Using this control Hitler wasted no time invading country after country in order to create his "perfect race." -
Hitler defies the Treaty of Versailles
Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 but Hitler proceeded to defy it. The German's were willing to break their promises in order to follow Hitler, who promised the German people everything they wanted. -
Italy invade Ethiopia
Using disputes about the Ethiopian and Italian border as an excuse, Mussolini launched an invasion that the weak Ethiopian forces could not stop. Italy easily conquered. This exposed the weakness of the league of nations. -
Germany militarizes the Rhineland
Although it was against the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland. France was alarmed but refused to take military action against the Germans. -
Civil War erupts in Spain
Fighting broke out between the facist nationalists and the republicans in Spain in 1936. This fighting was mainly due to the wishes of nationalists Francisco Franco. Both sides recieved aid from opposing countries, in the end Franco won and the country fell into the hands of a facist dictator. -
Japan invades China
Slaughtering 300,000 in Nanjing alone, this invasion by Japan not only broke promises made at the Washington Naval Conference in the early 1920's but also created an alliance between Italy, Germany, and Japan. -
Anschluss
Hitler attempted to force Austria into a union with Germany. Although Austria refused, they did little else to stop Hitler. This gave Hitler a sense of being unable to be defeated by anyone. -
Munich Conference
Hitler decided he wanted the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. In order to avoid conflict, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier met and allowed Hitler to annex the land. Czechoslovakia had no represemtatives in Munich. -
Kristalinacht
"The Night of the Broken Glass" was an act of hate against the jewish people brought on by Hitler and the Nazi's. This event was only the beginning of the torture the jewish population was about to face. -
Nazi- Soviet Pact
The pact stated that Russia would not attack Germany. Russia backing out of the war was hard on Allies because the amount of troops were much needed. -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler took a German criminal, dressed him in a Poland uniform, and shot him at the Polish German border. Claiming the German's had been attacked Hitler invaded Poland. -
U.S. Neutrality Act
As a way to avoid being pulled back into war, Congress passed the Neutrality Act in 1935. -
Phony War
Also known as "sitzkrieg," this time event occured in the winter or 1939-40. After France and Britain had declared war on Germany, their strategy was simply to let the Germans try to break their forces, thinking it would greatly damage them. Little did they know, the Germans wouldnt attack at all during this winter, they would actually be plotting an invasion through a part of France which had very little military resistance, the Ardennes Forest. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
The Germans had just launched a brutal attack in France against French, Belgian, and British forces, trapping hundreds of thousands of them at the french port of Dunkirk, including nearly all British forces in France. Heroically, allied ships and even hundreds of civilian boats arrives to save almost 340,000 troops. This rescue provided vital to Britain's defence in the upcoming battle. -
Churchill is Elected Prime Minister in England
Churchill had a great gift for encouraging and instilling confidence in the people. Even through the terror that the Battle of Britain inflicted, Churchill managed to keep the spirits high and lead them to win the battle. -
France Surrenders
As the Germans were capturing the Netherlands and Belgium, the surprise attack through the dense Ardennes Forest was being carried out. This attack met little resistance from the French, as the Germans easily progressed through the Maginot Line and captured Paris. The area not occupied by Germany was then made into a German puppet goverment, called Vichy France. -
Battle of Britain
Germany planned to invade Great Britain by taking out the RAF but failed. Instead, Germany bombed London in an attempt to scare the public and cause them to lose their will to fight. The war ended and Germany had failed. -
Lend- Lease Act
Congress passed this act which allowed the nation to send weapons to Great Britain regardless of its ability to pay. Making this deal raised Congresses hope that by supplying our ally with the necessary weapons to fight and defeat Germany, we would not have to enter the war. -
Japan seizes French Indo China
In order to punish Japan the U.S. placed a large embargo on Japeneses oil. Hideki Tojo took control of the Japanese goverment after this even and played a big role in WWII due to his unwillingness to compromise anything. -
Atlantic Charter
the Atlantic Charter was a joint proclamation resulting in an agreement between Britain and the United States to fight the Axis Powers. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
This unexpected Japanese attack on the American port in Hawaii killed nearly 2400 Americans and injured over 1000 more. This devastating defeat to the United States directly led to the US declaration of war against Japan on the very next day.
