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Treaty of Versailles created
http://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Versailles-1919
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the main causes of WWll, as it instilled large amounts of anger and frustration into the German people. This is also one of the key reasons why Hitler was accepted by the people; he chose not to follow the Treaty and the people liked that. -
Hitler Appointed Chancellor
On January 30th, 1933, Germany appointed HItler as chancellor. After all they had been through with the Treaty of Versailles, they needed strength and reassurance that they would not be back stabbed again. -
Hitler Becomes Der Fuhrer
Hitler becoming fuhrer, or leader, was a large turning point in his route to success. Once he gained this title, the German army had to pledge complete allegiance to their new leader, and the last remaining portion of the democratic government was finally destroyed to make room for Hitler's Third Reich. -
Germany occupies Rhineland
On this day, Hitler, once again, went against the Treaty of Versailles. This was one of Hitler's first steps in his path to war, as he first took over Rhineland, then followed this up with Austria and Czechoslovakia, marking the start of WWll. -
Munich Agreement Takes Place
http://www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Agreement
The Munich Agreement was a large step for the Nazi Party because they were able to manipulate their way into getting what they wanted. Leaders at the Munich Conference chose appeasement because they believed Hitler would keep his promises, which he did not do. -
Kristallnacht Begins
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201
Kristallnacht is an important part of the events prior to WWll, as it was one of the first severe acts of violence to the Jewish citizens. On this night, Germans, believing Hitler's words about Jews being the enemy, went around torturing and harassing Jewish citizens and their homes and businesses. This marked the start of the discrimination and hate the Jewish people would face because of Hitler. -
Germany Takes Over Czechoslovakia
When the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia, it was one of Hitler's main acts of betrayal. Not long before this, Hitler promised he had no further plans to expand Germany in the Munich Conference, and this is why leaders gave him Sudetenland without a fight. Hitler later broke his promise, took the rest of Czechoslovakia, and causes Western democracies to drop their policies of appeasement. -
German-Italian Pact of Steel
The Pact of Steel was developed between Hitler and Mussolini, because each side was afraid of the other. Germany and Italy became bound not only politically but through the military. This was significant as it eventually led to the creation of the Axis Powers. -
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The creation of the Nazi-Soviet pact, between the two enemies Stalin and Hitler stunned many people. Like the Pact of Steel, both Stalin and Hitler feared each other. Stalin feared fascism and Hitler feared communism, so they believed that ultimately it was best to developed an agreement not to battle each other. -
Germany Invades Poland
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland not only by land but air as well. This was a prime example of Hitler's main "blitzkrieg" war strategy. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, as their trust in Hitler was already beginning to diminish greatly. -
USSR Attacks Finland
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ussr-attacks-finland
In 1939, the Red Army crossed the border with 465,000 men and over 1,000 aircraft. The USSR also believed this would be an easy defeat for them. President Roosevelt provided $10 million dollars to Finland, claiming it was because they were the only ones that paid back their WWl debt. -
Germany Invades Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, and France
This was the day Hitler began his attacks on the western fronts. German troops made their way into Belgium and Holland, while 2,500 planes placed bombs throughout Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Holland. Also on this day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill took his place. -
The Axis Powers Are Formed
Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers in September 1940. Germany believed that the western democracies were extremely weak, while Japan and Italy were attempting to strengthen their empires and gain land. Japan believed that they deserved an empire equal to the ones in the Western Powers. Since they all found weakness in the Allies, they decided to come together to form almost an alliance. -
Germany Invades USSR
In June 1941, Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact and invaded the Soviet Union in what was called Operation Barbarossa. Stalin was caught completely off guard and his army was not even prepared for battle because they were still suffering from Stalin's great purges. The Soviets lost over two million soldiers, until Hitler's army was stalled due to the freezing cold winter in Russia, and thousands of Hitler's men froze to death. -
German Surrender at Stalingrad
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-surrender-at-stalingrad
The German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad was a huge turning point for the Soviet Union and for WWll as a whole. Before the battle took place, Hitler was confident that it would be an easy win, but that was not the case. First, Hitler's men surrounded the city, but once again, they were no match for the powerful winter in Russia. The Soviets were able to surround the German army, and Germany was forced to surrender. -
Italians Overthrow Mussolini
As the Allies were quickly eliminating all their enemies, Italy was one of their many stops, and it only took a month for them to be defeated. After the defeat, the Italians overthrew Mussolini. Hitler tried to step in by sending German troops to rescue him, but he ended up being weakened because he had to fight on another front. -
Yalta Conference
At the Yalta Conference, the "Big Three," Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill, met up to plan out strategies. Stalin agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan within three months of Germany's surrender, and that he would hold free elections. In exchange, Churchill and Roosevelt told him he could have southern Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, and part of Korea. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-commits-suicide-in-his-underground-bunker
In 1945, Adolf Hitler escaped to an underground bunker, swallowed a cyanide capsule, and shot himself. It is said that both Hitler and his wife Eva committed suicide the same way that night in a double suicide, and their bodies were later discovered by Russian troops. He was not declared dead until 1956. -
Germany Officially Surrenders
By May 1945, the Allies had officially done too much damage and the Axis Powers really had nothing left. Russia started to close in on Berlin, and Mussolini was eventually captured and executed. On May 7th, 1945, without their main leader by their side, the Germans surrendered. -
V-E Day
V-E Day, also known as Victory in Europe, was a celebrated holiday after the Germans surrendered. The Allies were successful in demolishing the majority of the plans of the Axis Powers, Mussolini was executed, and Hitler, along with his "thousand year Reich" were gone. V-E Day became a celebration for the people because they could finally say WWll was over.
