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Kingdom of Yugoslavia
During World War I there was great pressure to unite the Southern Slavs of Europe--the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, and form a nation whose slogan would be "Brotherhood and Unity." Ideologically this may have seemed appropriate since all are descendants of Slavs who settled the southeastern region of Europe and are therefore regarded as an immediate ethnic family. However, that is the extent of the similarities between these three groups of people. There is no one universal language or religion. -
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Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland, the Polish state was created in 1918, in the aftermath of World War I. It continued to exist until 1939, despite both internal and external pressures, when Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany. -
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Polish Soviet War
One of the most easily overlooked, yet momentous short wars of the 20th century was the swift-moving clash between the post-World War I Polish Republic and Russia's brand-new Bolshevik regime of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Reaching a climax during the summer of 1920, the Russo-Polish War is often regarded as the final episode of the Russian Civil War. -
Treaty of St. Germaine
The Treaty of St. Germain, strictly the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye, was signed with Austria after World War One had ended. The treaty was signed on September 10th 1919. Austria had allied with Germany during World War One. At the start of the war the country was commonly referred to as Austro-Hungary in reference to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, by September 1919, the empire had collapsed and Austria as an individual entity had come into existence. -
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Polish Lithuanian War
The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius, and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny. The conflict was largely shaped by the progress in the Polish–Soviet War and international efforts to mediate at the Conference of Ambassadors and later the League of Nations. -
Treaty of Neuilly
The Treaty of Neuilly, strictly the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, was signed with Bulgaria after World War One had ended. The treaty was signed on November 27th 1919. As Bulgaria had been one of the allies of Germany during World War One, the victorious nations were in no mood to be either sympathetic or charitable to Bulgaria. As with the other settlements after the war, land was taken from Bulgaria and reparations were required. Western Thrace was handed over to the ‘Big Three’ nations. -
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was signed with Hungary after World War One had ended. The treaty was signed on June 4th 1920. The Treaty of Trianon stated clearly that “the Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Hungary accepts the responsibility of Hungary and her allies for causing the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Austria-Hungary and her allies.” -
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Kingdom of Hungary
Existed from 1000 to 1918, and then from 1920 to 1946, was a state and at times a major power in Central Europe. Situated between East and West and a significant player in the Balkans it often took the brunt of invasion and conquest. In 1241, it fell to the Mongol invasion of Europe but recovered independence when the Mongols withdrew. From 1541 until 1699 Hungary was divided between the Ottoman Empire and Austria. It is a predecessor state of the Republic of Hungary. -
Bulgarian Coup d'etat of 1923
The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923, also known as the 9 June coup d'état, was a coup d'état in Bulgaria implemented by armed forces under General Ivan Valkov's Military Union on the eve of 9 June 1923. Hestitantly legitimated by a decree of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria, it overthrew the government of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union headed by Aleksandar Stamboliyski and replaced it with one under Aleksandar Tsankov. -
War of the Stray Dog
ON 18 OCTOBER 1925, a Greek soldier serving at Demir Kapou pass on the Bulgarian frontier, strayed into Bulgarian territory in pursuit of a sentry dog and was shot and killed by Bulgarian sentries. The shooting was quickly followed by an exchange of fire between the border posts in which a Greek captain and another soldier were also killed, according to some sources, while trying to parley a ceasefire under a white flag. The incident sparked what became known as the "War of the Stray Dog." -
Black Tuesday Stock Market Crash
On October 29, 1929, investors rush to sell their stocks, which are falling in price. Stock prices plummet to new lows. The New York Stock Exchange is overwhelmed, and fortunes are lost. The day becomes known as Black Tuesday. Throughout the day, Seattle stock exchanges and local stockbroker's offices are "densely packed" with tense stockholders witnessing the crash. -
German Polish Non Agression Pact
An international treaty between Nazi Germany and the Second Polish Republic signed on January 26, 1934. According to the Pact, both countries pledged to resolve their problems through bilateral negotiations and to forgo armed conflict for a period of ten years. It effectively normalized relations between Poland and Germany, which were previously strained by border disputes arising from the territorial settlement in the Treaty of Versailles. -
1934 Balkan Pact
A mutual-defense agreement between Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Yugoslavia, intended to guarantee the signatories’ territorial integrity and political independence against attack by another Balkan state (i.e., Bulgaria or Albania). The agreement provided for a Permanent Council, composed of the members’ foreign ministers, that would coordinate legislation and foster economic cooperation. -
Signing of Munich Agreement
Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Daladier, unprepared for the outbreak of hostilities, traveled to Munich, where they gave in to Hitler's demands on September 30.Daladier abhorred the Munich Pact's appeasement of the Nazis, but Chamberlain was elated and even stayed behind in Munich to sign a single-page document with Hitler that he believed assured the future of Anglo-German peace. -
Slovak Hungarian War
On 23 Mar 1939, Hungarian troops crossing the border largely surprised Slovakian troops, penetrating the border. The Slovakian Air Force, however, was slightly better prepared and was able to launch a bombing run on the Hungarian cities of Roznava, Mukacheve, and Uzhorod, causing minor damage. Nevertheless, Hungarians won the air war during the conflict, as 11 Slovakian aircraft were destroyed at the cost of no Hungarian aircraft. -
Italian Invasion of Albania
On this day in 1939, in an effort to mimic Hitler's conquest of Prague, Benito Mussolini's troops, though badly organized, invade and occupy Albania. Although the invasion of Albania was intended as but a prelude to greater conquests in the Balkans, it proved a costly enterprise for Il Duce. Albania was already dependent on Italy's economy, so had little to offer the invaders. And future exploits in neighboring nations, in Greece in particular, proved to be disastrous for the Italians. -
German Invasion of Poland
To Hitler, the conquest of Poland would bring Lebensraum, or "living space," for the German people. According to his plan, the "racially superior" would colonize the territory and the native Slavs would be enslaved. German expansion had begun in 1938 with the annexation of Austria and then continued with the occupation of the Sudetenland and then all of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Both had been accomplished without igniting hostilities with the major powers, and Hitler hoped that his invasion. -
Iron Guard of Romania
Two months after General Ion Antonescu seized power in Romania and forced King Carol II to abdicate, Antonescu's Iron Guard arrests and executes more than 60 aides of the exiled king, including Nicolae Iorga, a former minister and acclaimed historian. The extreme right-wing movement known as the Iron Guard was founded by Corneliu Codreanu in the 1920s, imitating Germany's Nazi Party in both ideology and methods. -
German Invasion of Jugoslavia
One of the most successful operations for the Italian military during WWII was its role in the invasion of Yugoslavia in April of 1941. The attack was one half of an ambitious plan by the Axis powers to simultaneously conquer Greece and Yugoslavia, and thus seize control of the western Balkans. Most of the attention from the Yugoslavian portion of the conflict has centered on Germany’s role, and their drive to capture Belgrade. Their forces were well organized, effective, and ruthless. -
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Hungarian Romanian War
The Hungarian-Romanian War was a military conflict fought between the Kingdom of Romania and Kingdom of Hungary between March 1, 1958 and June 15, 1960 over the disputed territory of Transylvania, which was ceded to Hungary in the Vienna Awards in 1940. When Hungary in 1940 demanded the concession of Transylvanian territory from Romania, tensions rose between Hungary and Romania, and a war was avoided when the German Führer Adolf Hitler helped Hungary with receiving significant portions.
