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The Great Depression Begins
The US stock market crashed in October. This caused Americans to panic and pull money out of the banks. This caused the American economy to fail, which swept the world as the US was a major economic factor internationally.
So What, Who Cares: The depression led to mass unemployment, which caused social unrest, which played a large role in the rise of extremism in Europe. It also deterred Britain and France from militarily intervening in conflicts in the 1930s due to economic problems. -
The Manchurian Crisis
Seeking territorial claims in East Asia, Japan staged an attack on the Japanese-owned railway company based in Manchuria, then blamed it on "Chinese bandits". Japan used this as an excuse to take control of the entire region and invade Manchuria. The League sided with China and ordered Japan to leave, but the Japanese refused and took control of the territory anyway. So What, WC: Japan's defiance exposed weakness in the League of Nations because Britain and France were unwilling to go to war. -
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World Disarmament Conference
Members of the League and the US held a conference to actualize the idea of international disarmament. The conference achieved nothing because nations refused to disarm. They felt that they needed to be able to protect themselves from German and Japanese aggression, which the League could not. Germany withdrew from the conference and the League in 1933. So What, Who Cares: The League's reputation was hurt even more, and they could no longer address German aggression through the League. -
Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance
France and Russia both felt isolated and vulnerable to the dictatorships established in Germany and Japan. The treaty guaranteed that the nations would assist one another in the event of a European attack. So What, Who Cares: Hitler used the treaty to justify his remilitarization of the Rhineland, claiming it posed a threat to German security. -
Abyssinia invaded by Italy
Italy invaded the African nation Abyssinia. The League placed economic sanctions on Italy but took no military action. Instead, Britain and France secretly signed the Hoare-Laval Pact with Italy, giving them effective control of the area without formally annexing. So What, Who Cares: Italy left the League in 1937 because of the sanctions, and the Hoare-Laval Pact exposed weakness in the League as Britain and France acted according to their interests. -
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Spanish Civil War
Spanish nationalists, led by Francisco Franco, rebelled against Spain's republican government. The League set up a Non-Intervention Committee, but Germany and Italy both militarily supported Franco, and the USSR supported the Republicans. So What, Who Cares: The war polarized public opinion between left and right, and fear of modern war and fascism spread through Europe. The war also distracted powers from German rearmament. -
Remilitarization of the Rhineland
Hitler invaded the German Rhineland, which was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler justified himself by saying that the demilitarisation of the area was unfair. He faced no resistance from Europe's major powers or the League. So What, Who Cares: Hitler being allowed to remilitarize showed him that Britain and France were unwilling to go to war over the Treaty of Versailles, setting up further German advancements. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
An agreement of friendship between Germany and Italy that Japan joined later. Both nations pledged to support each other in the event of war and pursue similar foreign policies. So What, Who Cares: This led to suspicion from the major powers that Italy and Germany were preparing for war, and it allowed Hitler to successfully achieve union with Austria, or Anschluss, which Italy originally prevented in 1934. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
an agreement between Germany and Japan to defy the communist organization led by the USSR and stop the spread of communism. In the case of an attack from the USSR, they agreed to consult one another on what measures should be taken. Italy joined the Pact in 1937. So What, Who Cares: Strengthened all three nations and pulled Germany out of isolation, it also played a major role in the formation of the Axis alliance in the Second World War. -
Munich Conference
The Conference was held to address German interests in the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland, which had many German-speaking inhabitants. The Czechs were not invited, and Hitler was given control of the Sudetenland on the promise that he would not invade the rest of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France agreed to this on the concept of appeasement. So What, Who Cares: The Munich agreement put Hitler in the perfect position to take Czechoslovakia, which he did, breaking his promise. -
Germany invades Poland
Following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Russia, Germany quickly invaded Poland. Hitler quickly overwhelmed the Poles and took control within weeks. Poland was divided among Germany and Russia. So What, Who Cares: This invasion ultimately caused the outbreak of World War ll, Britain and France declared war on Germany due to the Anglo-French Guarantee of Poland.