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The Great Depression
The Great Deporession was an economic collapse in the US that caused another depression in Germany, a country that relied on the US's trade. When all trade stopped during the Great Depression, Germany fell into even greater poverty than the US. During that time, Germans sought a new leader, eventually choosing Hitler. Hitler corrupted society, replacing officials with his person oficers called "Nazis". Nazis were prejudiced against Jews and Romas, outcasting them. This started World War II. -
Japan conquers Manchuria, China
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Hitler is Elected as the Chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler led the facist National Socialist German Worekers' Party, also known as the Nazi Party. The Nazis preached German racial superiority. Hitler was chosen as the chancellor of Germany after elections in 1932. He then proceeded to overthrow the constitution and seized control of Germany's government. Hitler called himself "the Leader". -
Roosevelt is Elected President of the US
President Roosevelt was elected in March of 1933. This was a horrible time to be elected, because the Great Depression was the worst at that point. However, during his presidency, many issues regarding poverrty and health were resolved, using laws like the New Deal and the Social Security Act. -
The Nuremberg Laws were Created
The Nuremberg laws were laws that revoked Reich citizenship for Jews and prevented them from marrying other Germans that weren't Jews. The new classification of a Jew meant that someone could only have two grandparents who were Jews and still be considered a Jew- even if they switched religions. -
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Great Britain and France's Appeasement of Germany
Appeasement can be defined as giving a bully what he wants. In 1936, Hitler built up his army to such large numbers that it violated the Treaty of Versailles. Great Britain and France turned a blind eye to Hilter's violations. Also in 1936, Hitler moved his troops into Rhineland.This appeasement here was that France did nothing to stop Hitler's advances. In 1938, when Hitler invaded Austria, Great Britain and France continued to not intervene.They claimed that they were too busy with Mussolini. -
Hitler and Mussolini form Rome-Berlin Axis
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Japan Invades China
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust was started by Hitler and his Nazi race. They believed that Germans were the perfect race, and that all others were inferior. They called the Jews scapegoats for World War II, They put the Jews and Roma into killing camps and killed millions of the Jews. The Nazis commited genocide. -
Germany Invades Austria
Hitler wanted to expand teh German Reich, so he planned to take over Austria. However, since most people living in Austria were german, the invasion was not violent, and quite peaceful. There were already many Nazis stationed in Austria, and the coutnry welcomed Hitler to become their new leader. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, On the night of November 9-10, Germans In one night of terror, November 9-10, 1938, German mobs striked out against the Jews. A total of 1,350 Jewish synagogues were burnt to the ground or destroyed,91 Jews were killed, 30,000 Jews were thrown into concentration camps,7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, and thousands of Jewish homes were ransacked.It was called Kristallnacht because of all of the broken glass scattered over roads. -
The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was created during World War II, in the US's effort to build nuclear weapons. They were sucessful in creating the atomic bomb that they dropped on Japan twice. -
Germany and Societ Union sign a Nonagression Pact
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Germany Invades Poland
1.5 million German troops invaded Poland.Hitler claimed that the violence was actually in defense, but Great Britain and France were not confvinced.To Hitler, the attack on Poland would bring the german people living space.When the Nazis refused to leave Poland, Great Britain declared war on Germany.France, Australia, New Zealand, and India were quick to follow suit. On September 3, 1939, World War II began. -
Germany Invades Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and France
Germany attacked Denmark and Norway to prevent the iron delieveries from Sweden being intercepted by British fleets. Hitler had to pass through Belgium to reach France, and he needed to pass many thousands of troops through the country. He also took Denmark and Belgium because they were of possible use to Great Britain, and he didn't want those two countries falling into enemy hands. Hitler also wanted more living space for his perfect race of arians. -
Japan Joins Axis Powers
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Germany Bombs UK in Battle of Britain
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Tuskegee Airmen
Because of racism, the black soldiers weren't allowed to train and fight with the white ones.As a solution, the Tuskegee Airmen- America's first black military airmen- were formed. At first, they were segregated and mocked and insulted. They weren't treated like soldiers, and white soldiers claimed that the blacks' training was easier than theirs. On the contrary, the Tuskegee airmen's training was equal- if not harder- than the whites'. In the end, they grew to become respected and accepted. -
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Rosie the Riveter
During World War II, many of America's men left for Europe.This left many job opportunities open for the women to fill. Usually, these were hardworking jobs such as riveting and shipbuilding, or constructing tanks and warplanes.The media created the image of Rosie the Riveter to show that women were capable of hard work, too. Rosie looked tough, responsible, and happy. Women in the US upheld this image of strong women, and were proud and excited to finally be who they wanted to be. -
The Lend-Lease Act was created
The Lend-Lease Act was a law that started the program under which the USA provided war materials for Great Britain, the USSR, the Republic of China, Free France, and other Allied nations. This was created nine months before the US entered the war, and lasted until 1945. A total of 50.1 billion dollars worth of materials were shipped over to Europe during World War II under this program. -
Germany Invades the Soviet Union
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Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
To the Japanese, the attack on Pearl Harbor had two goals: the destruction of American aircraft carriers, and the sinking of as many battleships as possible. While the US was busy repairing the fleet, the Japanese planned on invade enough land that the Allies wouldbe forced to negotiate with them. Over 300 japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor, and by the end of the day, over 2,000 people had died. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because they thought they could take over the Pacific Islands. -
The Final Solution is Implemented
The term "final solution" refers to the Nazis' plan to annihilate the intire Jewish population. To make the genocide more efficient, killing centers were created. Mobile killing units, gas vans, were also invented. Basically, the art of killing was industrialized. It was the most deadly phase of the Holocast, result in the death of more than six million Jews. -
Japanese-American Incarceration
Shortly after the bombing on Pearl Harbor, the American population grew paranoid of possible Japanese spies hidden among the US citizens. The order was given to recolate anyone with Japanese ancesty to relocation camps in rural areas of the US. In total, over 110,000 Japanese-Americans were relocated. There were many violnt racist outbursts, because America was paranoid that another attack was being planned. They were worried that the Nisei were disloyal to the US and still felt loyal to Japan. -
The Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March began when 70,000 American an Filipino soldiers surrendered to Japan on the Bataan Penninsula. The prisoners were forced to march 100 kilometers. If they fell behind, they were shotm beheaded, or bayonetted. About 54,000 reached the prison camp.Some were able to escape but more than 10,000 died at the camp. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the crucial turning point for the US in the Pacific Theater against Japan during World War II. The Japanese planned to take control of Midway, so it would be used as a military base. They planned to lure the American carriers to their death, which would leave the Hawaiian Islands and the whole west coast open to Japanese invasion. This attack took the Japanese off the offensive and put them on the defensive for the rest of the war. -
First Battle of El Alamein
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Guadalcanal Campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign was a series of battles fought mainly oversea and occasionally on islands. The battle was fought by the US against Japan. The US won, but lost many troops. America developed the tactic of island hopping, or capturing island after island and turning them into military bases, getting closer and closr to their main target: Japan. -
Germany Surrenders at Stalingrad
The battle at Stalingrad began in the summer of 1942, attacking the city of Stalingrad in Russia. Hitler did not plan on surrendering, but the harsh russian winter was beginning to take a toll on the Nazi army. They were immobilized, and many of the Nazis froze to death. Those who weren't were killed by the Soviet's army. In the end, Hitler surrendered to the Soviets on November 2, 1943 -
D-Day
D-Day, the Allied invasion of Northern Europe on June 6th, 1944, opened up a second front that forced Hitler to send forces west, which took pressure off the Russians. The greatest seaborne invasion in history was aimed at 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast. British, Canadian, and American soldiers along with smaller numbers of French and Poles, succeeded in establishing a beachhead. It was the turning point in the war for the Allies. -
Battle of the Bulge
The "Battle of the Bulge" began on December 14, 1944, with a major German offensive through the Ardennes that caught the Americans almost completely by surprise. It became the bloodiest battle ever to involve American troops and resulted in 19,000 American dead. German advanced created a "bulge" in the Allied lines, thus giving the battle its name. After significant advances, the Germans were effectively stalled and by the end of January, the Allies had won. -
The Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discussed what to do and how to rebuild the post-war world. Essentially, they divided up the world. Roosevelt asked for Soviet support in the war against Japan, Churchill pressed for free elections and democratic governments in Eastern Europe, and Stalin demanded a Soviet sphere of political influence in Eastern Europe. Ultimately, the Soviets broke their agreement in the Cold War. -
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Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima was a large battle in a series of smaller battles fought by the US and Japan. America's goal was to capture each island, turning them into military bases (they wanted Iwo Jima because it had good airfields for their warplanes.) Their overall goal was to reach Japan, and island hopped their way to their goal. Iwo Jima was heavily fortified by the Japanese, but the US had an extensive navy, and in the end, America won the battle and captured Iwo Jima. -
Okinawa
One of the most gruesome wars in history, the Battle of Okinawa brought the US closer to their target: Japan. It was about the equivalent of D-Day in Europe. It was also the first attack of Japanese civilian areas by ground forces. 49,000 Americans were killed and wounded, but in the end, they won. The fighting was extremely violent, ending with 110,000 Japanese deaths. The Battle of Okinawa partially persuaded Truman to make and launch the atomic bomb. -
President Roosevelt dies and Truman Becomes President
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Germany Surrenders to the Allies
Germany surrendered to the America on May 7, 1945, in General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Rheims by General Alfred Jodl, Cheif of Staff of the German Army. He then signed three other documents of surrender, one to France, Russia, and Great Britain. -
Formations of the United Nations
On April 25, 1945, 50 nations met in San Francisco to discuss a new peacekeeping organization to replace the weak and innefective League of Nations. On June 226, 1945 all 50 nations ratified the charter, creating a new international peacekeeping body known as the United Nations. President Roosevelt urged Americans not to turn their backs on the world again. Unlike the League of Nations, the United States is a member of the United Nations. -
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The Potsdam Conference
Allies held the Potsdam Conference to plan the war's end. The decision was made to put Nazi war criminals on trial. The war in Europe was over, and they were planning the end of the war in Japan and what to do with Europe. Putting Nazi war criminals on trial had never happened before, but they thought that their crimes were so horrible, it was a necessity. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Near the end of the war, the US grew desperate. They knew that Japan had suffered for the war, and was almost ready to surrender anyways. But the president didn't want to lose anymore soldiers by invading Japan again. Instead, he came up with an atomic bomb.It was released over Hiroshima, and killed over 166,000 innocent citizens.Japan didn't surrender, however, which motivated the US to drop another atomic bomb over the smaller city of Nagasaki on Aug. 9. The bomb killed about 80,000 people. -
Japan Surrenders, Ending World War II
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Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were held in the same place that the laws origionated from to show that that Nazis held no power anymore. There were 24 defendants, including some of Hitler's top officials. Hermann Goering was the creator and head of Gestapo (secret police.) They were charged with crimes against humanity. 19 people were found guilty, and 12 were sentenced to death. Hitler comminted suicide along with his girlfriend. People are responsible for their actions, even in wartime. -
Marshall Plan
It was named after our Secretary of State. Congress approved teh Secretary of State, George Marshall's plan to help boost European economies. The US gave more than 13 billion to help the nations of Europe get back on their feet. The US and the Soviet Union split Germany between them. The Soviets pressed communism on tlf of their half of Germany, and made it really strict. We were more of a guiding light to our half Germany, and helped them repair their economy.