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Japan invades Manchuria
The Japanese invade Manchuria. China appealed to the league, which condemned the Japanese action. Japan withdrew from the league and kept Manchuria. -
Period: to
World War II
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The Holocaust
Jan 30, 1933- May 8, 1945
The Nazi extermination of millions of European Jews began. Nazis called it the "final solution to the Jewish problem." -
Mussolini attacks Ethiopia
Benito Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in October 1935-May 1936, in part to avenge a humiliating Italian defeat there in 1896. -
Remilitarization of the Rhineland
Hitler sent a small armed force into the demilitarized Rhineland. This was a breach of both the Versailles Treaty and the Locarno Agreements, and it removed an important element of French security. -
The Rome-Berlin Axis
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation on October 25; on November 1, 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis is announced. -
The Anti-Comintern Pact
Nazi Germany (Axis Powers) and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement. -
Japan invades China
The Japanese invaded China, initiating World War II in the Pacific. -
Anschluss
Germany incorporated Austria in the Anschluss (March 11-13). Czechoslovakia was now surrounded by Germany on three sides. -
Agreement at Munich
Mussolini proposed a conference (Sept. 29-30) of Germany, Italy, France, and Britain. They were deciding the fate of Czechoslovakia. -
Appeasement was a failure
Hitler broke his promise and occupied Prague, putting an end to Czech independence and to illusions that his only goal was to restore Germans to the Reich. -
France and Britain guarantee of Polish independence
Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister, announced a Franco-British guarantee of Polish independence. However, Hitler didn't take it seriously, knowing that both countries were unprepared for war. -
Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact
The Russians feared that the Western powers meant for them to bear the burden of the war against Germany. As a result, they made the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact with Germany. Many people were shocked that they made an alliance together. -
Germany invades Poland/ WWII begins!
Germans invaded Poland. Two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany. World War II had begun in Europe. -
Russia invades Poland
The Russians invaded Poland from the East, dividing the country with the Germans. -
Russia invades Finland
November 30, 1939-March 12, 1940
The Soviet Union invaded Finland, initiating the so-called Winter War. The Finns sued for an armistice and have to cede the northern shores of Lake Lagoda and the small Finnish coastline on the Arctic Sea to the Soviet Union. -
Denmark and Norway
Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrendered on the day of the attack; Norway held on until June 9. (Apr 9-June 9) -
The Low Countries
May 10, 1940-June 22, 1940
The Germans attacked western Europe -- France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Italy enters the war
Italy entered the war. Italy invaded southern France on June 21. -
Battle of Britain
July 10, 1940-October 31, 1940
The air war known as the Battle of Britain ended in defeat for Nazi Germany. -
Germany invades Russia
June 22, 1941-November 1941
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners (except Bulgaria) invaded the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa). Finland, seeking redress for the territorial losses in the armistice concluding the Winter War, joins the Axis just before the invasion. The Germans quickly overrun the Baltic States. -
The bombing of Pearl Harbor/ US joins the war!
The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan, entering WWII. -
Germany declares war on U.S.
December 11-13
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners (Italy) declared war on the United States. -
Bombing of Germany
May 30, 1942-May 1945
The British bomb Köln (Cologne), brought the war home to Germany for the first time. Over the next three years Anglo-American bombing reduces urban Germany to rubble. -
The Battle of Midway
The tides turn. British and U.S. navies stopped the Japanese naval advance in the central Pacific at Midway. -
End of North Africa campaign
Axis forces (Germany) in Tunisia surrendered to the Allies, ending the North African campaign. -
D-Day
British and U.S. troops successfully landed on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans (D-Day). By beginnning of September, France had been liberated. -
End of German resistance
U.S. troops crossed the Rhine River at Remagen. German resistance crumbled. -
Hitler commits suicide
Hitler committed suicide in an underground hideaway in Berlin. -
V-E Day
The war in Europe ended. -
V-J Day
Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945 (V-J Day is also celebrated on this day), Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
