-
Hitler is appointed chancellor of Germany
The president of the Weimar Republic recognized the power of Hitler's party (the Nazi party) and appointed him chancellor of Germany. -
Period: to
The Spanish Civil War
The Nationalists in Spain, who had racist tendencies, rebelled against Spain's democratic Republican government. -
The Rape of Nanjing
Japan attacked Manchuria, a region in northeastern China and established a puppet state, renamed Manchukuo. Later they gained control over major Chinese railroad links and coastal areas. In the then-capital city of Nanjing, Japanese soldiers murdered more than 200,000 residents and burned a large section of the city. -
The Munich Pact is made
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France agreed on the Munich pact, in which they sacrificed the Sudetenland to preserve peace. -
Hitler Launches a Blitzkrieg on Poland
Germany launched a surprise attack on Poland using a relatively new style of warfare that emphasized the use of speed and firepower to penetrate deep in the enemy's territory. -
The Miracle of Dunkirk
German tanks rolled through the Ardennes, ripped a hole in the thinFrench line there and then raced toward the English Channel. However a few tactical German mistakes gave Britain enough time to evacuate its forces from the French port of Dunkirk. Some 338,000 British and French troops escaped. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an air battle fought over the English Channel and Great Britain. Eventually, after losing nearly 1,000 British planes and 1,700 German planes, Hitler decided to postpone the invasion of Britain. -
Germany Attacks Norway and Denmark
Germany's nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union allowed Hitler to send his army west. Germany attacked Norway and Denmark and the countries fell almost immediately. -
More countries fall to Germany
Hitler sends his blitzkrieg forces into the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.