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Mussolini’s March on Rome
The March on Rome was an organized mass demonstration that marked the beginning of fascist rule and meant the doom of the preceding parliamentary regimes of socialists and liberals. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf was an autobiographical manifesto that described the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany. This book was significant because it was a blueprint of Hitler's agenda. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the USSR from 1929 to 1953. Under Stalinś power, the Soviet Union was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial and military superpower. However, he ruled by terror, and millions of his own citizens died during his brutal reign. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The first Five-Year Plan (1928–32), put into place by Joseph Stalin, concentrated on developing heavy industry and collectivizing agriculture, at the cost of a drastic fall in consumer goods. It was created in order to initiate rapid and large-scale industrialization across the USSR. -
Japan invades Manchuria
1931-32
The Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria on September 18, 1931, without a declaration of war which breached the rules of the League of Nations. Japan had a highly developed industry, but their land lacked the natural resources need to keep it going. As a result, they invaded Manchuria for oil, rubber, and lumber in order to make up for the lack of resources in Japan. -
Holodomor
The Holodomor, also known as the Terror-Famine, was a famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. The famine started when Stalin wanted both to replace Ukraine's small farms with state-run collectives and punish independence-minded Ukrainians who posed a threat to his totalitarian authority. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany by President von Hindenburg on January 30, 1933. This event is significant because it marked a crucial turning point for Germany and eventually the whole world. -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The "Night of the Long Knives" was a bloody purge of the Nazi party leaders led by Adolf Hitler. Hitler feared that the SA and Ernst Röhm, their leader, was a potential threat to his leadership. This fear was intensified by Göring and Himmler, who gave Hitler news of Röhm organizing a potential coup. The purpose of this purge was so Hilter could acquire absolute power over Germany. -
Nuremberg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on September 15, 1935. These laws were significant because they targeted the Jews and separated them from the Germans. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
In 1935, the fascist leader of Italy, Benito Mussolini, decided to invade Ethiopia. The aim of invading Ethiopia was to boost Italian national prestige, which was wounded by Ethiopia's defeat of Italian forces at the Battle of Adowa in the nineteenth century (1896), which saved Ethiopia from Italian colonization. Mussolini saw it as an opportunity to provide land for unemployed Italians and also acquire more mineral resources to fight off the effects of the Great Depression. -
The Great Purge and gulags
1936-38
The Great Purge was a brutal political campaign led by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat. The Gulag was a system of forced labor camps established during Joseph Stalin’s long reign as dictator of the Soviet Union. These things were significant because they eliminated people that were a threat to the power of Stalin. -
Spanish civil war
The Spanish civil war from 1936-39 was a military revolt against the republican government of Spain. The outcome of the Spanish Civil War altered the balance of power in Europe, tested the military power of Germany and Italy, and pushed ER "away from the peace movement and into the ranks of the anti-fascists" fighting for democracy. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking was an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Imperial Japanese troops against the residents of Nanking. This was significant because the Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male “war prisoners,” massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht was a pogrom against Jews carried out by SA paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany. They torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses, and killed close to 100 Jews. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
The invasion of Poland was an attack on the Second Polish Republic by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and ultimately rule their neighbor to the east. This was significant because it marked the beginning of World War 2. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States at the naval base in Honolulu. This was significant because the bombing destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers, and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded.