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Weimar Republic Established in Germany
This government faced numerous struggles in its fourteen year reign following World War I and its instablility led to the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler in Germany. -
Adolf Hitler Became the Leader of the Nazi Party
Adolf Hitler became the leader of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (the National Socialist ‘Nazi’ Party) and his magnetic authoritative control begins to emerge. -
Washington Naval Conference
President Warren G. Harding called a meeting of nine countires, exlcuding the Soviet Union, to discuss limits of warship construction and tonnage in East Asia. (Ended on February 6th, 1922) -
4 Power Treaty
A treaty signed at the Washinton Naval Conference by the United States, Great Britain, France and Japan in which all countries agreed to maintain the "status quo" in the Pacific by respecting the various Pacific holdings of the other countries signing the agreement. -
5 Power Treaty
Also known as the Five Power Naval Limitation Treaty and the Five Power Pact, this was an agreement between United States, Britain, Italy, France and Japan, designed to help prevent future wars and slow down the manufacturing of weapons. -
9 Power Treaty
This treaty affirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China in accordance with the Open Door Policy. -
Benito Mussolini Became the Leader of Italy
Mussolini was actually the first of Europe's 20th century fascist dictators and came into power after the March on Rome, ousting Prime Minister Luigi Facta. -
Joseph Stalin became the Leader of the USSR
Upon appointment as General Secretary of the Bolshevik Committee in 1922, Stalin officially came into full power when Lenin died on this day and later enacted many collectivized changes to Soviet society with his Five-Year Plan. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan stabalized German currency, softened various war reparation burdens, and increased loans to the German market, while negatively making Germany economically dependent on foreign markets. -
Adolf Hitler Wrote Mein Kampf
This semi-autobiography outlines Hitler's political ideology and future plans for Germany and introduces the "Jewish peril" which uses Jews as the scapegoat for Germany's ruin. -
Hirohito Became the Emperor of Japan
Following his father's death, Hirohito became the emperor of Japan and ultimately began his reign full of political and social turmoil. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact Signed
This pact was signed outside the League of Nations and was sponsored by both the Americans and French, renouncing the use of war, promoting peaceful settlement of disputes, and calling for a collective force to end aggression. -
Stock Market Crashed in the U.S
Also known as Black Tuesday, this crash was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States and began the ten year long Great Depression that affected all Western industrialized countries. -
Japan Invaded Manchuria
Following the Manchuria Incident, which was a staged event by the Japanese, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria and set up a puppet state called Manchukuo that lasted until the end of World War II. -
Japan Invaded China
Upon invading China, the Japanese set up a puppet state that lasted until the end of World War II. -
Stimson Doctrine
Named after Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson, this note created a policy of non-recognition of territory taken by forceful Japan during the war, which was to be used later against the Soviet Union. -
The Holocaust Began
The Holocaust began upon Hitler becoming chancellor of Germany and creating a Jewish scapegoat for the hard economic and social times Germany was facing post World War I. -
Adolf Hitler Became the Chancellor of Germany
President Paul von Hindenburg of Germany names Adolf Hitler, fuhrer of the National Socialist German Workers Party, as chancellor of Germany and thus begins his reign for authoritarian and manipulative control across Germany and Europe. -
New Deal Started
At the height of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office and began New Deal policies in which he promoted banking, employment, social, and agricultural reform. -
Good Neighbor Policy
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor policy represented an attempt to distance the United States from earlier interventionist policies especially towards Latin America, working to "respect the rights of others". -
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became President of the U.S.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was an American lawyer and statesman who became President on this day; he enacted policies such as the New Deal and was a key figure in World War II delegations. -
London Economic Conference
The agenda of this conference was to organize a coordinated international attack on global depression while stabilizing values of nations' currencies, but America withdrew showing foreign policy was subordinate to isolated domestic economic recovery during the Great Depression (ended July 27th, 1933). -
U.S. formally Recognized the Soviet Union
President Franklin Roosevelt ended almost sixteen years of non-recognition of the Soviet Union after negotiations in Washington, D.C. with the Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov. -
Pan-American Conference
This was the seventh International Conference of the American States and was where Secretary of State Hull and FDR declared their "Good Neighbor Policy". -
Tydings-McDuffie Act
Also known as the "Philippine Independence Act", this was a United States federal law that allowed for the self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence after being under American control for twelve years. -
Reciprocal Trade Agreement
This granted the President power to levy tarrifs and negotiate trade agreements without receiving prior congressional approval in hopes of boosting the depression-ravaged economy. -
Neutrality Acts
A series of acts in the 1930's that were fuled by isolationist movements in America and suggested America remain neutral to the growing outbreak of chaos in Europe. -
Italy Invaded Ethiopia
Setting the partial stage for World War II, Italy invaded Eithiopia and forced rule upon them while proving the ineffectiveness of the Leauge of Nations to control colonial holdings. -
Adolf Hitler Defied the Treaty of Versailles
Adolf Hitler defied the Treaty of Versailles by allowing German military forces to enter the Rhineland marking the first time since World War I that German troops had set foot in the country. -
Germany Reoccupied the Rhineland
Adolf Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland by violating the Treaty of Versailles and sending military forces into the demilitarized zone. -
Francisco Franco Led a Fascist Revolt in Spain
Upon this revolt, Spain was ushered into the Spanish Civil War which lasted until 1939 and resulted in increased attention of the soon to be Axis powers of Italy and Germany. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
After invading Ethiopia and severing its last ties to the democratic states, Italy was ready for an alliance with Germany and Mussolini announced that that they would form an axis. -
Quarantine Speech
Given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, this speech called for an international quarantine of aggressor nations therefore increasing isolationist mood at home and encouraging economic pressures on the unnamed nations. -
Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, Nanking, the capital of China, fell to the Japanese and they massacred and raped countless civilians and prisoners of war. -
Anschluss
Adolf Hitler sent troops into Austria, imprisoned political leaders, and incorporated the country into Germany, giving birth to the union named "Anschluss". -
Hitler Hosted Munich Conference
This marked the first day of the conference in which Hitler was appeased by the Munich Pact, which sealed the fate of Czechoslovakia, handing it over to Germany in the name of peace. -
Adolf Hitler took the Sudetenland
Great Britain, France and Italy signed an agreement that allowed the Nazis to annex the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia that was home to many ethnic Germans without the acceptance of the Czech people in an effort to bring about peace. -
Hilter took the Sudetenland
Great Britain, France and Italy signed an agreement that allowed the Nazis to annex the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia that was home to many ethnic Germans without the acceptance of the Czech people in an effort to bring about peace. -
Kristallnacht
Also known as "The Night of Broken Glass", Kristallnacht took place across Nazi Germany and Austria in which Nazi soldiers attacked everything Jewish and left Jewish towns in utter disarray. -
Hitler took Czechoslovakia
After the signing of the Munich Pact, Hitler's forces were enabled to invade and occupy Czechoslovakia. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact Signed
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a ten-year nonaggression pact promising not to attack the other and allowing Germany to invade Poland with no Soviet intervention. -
Germany Invaded Poland (Blitzkrieg)
Despite Germany's lack of full strength, Adolf Hitler invaded Poland on this day in hope of quickly defeating Polish forces using a blitzkrieg offensive and in hope of the Bitish and French vying for a peace settlement. -
Sitzkrieg Began
This time period refers to the occassions after the September blitzkrieg on Poland in which seemingly nothing happened and there were a lack of military operations from the Western powers against Germany. -
Manhattan Project Began
After receiving a letter from Albert Einstein explaining new research on atomic bombs, FDR creates the Manhattan project to spur the U.S. in finding the secret to a successful atomic bomb. -
Winston Churchill Became the Prime Minister of GB
Churchill, known for his strong military leadership, is called to replace Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister following his resignation after losing a vote in the British House of Commons. -
Auschwitz Death Camp Opened
The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime and included three main camps, in all of which incarcerated prisoners were forced to work. -
Allies Evacuate Dunkirk
During the Battle of France, Allied forces were surrounded by Germans and forced to evacuate from the colassal military disaster (ended June 4th, 1940). -
Battle of Britain
This was the first campagin to be fought entirely by air forces and prevented Germany air superiority (ended October 31st, 1940). -
Vichy Government Established in France
This was established after France surrendered to Germany in June under the full power of Marshal Philippe Pétain who collaborated with Nazi Germany. -
Destroyers for Bases Deal
United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull and British Ambassador Lord Lothian agree on the exchange of fifty US destroyers for access to air and naval bases in British colonies, allowing Britain to successfully continue in the war effort without direct American intervention (yet). -
Tripartite Pact Signed
This was signed in Berlin, Germany and offically declared the Axis powers in alliance as Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. -
Election of 1940
In this election, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Democratic candidate, broke tradition and ran for a third term and the Republican candidate was a businessman named Wendell Willkie, who spoke against Roosevelt's failure to end the Depression and his avid eagerness for war. -
Four Freedoms
Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed four fundamental freedoms (in a Union address as the war in eastern Europe threatened democratic principles) that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy including freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. -
Lend-Lease Act
Congress passed this act giving Roosevlet an approriated sum of fifty billion to sell, transfer, exchange, and lend equipment to any country to help it defend itself against the Axis powers. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union failed to collapse as anticipated by the Nazi leadership and the German military commanders. -
Atlantic Charter
This charter defined Allied goals for the post World War and outlined ideas involving freedom and no territorial aggrandizement. -
Office of Price Administration
This executive order controlled prices and rent upon the outbreak of World War II and also encouraged anti-inflation and rationing policies among the American people. -
Shoot-on-Sight Orders
President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an order to the U.S. Navy to shoot German or Italian warships in the west Atlantic on sight after a German torpedo attack on a U.S. Destroyer called "Greer". -
Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor
This was a suprise military strike on the United States in Hawaii by the Jpanese Navy that resulted in U.S. entry into World War II. -
The U.S. Declared War on Japan
Following Franklin D. Roosevelt's notorious "Infamy Speech", Congress declared war on Japan as a result of the tragedies at Pearl Harbor the previous day. -
Cost-Plus System
A part of FDR's New Deal, the cost plus system included governmental contracts to pay a manufacturer the cost to produce an item plus a guaranteed percentage for war production. -
War Production Board
Established by FDR, the War Production Board directed conversion of industries from peacetime work to war needs, allocated scarce materials, established priorities in the distribution of materials and services, prohibited nonessential production, rationed commodities of gasoline, rubber, paper, and plastics. -
Hitler enacted the Final Solution
At the Wannsee Conference, a meeting between the SS (the elite guard of the Nazi state) and German government agencies, Hitler officially coordinated the implementation of the "Final Solution" which would the murder of eleven million European Jews. -
Double V
The Courier, a widespread black newspaper, began the Double V campaign that demanded African Americans who were risking their lives abroad receive full citizenship rights at home through articles, editorials, letters, photographs, drawings, and a recognizable Double V sign. -
Nisei were Interned in Relocation Centers in the U.S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order on this day that allowed for military commaders to designate military areas as exclusion zones basically set up as internment camps for the entire Japanese Pacific coast (the Nisei were the second generation Japanese). -
MacArthur’s “I shall return” speech
After being forced to leave the Philippines in a PT boat and fleeing to Austrailia, MacArthur conducted this speech promising he would return to tighten his grip in the Pacific. -
Bataan Death March
After the United States surrender on the Bataan Pennisula in the Philipines, the Japanese rounded up both American and Filipino troops and marched them in brutal conditions to prison camps (many died along the way). -
Doolittle Raids Over Japan
This was retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor and was the first air attack on Japanese main lands such as Tokyo and other places on Honshu island during World War II. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
This was a major Battle in the Pacific theatre of World War II and was the first battle in which aircraft carriers engaged each other (ended May 8th, 1942). -
Battle of Midway
The turning point of the Pacific war, in which Japan attempted to attack Midway but was repelled with heavy losses, proving the advantage offered by aircraft carriers over destroyers. (ended June 7th, 1942) -
Battle of Guadalcanal
This was the first major offensive by Allied forces against Japan in the Pacific theatre to deny the Japanese to threaten the supply and communication routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union fought for control of Stalingrad (as the German's violate their previous pact) and resulted in a German stalemate and loss (Ended February 2nd, 1943). -
Battle of El Alamein
A series of two battles fought in El Alamein; the second battle revived the morale of the Allied powers and was their first decisive victory within World War II (ended November 11th, 1942). -
Operation Torch
This consisted of a British-American invasion of French North Africa led by General Dwight Eisenhower to improve naval control of the Mediterranean and prepare for the invasion of Southern Europe. -
Casablanca Conference
A conference between the United States, British, and French which resulted in the delclaration of "unconditional surrender" or ultimate defeat and annihilation of the Axis powers. -
Rosie the Riveter
J. Howard Miller created the iconic image of Rosie as a part of the war propaganda effort representing American women who worked in factories, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies, and also later came to represent a growing sense of American feminism. -
Washington Conference
At this conference, the Allies decide to postpone the invasion of France by twelve months and discuss future strategies for the European war. -
Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act
Also known as the War Labor Disputes Act, this act gave the president power (ironically, because FDR vetoed this bill only to be denied the veto by Congress) to seize and control war plants when an actual or threatened strike or lockout interfered with war production. -
Island Hopping Campaign
The first official implementation of island hopping, a military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan in which the Allies only attacked strategically important islands, was seen in Operation Cartwheel (beginning on this day). (Overall island hopping ended in 1945.) -
Allies Landed in Sicily
This invasion, code-named Operation Husky, used combined air and sea landings involving 150,000 troops, 3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft to weaken the Axis cause. -
Tehran Conference
This conference was between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin in Tehran, Iran and gave way to the plans for D-Day (ended December 1st, 1943). -
Operation Overlord (D Day)
Led by General Dwight Eisenhower, D Day, also known as the Battle of Normandy, was the largest invasion force in human history and delivered the Nazi defeat by the Allies on the beaches of Normandy, France. -
Gen. Macarthur Returned to the Philippines (Leyte Gulf)
Keeping his promise, General Douglas MacArthur, returning with more than 100,000 American soldiers land in the Philippines for a major invasion that began the bloodiest war in the Pacific and signaled the beginning of the end for the Japanese. -
Kamikaze Pilots Appear in the Pacific
Within the Battle of Leyte Gulf, kamikaze pilots, suicide attackers of Japan against U.S. naval ships, appeared for the first time and were practically pilot-guided missiles. -
Battle of the Bulge
A suprise attack by the Germans that resulted in the costliest battle for the U.S. and a massive depletion of German resources (Ended January 25th, 1945). -
FDR’s 4th Term
On this day, Franklin D. Roosevelt began his fourth term as President and three months after his inauguration, he died, becoming the only president to serve three full terms and hold thirteen years in office. -
Yalta Conference
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin met to discuss Europe's post-war reorganization and how to re-establish the nations of war-torn Europe (Ended February 11th, 1945). -
Battle of Iwo Jima
In this battle, the United States Armed Forces fought the Japanese for control of the island of Iwo Jima in an attempt to have a base to stage the attacks of the mainland Japanese main lands (Ended March 26th, 1945). -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the final and largest Pacific island battle of World War II in which the Japanese eventually surrendered to the Allied forces who were attempting to take the island as a base for their planned invasion of Japan (ended June 22nd, 1945). -
Mussolini was Executed
Mussolini and his mistress were shot in an attempt of escape and their bodies were then hung upside down in a local area for civilians to see, abuse, and ridicule. -
Hitler Committed Suicide
Upon knowing that World War II was coming to a close, Adolf Hitler commited suicide by gunshot (possibly) in Berlin in his study. -
Germany Surrendered
The German High Command, General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France, under the complete demand of General Dwight Eisenhower. -
V-E Day
This day marks the end of World War II in Europe and the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. -
United Nations Charter
This charter is the foundation of the international foundation known as the United Nations and was signed on this day. -
Potsdam Conference
This conference, between the Soviet Union, the U.S., and Great Britain, lead to the discussion of how to treat post-war Germany and peace treaty issues (Ended August 2nd, 1945). -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
As a result of Japan not surrendering, The United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
On this day, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan by the United States, ultimately killing eighty-thousand and resulting in Japan's eventual surrender. -
V-J Day
This is known as "Victory Over Japan Day" as it is a celebration of the day Japan surrendered and signed the surrender document that officially ended World War II, -
Japan Surrendered
Following the drop of two atomic bombs and a declaration of war by the Soviet Union, Japan was forced to surrender to the Allies on a U.S. Navy battleship. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the Allied forces after World War II, in which noted members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany were prosecuted (the final trial was held in 1949).
