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Mussolini and the Fascists come to power in Italy
In October of 1922, the people of Italy were in political termoil and were looking for a leader to get them out of the trouble and mostly the Great Depression. Mussolini promised to lead Italy out of termoil and promised to make Italy a European power. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Although Japan was an island nation and had all the land of the Japanese island, they were still hungry for territory. Eventually, the country sought land from their nearest neighbor, China. The new and improved Japanese military went into China and tried to take the land for their own. -
Hitler and the Nazis come to power in Gemany
In January of 1933, the Germans were in turmoil and were still angry from the first World War. The country was looking for anyone who could become leader and lead Germany out of turmoil. Germany became the first country to successfully come out of the Great Depression with the leadership of Adolf Hitler. -
Neutrality Acts Passed in the U.S.
The Neutrality Acts were passed by Congress and signed by the President to insure that the American people were to stay isolationists. It was until the attack of Pearl Harbor that this document was appealed. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was a meeting between major authoritative leaders in Europe. Many of the leaders felt it was a meeting that would mean peace for all of the world. Today, it is regarded as being a major appeasement to Hitler. It granted him the right to take the Sudentenland back because he felt that all German speakers should be apart of Germany also. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht DestructionThis was a planned attack by the Germans to punish the Jews in the German Reich. The Germans burned many churches and Jewish people's homes. It was also nicknamed "The Night of Broken Glass" because of all the destruction taken out on the Jewish Germans. It was the beginning of Hitler's "Last Solution". -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a secret plan by the United States to build the world's first nuclear bomb. The project had many brilliant men and women including Albert Einstein. If the plan would not have come into action, Japan may have never surrendered. -
Germany and the U.S.S.R. sign the Non-Aggression Pact
Germany and Soviet Russia signed a pact that would signal that they would not come on war terms for the next 10 years. Stalin saw it as a way to passify Hitler to keep Soviet Russia on good terms with Germany. The Pact was broken when Hitler ordered his forces into Soviet Russia. -
Germany Invades Poland (Start of World War II)
When Germany invaded Poland, it sparked the beginning of World War II. According to the Germans, they were taking back the land at which they lost as a result of World War I. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was an ongoing battle between German and American Navies. The regime lasted until Germany surrendered which ended World War II. -
France Falls to Germany
France's fall to Hitler
When Hitler sent tanks through a forest, it signaled a new battle between France and Germany. As a result, the country of France was split in two, thus German occupied northern France and the south side of France to the French people. -
Rescue At Dunkirk
As a result of the Allies losing men left and right, it was a signal that the men needed help and to retreat back to safety. (England) It was a code sent out that everyone who had any type of water able vehicle to try to help the allies to safety. The two countries got together, saved the Allies, and brought everyone to safety before the German army was able to seige the Allies. -
Formation of the Axis Powers
The Axis Powers was an alliance between Germany, France, and Japan. This was the official alliance of the 'enemy'. -
Presidential Election of 1940
This was the presidential election between Windell Willkie and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The winner was FDR whom served another two terms. -
Congress Passes the Lend Lease Act
This act was passed to help provide the United States alliances with food, oil, and material. Althought the United States tried to remain neutral, it still chose a side because they only sold to the Allies. The purpose of the act was to pay back debts using materials instead of currency. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
This event was a horrible incident that included Japan bombing and attacking Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,000 people died in the attack. This was the event that made Americans see their country could not remain neutral in the war. -
Formation of the United Nations
This was an alliance between the world's superpowers during that time. The alliance was made to show that the United States, England, France, Soviet Russia and other countries would assist each other in the event of a war. -
Relocation of Japanese Americans to camps
As a result of the Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an agreement that put Chinese Americans from the Western United States in camps that shielded them from all of society. Most of the Chinese Americans involved in this conflict were indeed American citizens, but because they were of Chinese descendent they were considered enemies. -
Bataan Death March
Sadness of the Bataan Death March
As a result of American and Allied troops fighting on the Bataan Peninsula, the Allies had their backs to the water and had nowhere to go. As a result, the Allies had to surrender to the Japanese forces.The men were forced to walk 65 miles to a camp where they were starved, beaten, and killed because the Japanese saw surrender as a sign of death. Many men died and only about fifty men survived the march. -
Battle of Midway Island
The Battle of Midway Island was a naval battle between the United States and Imperial Japan. It was one of the most decisive battles of World War II. The United States was successful in decoding Japanese warfare and defensed itself against a Japanese attack that would sink the few warships left in the United States military. -
Rosie the Riveter Campaign Encourages Women to get jobs
Rosie the Riveter was a woman who tried to encourage women to get involved in the war effort to help men build planes, tanks, and ammunition. With her help the war effort was nearly doubled. -
D-Day Invasion
This event was a planned invasion on the French coast to take out most of Germany's military. The Allie's troops invaded a fifty mile stretch that was a decisive victory for the Allies. Many people believe that this battle was key that helped saved London from German rule. -
Allied Invasion/ Victory in the Philippines
This event happened to try to defeat the Imperial Japanese military. Unsuccessful the first time, Americans and Filipinos joined forces again and fought Japan and took back islands as they went from island to island. -
Presidential Election of 1944
This was a presidential election that involved Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Thomas E. Dewey. The result was that Roosevelt won election once more. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was an offensive battle for Germans. The goals of the Germans were to split the Allied troops in two. The Allies fought until the end and held back the Germans. The title of this battle was chosen by a German because he felt the Allies were all in a big bulge. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was the second wartime meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. The goals of the meeting was to plan to destroy Germany and Japan, make post-war plans for the countries, and make eternal allies amongst the three countries. -
V-E Day
This was a day of praise and honor to give thanks and give the Allied Countries honor in the help of the war to make Nazi Germany surrender. Doing this showed that the Allies were forever one amongst the rest of the world. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
As a result of Pearl Harbor, the United States launched a nuclear attack against Japan. The two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by a nuclear bomb. The bombing led to the signing of surrender by Japan. -
Surrender of Japan
Imperial Japan surrendered to the United States as a result of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.