World War II Era 1921 - 1946

Adolf HItler becomes leader of the Nazi Party

Jan 30, 1921

The Nazi Party, also known as the National Socialist Party, believed in anit-Semitism and racism over Slavs and Gypsies.

World War II Timeline

Period: Jan 30, 1921 to Dec 31, 1947

Benito Mussolini appointed Prime Minister of Italy

Dec 31, 1922

Mussoloini overthrew the Italian government and made it become the first Fascist state. He banned freedom of press and all political parties except his. Anyone who criticized him, were jailed or excecuted.

Josef Stalin sole dictator of the Soviet Union (USSR)

Dec 31, 1929

Stalin turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state. He ordered peasants to give the government crops and executed them when they wouldn't give the crops up.

Japan's army seizes Manchiria, China

Dec 31, 1931

The army seized without the governments consent. The League of Nations responded by protesting against it, but didn't take any actions.

Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany

Mar 21, 1933

He later turned the government into a totaliatarian state.

Neutrality Acts passed by US Congress

Jan 1, 1935

Congress passed them to keep the United States at peace with itself. It outlawed selling arms, making loan and giving assistance with other countries.

Italian Army invades Ethiopia in Africa

Dec 31, 1935

Ethiopia fought back, but didn't win. Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia at the time, asked for the League of Nations for aid, however they didn't help a lot, again. This resulted in Italy taking Ethiopia.

Militarist take control of Japanese Government

Jul 27, 1936

The Great Depression made Japan's democratic rule low, so the military soon took over. Their views were that Japan needs to take control of other countries to expand their empire.

Hitler sends troops into Rhineland of Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty

Dec 31, 1936

Germany started building armies against the Treaty of Versailles, a treaty to take care of Germany after World War 1. HItler later sent them to Rhineland.

Japan’s army pillages Nanjing, China; massacre a quarter of a million people

Dec 31, 1937

After stepping its agression with China, Japanese armies started to treat the Chinese brutally. This lead to a massacre for over six weeks.

Munich Pact signed giving the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany

May 22, 1938

France and Britian protested after Hitler threatened to take Czechoslovakia. The European leaders met in Munich, Germany to discuss territories. The Munich Pact made it so Germany had Sudentenland in return he doesn't seek more territories.

Nazis begin rounding up Jews for labor camps

Dec 31, 1938

Since the Nazis were against Jews, they starting rounding them up to put in concentration camps, horrible camps in which they put people through massive labor.

Nazi-Soviet Pact signed by Hitler and Stalin

Aug 16, 1939

They signed a nonaggression pact and became allies. Secretly, they decided to invade Poland and share the nation.

Nazis invade Poland; Britain and France declare war on Germany

Sep 1, 1939

Germany invaded Poland which lead to France and Britian declaring war on Germany and the Soviet Union. This started World War II.

Nazis invade Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium – take control

Jan 31, 1940

This event is pretty self-explainitory.

Germany invades France and forces it to surrender

May 31, 1940

Britian sent troops to help, but were quickly overrun.Germany later accepted France's surrender.

Battle of Britain – Royal Air Force defeats German Air Force to prevent invasion of their island

Aug 31, 1940

Hitler started attacking by air and day after day, started attacking British cities. These raids didn't make Britian lose confidence. This lead to Germany invading Britian.

First time Peacetime Draft in US

Dec 31, 1940

To prepare for war, if necessary, the United States passed a law for a peacetime draft.

Hitler breaks Pact with Stalin’s Russia and invades - USSR which now joins England in fighting the Germans

Jan 31, 1941

Hitler broke the psct with Stalin, so he joined England fighting against Germany.

Churchill and FDR issue the Atlantic Charter

Mar 31, 1941

The Atlantic Charter outlined what would happen postwar in means of goals. They both agreed that their countries wouldn't gain any land, made it so the people could chose their government and to build a new international organization because the League of Nations failed.

Japanese invade French Indochina (Viet. Laos, Cambodia)

Jul 31, 1941

This lead the United States to war and for them to stop sending Japan iron and steel scraps, and oil.

Pearl Harbor in Hawaii attacked by Japanese Naval and Air forces, US declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy declare war on the US

Dec 7, 1941

This surprise attack for Japan, killed many people and made the US declare war on Japan. Then, Germany and Italy declared war on the US because they were allies with Japan.

Philippines fall to Japanese – Bataan Death March

Jan 31, 1942

The Japanese capture about 70,000 American and Filipino soliders and forced them to march 65 miles to a prison camp.

Japanese Americans interned in isolated camps

Feb 28, 1942

Since the US was scared of the Japanese, it issued the Executive Order 9066. It stated that Japanese Americans were to be temporarily imprisoned, or interned. This led to about 110,00 Japanese Americans interned during the war.

Battle of Midway, turing point in the Pacific

Jun 4, 1942

It was the US against the Japanese in this battle. The Japanese tried to take the US base island of Midway, but the US won. It was considered a turning point because Japan no longer ruled the Pacific Ocean.

Russians stop Nazi advance at Stalingrad save Moscow

Dec 31, 1942

During the cold weather, the Germans attempted to take Moscow, but failed.

British and US forces defeat German and Italian armies in North Africa

Jan 31, 1943

Since Germany was winning in Africa, the British and US deceided to bring their forces in. The Allies won the battle gaining some more territories.

Zoot Suit Riots – Los Angeles, CA

Mar 31, 1943

These were Latino men that were being discriminated so they starting rioting in these suits called Zoot Suits.

Italy surrenders, Mussolini dismissed as Prime Min.

Jul 31, 1943

Since Italy surrendered, the King forced Mussolini from his position.

D-Day invasion of France at Normandy by Allies

Jun 6, 1944

This was when American, British and Canadian troops marched into Normandy with a surprise attack on the Nazis.

Paris retaken by Allies Forces

Aug 31, 1944

After D-Day, the Allies marched into Paris while the citizens rejoiced because Germany no longer ruled Paris.

Battle of the Bulge – last offensive of German Forces

Dec 16, 1944

Germany had counterattacked in Belgium where the Allies were groundd because of the bad weather. Luckily, the Germans didn't break the American lines. The Allies won because Germany was running out of supplies and soliders.

US forces return to recapture the Philippines

Jan 31, 1945

The US came to recapture the the Filipinos from the Bataan Death March.

FDR dies, Harry S. Truman becomes President

Apr 16, 1945

Since Roosevelt died from a stroke, the vice president, Harry S. Truman, stepped up as president.

V-E Day, war ends in Europe

May 8, 1945

As Germany was collapsing, Hitler hid in an underground bunker and commited suicide. After his death, the Germans surrendered which ended war in Europe.

First Atomic Bombs dropped

Aug 5, 1945

The bombs were from the US to make Japan surrender. They dropped them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

V-J Day, Japan surrenders to Allied Forces

Aug 14, 1945

After the atomic bombs, Japan finnally surrended to the Allies. World War 2 is over.

War Crimes Trials held in Nuremburg, Germany; Manila, Philippines and Tokyo, Japan

Dec 31, 1946

The Allies tried and killed leaders from the Nazis and Japanese. It was all because of the death camps.