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Fascism begins
The Fascist party is founded by Italian politician Benito Mussolini -
Nazi formation
Hitler joins the Nazi party -
Mussolini takes power
Italian King Victor Emmanuel III gives Mussolini power in the Italian government -
Mein Kampf
Hitler writes about his struggles and goals for Germany while imprisoned for treason -
Great Depression
The Great Depression sweeps through the United States -
Manchuria captured
The Japanese capture the Chinese province of Manchuria -
Chancellor Hitler
Hitler comes to power as Chancellor in Germany -
Munich Conference
In order to avoid war, Britain, France, and Italy agree that Germany can annex Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia -
Night of the broken glass
The Nazis attack Jewish people residing in Germany in their homes and thousands of Jewish shops were destroyed -
Nonaggression Pact
Germany and Russia sign a Pact that ensures they will not attack each other -
Invasion of Poland
Germany invades Poland and bombs its capital of Warsaw -
War declared
Following Hitler's surprise invasion of Poland, Britain and France declare war on Germany -
Invasion of Denmark and Norway
After a long "Sitting War", Germany invades Denmark and Norway -
Dunkirk rescue
Until June 4th, Britain rescued 338,000 allied soldiers from the Germans on the shores of Dunkirk, France -
France surrenders
Overwhelmed by the Germans, France surrenders -
Germany betrays Russia
Germany breaks its Nonaggression Pact with Russia by invading Leningrad and Moscow -
Pearl Harbor bombed
The Japanese bomb a crucial American port at Hawaii, leading the U.S. to join the war -
Mussolini arrested
Following the conquest of Sicily by the Allies, Mussolini is toppled from power and arrested by King Emmanuel III -
Italy surrenders
Italy surrenders to the Allies -
D-Day
Allied soldiers land at Normandy, France and push their way through German resistance to liberate France, Belgium, and Luxembourg -
Mussolini shot
After being discovered disguised as a Nazi, Mussolini is shot by Italian resistance fighters and his corpse is hung in Milan for all Italians to see -
Hitler kills himself
Hitler and his wife, Eva, commit suicide in an underground bunker during a Soviet bombing raid in Berlin -
Germany surrenders
Overwhelmed by the rapidly advancing Soviet army, Germany surrenders to the Allies, bringing an end to the war in Europe -
Hiroshima bombed
The U.S. bombs the Japanese city of Hiroshima with the newly-developed Atomic bomb, killing an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people -
Nagasaki bombed
The U.S. uses a second Atomic bomb to bomb the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing an estimated 70,000 people -
The War ends
Following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders to the Allies, officially ending World War II after six years
