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Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
To put an end to WWI, the Germans were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, which held Germany accountable for all the destruction caused by the war in Europe. This meant that they were told to pay back about 660,000 million pounds to cover the damage, and forced to significantly reduce the size of their army and navy. This made life very difficult for German in the 1920s and 30s, so when Hitler came along promising change and a better way of life, the German people were eager to listen. -
Japenese Invasion of Manchuria
The invasion of Manchuria, China was Japan's attempt to take more control in East Asia, which would mean more control among the superpowers of the world, like the U.S., Soviet Union, and Britian. The Chinese attempted to fight against the Japenese, but their resistance didn't last long. The Japenese won Manchuria occupied it until the end of WWII. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
At around noon on January 30th, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, giving him much more official power than he had previously. This is significant because Hitler's practices as Chancellor are what pushed many countries to get involved in WWII. -
The Reichstag Burns
Though Hitler was the leader of Germany, in 1933 the country was still a democracy. In order to seize more power, Hitler arranged for the burning of the Reichstag, Germany's governmental headquarters. Using the burning as an excuse, Hitler was able to take even more control. -
Nazis Open Dachau Concentration Camp
Dachau was the first of many concentration camps established by the Nazi's during WWII. Over 200,000 prisoners were kept at Dachau, mostly political prisoners and Jews. It was one of the first camps liberated by American forces after the war, exposing to the world the horrible reality of life in Nazi Germany. -
Night of the Long Knives
"Night of the Long Knives", or "Röhm-Putsch" refers to a series of murders and arrests that took place in Germany in 1934. Hitler, fearing a coup, instructed the Gestapo and the SS to murder anyone who opposed him politically. There were 85 known deaths, but the actual number may have been in the hundreds. Thousands were arrested. -
Hitler Reveals War Plans
At a top-secret meeting in 1937, Hitler revealed his plans to aquire more Lebensraum, or "Living Space", by taking other European lands by military force. His greed for land is what caused many countries to become involved in WWII. -
The Anschluss
The "Anschluss" was when the Nazi's annexed Austria in an attempt to reunite German-speaking people. Many people who were not members of the Nazi part were in favor of the Anschluss, German or Austrian. This annexation directed violated the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was a meeting of the most powerful political leaders of Europe in 1938, where the terms of the Munich Pact were decided upon, and it was signed. The agreement said that Germany would be allowed to keep Studentenland, in Czechoslovakia, as long as Hitler stopped trying to annex more land. The Pact was agreed upon and signed by Hitler, but he violated shortly after by taking the rest of Czechoslovakia. -
The Non-Aggression Pact
The Non-Aggression Pact was a two-part agreement made between the Nazi's and Soviets. Firstly, the Soviets agreed to trade Germany raw materials for manufactured goods. The second part of the deal said that Germany could attack Poland without Soviet interferance. Soon after the treaty was signed, Hitler violated it. -
The Start of WWII
On September 1st, Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France, having failed at peacefully negotiating with Germany, could no longer look the other way and declared war shortly after the German invasion. -
Beginning of the Battle of Britian
The Battle of Britian was Germany's attempt to destroy Britian's air force. In July of 1930, the Luftwaffe began bombing shipping centers, and through the summer they progressed to aircraft factories. By October, they were attacking any edifice of political significance. Though about 500 British airmen were killed in the attacks, and many more civilians, the British won the battle, giving the country a much needed boost in morale. -
Tripartite Pact Signed
The Tripartite Pact united the Axis powers of WWII; Germany, Italy, and Japan. It was an agreement to assist each other during the war in order to "establish a new order". Six other countries also signed the pact. -
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
The Japenese attacked in an attempt to wipe out U.S. battleships stationed at Pearl Harbor. Almost 3,000 Americans were killed, including civilians. The attack on Pearl Harbor was what finally pushed the U.S. into getting involved in World War II. -
The U.S. and Britain Declare War on Japan
The day after the Pearl Harbor attacks, Congress voted, almost unanimously, for the U.S. to go to war. War was declared on Japan, and because of the Tripartite Pact, soon America was in war with all of the Axis Powers.
