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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
On September 18th, 1931, Japan attacked Manchuria. Japan had taken several valuable places in South Manchuria. Japan attacked Manchuria because of the natural resources China had. The United States minister at the time believed Japan’s behavior was an act of aggression and war. The United States responded to the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria by putting a full embargo on exports, freezing Japanese assets in U.S banks, and sending the Pacific Fleet to the coast of Japan. -
Rape of Nanjing
The Rape of Nanjing or the Nanjing massacre was a mass killing of Chinese citizens and soldiers. Japanese Imperial soldiers went in and looted, burned, and destroyed the city, surrounding towns, and buildings. They also raped over a thousand women. The number of Chinese killed in the massacre is still debated but estimates from 100,000 to 300,000. The impact this event had on World War II was it increased tension between the Chinese and the Japanese. The tension was a factor that led to WWII. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich agreement was a consensus between Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy that allowed German annexation of the Sudetenland, in western Czechoslovakia. In other words, the agreement stopped the outbreak of war but gave Czechoslovakia away to Adolf Hitler. This agreement was signed by Prime ministers Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier and Adolf Hitler. The impact this event had on World War II is it allowed Hitler to gain more power by giving him more land and time. -
Invasion of Poland
The Invasion of Poland was an effort from Germany to rule Poland. Germany waged war by destroying the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, and etc.. Germans entered the territory and any remaining resistance were killed. This style of war is called “blitzkrieg” . Hitler killed the unideal Nazis. Concentration camps were set up for execution and slave labor. Germany won this battle and Great Britain was bombed 3 days later. Hitler later waged war. -
Blitzkrieg
The Blitzkrieg strategy is a method made to follow through with a focused attack on an enemy using weapons like armored tanks, and air support. This method was often used by Hitler in Germany. The impact this theme had in World War II is it allowed Germany to gain and overrun a great amount of Europe. -
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign was a part of a series of battles for control of North Africa. Suez Canal, a lifeline for Britain’s colonial empire, was at stake. It had valuable oil reserves in the Middle East. On June 11, 1940, Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, declared war on Britain and France. Hoping to increase their African Empire, on September 13th the Italians invaded Egypt. The impact this event had on WWII is it was the first major victory for Allied forces in the war. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a code name for the German Invasion of the Soviet Union led by Adolf Hitler. The Soviets had control of the Baltic States, Bessarabia, and northern Bukovina, which put the Soviets close to Romanian oil fields. Hitler became skeptical of the intentions of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader. Hitler decided to “deal” with the Soviet Union. The Germans failed to overthrow the Soviet Union. This played a part in Nazi genocide. Soon mobile killing units were formed. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was an attack on the U.S naval base in Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese in response to the oil embargo the United States put on them and fear of the United States expanding their navy. During Pearl Harbor, 2,335 personal was killed and 68 civilians. 19 U.S navy ships were also destroyed. The impact this event had on WWII is it was an event that made the United States join the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was a successful defense of Stalingrad by the Soviets. Capturing it meant stopping Soviet transports with Southern Russia and serving Germany. Germany lost the battle with 800,000 dead/wounded, etc.. 91,000 surrendered, 5,000-6,000 returned to their homeland and the rest died in Soviet prisons/labor camps. The Germans failed due to lack of supplies, weather issues, and not giving up. This stopped the Germans from going into the Soviet Union and turned the war in favor of the allies. -
The Casablanca Conference
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting during World War II in Casablanca, Morocco. The Conference was called to decide on the invasion of Sicily rather than invading all of western Europe. The people in this meeting were Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and all their military chiefs and aids. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet, was invited but declined the invitation. The impact this event had on World War II is the plans against the Axis powers in 1943 were finalized. -
Genocide
Genocide is the intentional killing of a large number of people from certain ethnic or religious groups with the goal of ending the nation or group. The word “Genocide” was first used in Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer’s, book. Lemkin developed this word in response to the mass murdering of Jews, the Holocaust, performed by Hitler. The impact this theme had on World War II was it allowed Germany to gain more power by fear and decreasing the number of Soviet Citizens. -
D-day (Normandy Invasion)
D-day, also called Normandy Invasion or its codename Operation Overlord, was the Allied invasion of northern France. The assault was a series of surprise military beach landings done by the U.S, British, and Canadian forces along Normandy’s coast. The forces blew up bridges and railroad lines to keep Germany from calling reinforcement to the coast. The impact this event had on World War II is it flipped the power against the Nazis and it also led to the surrender of Nazi Germany. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were American bombing raids on the Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In these attacks, over 10,000 people were killed from the explosions and more died from radiation poison. This event’s impact on WWII is its the first time atomic weapons were used in war.