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Period: to
World War II
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Japan invades Manchuria.
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Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia.
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Announcement of Rome-Berlin Axis
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation on October 25; on November 1, the Rome-Berlin Axis is announced. -
Japan invades China
Japan invades China -
The guaranteed protection of Poland
France and Great Britain guarantee the integrity of the borders of the Polish state. -
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
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Germany invades Poland
When Germany invaded Poland, it initiated World War II in Europe. -
Great Britian and France declare war on Germany
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
Italy enters the war
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. -
The Tripartite Pact
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact. -
Bulgaria joins the Axis
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Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
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The U.S. enters World War II
The U.S. declares war on Japan. -
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
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British and US navies halt the Japanese naval advance in the central Pacific at Midway.
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Axis forces in Tunisia surrender to the Allies, ending the North African campaign.
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Allied troops liberate Rome.
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British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans.
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US troops land in the Philippines.
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The Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin.
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Hitler commits suicide.
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Germany surrenders to the western Allies.
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
