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Japan seizes Manchuria
Manchuria is a geographical region in China full of resources and land. Japan did not want to rely on imported materials. It was also heavily hit by The Great Depression and people lost faith in the Japanese government. They turned to the Japanese army, which invaded Manchuria for its resources and land. When this happened, China tried to call for help from the League of Nations. The League tried to stop the Japanese army by ordering to leave, but they took no notice. Ended February 27th, 1932 -
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were laws placed by the Germans that discriminated Jewish people of their rights. The laws segregated the Jews from society, as well as took away some of their natural rights. The significance is that it marked the beginning of the Holocaust. The removal of rights was the first step in The Stages of Isolation. They were introduced on September 15, 1935 -
Hitler invades the Rhineland
Rhineland was a non-military zone between France and Germany. In World War 1, it was owned by Germany. The Treaty of Versailles prevented Germany from having the Rhineland. When Hitler came to power, he the Rhineland was the first land he took back. The significance of the is that it was the first land annexed by Nazi Germany. It marks the beginning of Hitler’s expansion of Germany and of Germany opposing the Treaty of Versailles. -
Anschluss (annexation) of Austria by Germany
In 1938, Hitler persuaded the Austrian government to allow the German army into their country. The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from uniting. However, the Austrian leader held a vote asking the people if they wanted Austria to be part of Germany. The result was that 99% of the people did want it to happen. The other countries did nothing as Hitler invaded Austria with a promise that he would not be invading any further after Austria. -
Munich Pact
Munich Pact was an agreement signed by Britain, France, Italy, and Germany. The agreement allowed Germany to invade the Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia, in exchange for no more territorial expansion and peace. This was the then British Prime Minister Chamberlain's plan to appease Hitler. However, this did not work, as Hitler broke the pact and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia -
Hitler seizes all of Czechoslovakia
The then British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain believed that he could appease Hitler. He let Hitler invade the Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia in exchange for no more territorial expansion from Germany. The Munich Agreement was made between the leaders of Germany, Britain, Italy, and France to allow Germany to take back the Sudetenland and no more territorial expansion being made by them. In March 1939 however, Hitler broke the agreement and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia -
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Molotov, in the place of Joseph Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with Ribbentrop, in the place of Hitler. This allowed Germany and USSR to become allies and divide Europe between them, especially Poland. This pact allowed Hitler to invade Europe without worrying about a Soviet attack. The pact would last for 10 years. However, Hitler broke it in 1941 by invading the Soviet Union. -
Canada declares war on Germany
Even though the British already were at war with Germany, Canada did not automatically join the war due to the Statue of Westminster. They did not have to follow the British. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King also believed that Canada should make its own decision to join the war. On September 10, Canada officially declared war on Germany after the issue was debated by Parliament. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
Miracle at Dunkirk happened during The Battle of Dunkirk. Many surrounded Allied forces at Dunkirk were saved by British civilian boats. 800 of these boats saved most of the 338 000 Allied forces at Dunkirk. The significance is that if Hitler didn’t make the mistake of taking too long to decide whether the German army or air force should do the battle, then all the trapped Allied forces would’ve been killed or captured. Ended June 4th, 1940. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a battle between the Germans and the British. It was mostly an air battle between the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air Force. The British successfully defended against the Germans. The significance is that if the Germans won, Britain would be controlled by Germany. If Hitler did not make the mistake of attacking the British cities and continued to attack British airfields, then the Royal Air Force may have been completely obliterated. Ended October 31, 1940. -
Operation Barbarossa begins
Operation Barbarossa was the name of the invasion conducted by Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union. Hitler broke the aggression pact with Joseph Stalin and attacked the USSR. Hitler wanted to defeat communism happening in USSR, and take it over. One of the cities fought for was Stalingrad, where the Nazis fought the Soviet Union for control of it. Ended December 5th, 1941. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a major US military base. It was attacked without warning by the Japanese air force, and lasted two hours. It was very devastating and caused a huge loss of American lives and ships. It totaled 2403 Americans killed, and severely damaged 14 warships and 347 aircraft. The significance is that this sudden attack persuaded the United States to join the Allies in World War 2. -
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, was a battle conducted in France by the Allies. It was mostly led by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The Canadians joined the battle to test out new weapons, along with wanting to boost morale. In the end, the operation was a failure. The significance of the Dieppe raid was that it was one of the most devastating and bloody chapters in Canadian military history. Only 2,210 Canadians returned from the 4,963 who left for the operation. -
D-Day
D-day was a battle in which Allied Forces invaded northern France via beach landings in Normandy. Starting with air and naval bombardment, ships ferried 150 000 Allied troops to Normandy. The Allies won the battle by using the element of surprise. They learned from their failure at the battle of Dieppe and D-day was successful. The significance is that the Allied forces had penetrated father inland than any other Allied force. There were very minimal casualties and captures. -
Canadian soldiers liberate Netherlands
After a series of battles, the Canadians finally liberated the Netherlands and chased away the Germans. Ended April 1945
