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Mussolini’s March on Rome
Blackshirts paraded in Rome, while Mussolini formed his government. They wanted to seize power, They conquered strategic points through the country and gathered outside Rome. The outcome was Mussolini's fascist party rose to power in the kingdom of Italy. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Hitler while he was in prison, plotting his next moves for when he gets out. He talked about his life and youth, and his hatred for the Jews. The book is full of racist views and hatred towards the Jews. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
Created in 1928, the purpose of the first five year plan was to speed up the process of industrialization in the Soviet Union. The goal was to turn the Soviet Union into a world economic power. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
In 1929, Stalin became dictator of the Soviet union. After Lenin's death, he traveled across the USSR to deliver lectures. He ruled by terror, and many of his own citizens died during his brutal reign. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Seeking raw materials to fuel it's industries, Japan invaded Manchuria. On September 18, 1931, an explosion destroyed a section of the railway track near the city of Mukden. The Japanese blamed Chinese for the incident and took the opportunity to invade Manchuria. -
Holodomor
This was the starvation of millions of Ukrainians as a result of Soviet Union policies. This killed millions of Ukrainians, it was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine. Holodomor lasted 1932-1933. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
German President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler as Chancellor at the head of a coalition government. The Nazi party gained control of Germany -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The Night of the Long Knives was a purge of Nazi leaders by Hitler. Hitler feared that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, so he ordered guards to murder the organization's leaders. -
Nuremburg Laws enacted
The Nuremburg Laws were racist laws enacted by Nazi Germany in 1935. The first law was The Reich Citizenship Law, which stripped Jews of their German citizenship and introduced a new distinction between "Reich citizens " and "nationals." The second law was the The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. Under this law, marriages between Jews and Germans were forbidden. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
In 1934 was one of the few independent states in a European-dominated Africa. The aim of invading Ethiopia was to boost Italian national reputation which has been previously damaged when Italy unsuccessfully tried to conquer Ethiopia. This invasion ended with an Italian victory. -
The Great Purge and gulags
The Great Purge was a brutal political campaign led by Stalin. At least 750,000 people were executed. More than a million survivors were sent to concentration camps known as gulags. This ruthless operation caused terror throughout the Soviet Union. -
Spanish civil war
The Spanish civil war was a war between the Nationalists and the Republicans. War began when the two generals launched an uprising aimed at overthrowing the country's democratically elected republic. The war ended with Nationalists victory in 1939. -
The rape of Nanking
A Japanese General ordered that Nanking be destroyed. They burned the city, butchered an estimated 150,000 male “war prisoners,” massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were killed. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also known as "The Night of Broken Glass", happened on November 9, 1938. Nazi leaders ordered an attack on Jews. Nazis attacked Jewish people and property throughout Austria and Germany. 30,000 Jews were arrested, and 91 were killed. More than 1,000 synagogues were burned or damaged. Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries were vandalized. Kristallnacht lasted November 9th-10th. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Hitler attacked them because he wanted Germans to live there. He considered the Polish people inferior and only fit as a work force. The Nazi's murdered 65,000 Polish people. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a Hawiian coaling station. It was a surprise military attack by Imperial Japanese Navy Air. Japan believed that they could slow down the US military and buy themselves time by blowing up the Pearl Harbor.