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The March on Rome
The March marked the beginning of fascist rule and meant the doom of the preceding parliamentary regimes of socialists and liberals. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Volume One of Adolf Hitler’s philosophical autobiography, Mein Kampf, is published. It was a blueprint of his agenda for a Third Reich and a clear exposition of the nightmare that will envelope Europe. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The plan implemented by Joseph Stalin, concentrated on developing heavy industry and collectivizing agriculture, at the cost of a drastic fall in consumer goods. -
Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
After Lenin's death, Stalin wins the political race to the top and became the leader of Russia. Any opponents that threatened his rein were killed or sent away to labor camps. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Japan had invaded Manchuria without declarations of war, breaching the rules of the League of Nations. Japan had a highly developed industry, but the land was scarce of natural resources. Japan turned to Manchuria for oil, rubber and lumber in order to make up for the lack of resources in Japan -
Holodomor
The man-made famine that killed millions in Soviet Ukraine. The famine was created by poor policy from the Russians that forced the farmers to grow unfamiliar crops and poorly managed them while doing so. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. He ruled absolutely until his death by suicide in April 1945. Upon achieving power, Hitler smashed the nation’s democratic institutions and transformed Germany into a war state intent on conquering Europe -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The purge of Nazi leaders by Adolf Hitler Fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS guards to murder the organization’s leaders. Many other perceived opponents of Hitler were killed that night. -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
Italy invade Ethiopia despite the disapproval of the league of nations. It highlighted how poorly the league of nations was doing its job. Italy would not respect an "authority" that could not enforce anything -
Nuremberg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany. The laws were made at the annual Nuremberg meeting of the Nazi Party. These laws allowed for and even encouraged unfair treatment of Jews and other non-Aryans -
The Great Purge and Gulags
A brutal political campaign led by Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat. Although estimates vary, most experts believe at least 750,000 people were executed. Many more were sent to Russian labor camps also known as gulags -
Spanish civil war
The war was a result of many factors, but the one primary causes of the Spanish Civil War was the failure of Spanish democracy. The sides refused to compromise and ultimately failed. After a failed military coup, The country entered a vicious civil war -
The Rape of Nanjing
The Nanjing Massacre or the Rape of Nanjing was an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Imperial Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November Pogrom, was a pogrom against Jews carried out by SA paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany. The event gets its name from all of the vandalized store fronts that had their glass shattered. The events that took place here show just how deeply the Germans hated the Jews -
Nazi Germany invades Poland.
The invasion of Poland was not just a way of regaining lost territory but it was also the first showcase of the Germans brutal war tactics known as blitzkrieg -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. The attack led to the U.S. Officially joining the war