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Stalin becomes dictator of USSR
Under the rule of Stalin, the USSR was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial/military superpower. Stalin ruled by terror, and millions died during his reign. -
Mussolini’s March on Rome
the march was the insurrection in which Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy in late October 1922. It marked the first fascist takeover of power in the world, set in place a regime that would govern for 20 years, and inspired other far-right movements, which is why it is significant. The overall outcome was the National Fascist Party ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a political manifesto written by Adolf Hitler. Its purpose is to show his "struggles" and his main goal/ ideas which were racial purification, national expansion, and the Nazi party action plan. -
1st “five year plan” in USSR
The five-year plan was created in order to initiate rapid and large-scale industrialization across the USSR. It is important because it was a method of planning economic growth over limited periods, through the use of quotas. -
Japan invades Manchuria
The Empire of Japan's Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria immediately following the Mukden Incident in order to seek raw materials to fuel its growing industries. It is important because the invasion ultimately led to the Second Sino-Japanese War and helped to increase tensions before World War II -
Holodomor
Holodomor was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. Holodomor happened because of the feeling of being threatened by Ukraine's strengthening cultural autonomy. Stalin took destroyed the Ukrainian peasantry and intellectual/cultural elites to prevent them from seeking independence for Ukraine. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. Hitler becoming chancellor is significant because he led Germany into The Holocaust and did several more awful things to Germany and millions of innocent people -
“Night of the Long Knives” in Germany
The Night of the Long Knives was Nazi leaders taking advantage of the purge to kill other political enemies. It is important because these murders cemented an agreement between the Nazi Regime and the German army. Its purpose was to represent a triumph for Hitler, and a turning point for the German government. It established Hitler as "the supreme leader of the German people" -
Nuremburg Laws enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were antisemitic and racist laws. A Jew cannot be a citizen of the Reich. He cannot exercise the right to vote; he cannot occupy public office, and could not fly the German flag. It is significant because it made Jews legally different from their non-Jewish neighbors -
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
Italy invaded Ethiopia launching a war that would drive Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie into exile, it paved the way for Italian occupation and tested the capacity. It was significant because it demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations when League decisions were not supported by the great powers. -
The Great Purge & Gulags
The Great Purge was a brutal political campaign led by Stalin, its purpose was to eliminate challenge from past and potential opposition groups, including the left and right wings led by Leon Trotsky and Nikolai Bukharin -
Spanish civil war
The Spanish civil war was a military revolt against the Republican government of Spain. It is important because it represented a dress rehearsal for World War II, a conflict between democracy and fascism. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking was Japanese troops killing remnant Chinese soldiers in violation of the laws of war, murdering Chinese civilians, raping Chinese women, and destroying/stealing Chinese property. This is a significant event because it was a mass murder. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht was when German Nazis attacked Jewish people, their communities, homes, and synagogues. It was important because Kristallnacht marked a turning point in the Nazi persecution of Jews from discriminatory policies to outright wide-scale violence and destruction -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
German forces broke through Polish defenses along the border and quickly advanced on Warsaw, the Polish capital. This event is significant because this was the event that initiated World War II in Europe. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan bombing Pearl Harbor was an aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii. The bombing was significant because it was the event that made the US enter World War II.