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Period: to
Timeline
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Benito Mussolini becomes dictator of Italy
Benito Mussolini was the fascist dictator of Italy and he sought to create a new empire. He promised that he would rebuild the military, revive the economy, and create a new Roman Empire. He became allies with Hitler against the Allies of WWI and was overthrown and beheaded in 1943 after the fall of Sicily during the war. -
Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler was appointed as Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. Hitler's emergence as chancellor marked a turning point for Germany. From the moment Hitler was appointed, Nazi Germany was "off and running". -
Hitler remilitarizes Rhineland
The remilitarization of the Rhineland occurred when German military forces entered the Rhineland. This violated terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and the Allies allowed it to happen, proving that they would fail to uphold their treaty. -
Germany Annexes Austria
Hitler marched his troops into Austria to annex the nation. They were met by enthusiastic crowds and Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and Anschluss was proclaimed. Austria existed as a state of Germany until the end of World War 2. -
Munich Pact
The Munich Agreement was a settlement reached by Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy that allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland. Hitler was making demands involving the Sudetenland and in an attempt to avoid war, a four power conference was proposed to settle the dispute. -
Germany invades Poland
On 09/01/1939, German forces began bombarding Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler sought to regain territory and rule Poland. The invasion was a pimary example on how Hitler would use the blitzkrieg strategy. -
Cash and Carry
Cash and carry is a policy that was adopted by the United States in 1939 to maintain neutrality while helping the Allies. Britain and France could buy goods from the United States if they paid in full and transported them. This program also prevented US businesses interests backing the success or failure of any warring nation. -
Germany conquers France
Germany brought war to western Europe on May 10, 1940 with the goal of conquering France. They began their final push against France after the British were out of the way. They had tanks lined up the Somme river and moved closer and closer to their main goal, Paris. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was fought from 07/10/1940-10/31-1940 between Germany and the United Kingdom. It was the first major battle in history that was mostly fought in the air. The battle resulted in a decisive British victory. -
Axis Powers Formed
Germany, Italy, and Japan became allies and formed the Axis Powers. The pact provided for assistance in case any of the countries were to suffer an attack by any nation that was not already involved in the war. This was aimed directly at the United States, designed to make them think twice about joining the war on the Allies' side. -
Roosevelt Reelected for Third Term
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was re-elected for an unprecedened third term as President of the United States. He was elected with the promise of maintaining American neutrality when foreign war were concerned. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act allowed the president to sell, exchange, lease, or lend any defense article to any government whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States. As the American military prepared for war, Lend-Lease materials were shipped to other Allied nations who were actively fighting the Axis Powers. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
The invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany, known was Operation Barbarossa, was the largest military operation of the second World War. Less than two years after the German-Soviet Pact was signed, German forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 with 134 Divisions at full strength and 73 more divisions behind the front, -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a United States navy base that was attacked by the Japanese in response to the United States Oil Embargo. The surprise attack killed over 2,000 Americans and was the event that drew the United States into the war. -
United States Enters the War
In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declares war on Japan. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway occurred in June of 1942 and was a crucial naval battle in World War 2. The United States defeated an attacking Japanese fleet. There were thousands of Japanese casualties as opposed to the couple of hundred casualties on the U.S. side. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning point of the war turning in favor of the Allies. The battle was one of the bloodiest in history, with over 2 million civilian and military casualties. The battle began in July of 1942 and lasted until 02/02/1943. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
Battle that lasted 6 months between the Allies and Japan. Ended with a strategic Allied victory and began the Allied Offensive Operations in the Pacific. Americans launched surprise attack on Guadalcanal and took control of the air base under construction. There were heavy losses on both sides. -
Operation Torch
In Operation Torch, American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria. They went eastward, trapping the German and Italian armies that were being driven westward by the British. Despier being ordered by Hitler to fight to their deaths, the troops surrendered. Operation Torch lasted from November 8, 1942 to November 10, 1942. -
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was a meeting between Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin in Tehran, Iran that lasted from 11/28/1943-12/01/1943. They coordinated their military strategy against Germany and Japan and made a number of important decisions concerning the post World War II era. -
D-Day
On this day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led Allied troops in an invasion of Normandy, France. Russian troops fought their way through on the East and the others fought their way through France and Belgium and into Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944 and ended on January 25, 1945. Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in Northern Europe with a surprise attack. Although they were surprised, the Americans fought hard to defend themselves and the battle ended in an Allied victory. -
Auschwitz is Liberated
Auschwitz, a major concentration camp, was liberated on January 27, 1945. Soviet forces approached the death camp and began evacuating the prisoners. At least 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945 and about 1.1 million were murdered. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting between FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. During the conference, the three leaders agreed to demand Germany’s surrender and began plans for life after the war. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle occurred between Japan and the United States. The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Marines eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese. Resulted in an American victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was a series of battles fought in the Ryuku Islands and included the largest amphibious attack in the Pacific War during WW2. The battle was fought between Japan and the United States and resulted in an Allied victory with over 135,000 casualties. The battle ended on 06/22/1945. -
V-E Day
V-E Day, "Victory in Europe Day", refers to the day that German troops throughout Europe finally surrendered. They laid down their weapons and the surrender was realized in a final cease-fire. -
Atomic Bomb is Dropped on Hiroshima
An American B-29 bomber dropped the first deployed atomic bomb over Hiroshima in Japan. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people. Later, tens of thousands more died of radiation exposure. -
Atomic Bomb is Dropped on Nagasaki
3 days after the bombing at Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city, Nagasaki. This attack killed 40,000 people and led to Japan's surrender. -
V-J Day
Although it was announced in August that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, ending the war, V-J Day is the name given to 09/02/1945, the day Japan's formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. V-J Day stands for "Victory over Japan Day". When the surrender was announced, spontaneous celebrations occurred all over the world. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials held for the purpose of bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. The defendants were indicted on charges such as crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. -
Taft-Hartley Pact
The Taft-Hartley Act was the first major revision of the Wagner Act and despite being vetoed by the president and resisted by labor leaders, the act was passed in June of 1947. The act forbids unions from contributing to political campaigns, declares all closed shops illegal, and forbids jurisdictional strikes and secondary boycotts.
