-
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Powers, creating an end to World War I. As a part of the treaty, Germany had to accept responsibility for the war and pay a lot of money they didn't have in reparations. This caused their debt, ultimately helping the rise of Hitler. -
March on Rome
The Fascist Party in Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, planned an insurrection to march on Rome by the Fascist armed squads known as the Blackshirts. Mussolini rose to power, marking the start of Fascist forces in Europe. -
The Great Depression
The stock market crash in the United States in 1929 also severely affected European countries, such as Germany. Germany borrowed money to pay their reparations as ordered by the Treaty of Versailles. This created huge inflation. Also, they couldn't pay back the loans, causing severe unemployment. The terrible economy created anger and low morale with the people, which helped the rise of Fascism in Germany under Adolf Hitler. -
German Occupation of the Rhineland
German troops re-occupied the Rhineland, a de-militarized zone according to the Treaty of Versailles. This directly went against what Germany had agreed on in the treaty. -
Appeasement Policy
This strategy was employed by Great Britain under Neville Chamberlain. In order to prevent another war, Britain allowed Germany to expand territory unchecked. One of these policy's included the Munich Agreement, which agreed that Germany could occupy the Sudetenland, the German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia. Although Hitler promised to take no more territory in Europe, he broke the Munich Agreement, taking the rest of Czechoslovakia. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland, making the excuse that Poland persecuted ethnic Germans living there and that Poland and her fellow allies were planning on attacking Germany. Hitler planned a fake attack of a German radio station in Poland. This gave them a "reason" to invade Poland. This invasion was characterized by a military strategy called "Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)." This combined fast and strong movements of infantry, tanks, and planes. This marked the start of World War II. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was one of the deadliest and most pivotal battles during World War II. It was a successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (U.S.S.R.) against the German advance into the Soviet Union. It marked the first major loss for the German Army.