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Mussolini Takes Over Italy's Government
Italy's government was slipping into political chaos and Mussolini was the only man that presented himself as being capable of restoring order. King Victor Emmanuel had Mussolini form a government Mussolini slowly takes control and brings fascism to Italy. Led by Mussolini, the Italian fascists march on Rome and take over the government. References: -
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempted coup d'état which became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. They began in the Bavarian City of Munich, aiming to seize control of the state government, march on Berlin, and ovethrow the German Federal Government. The new government was to oversee the creation of a unified Greater German Reich where citizenship would be based on race. The putsch failed but the Bavarian authorities were able to prosecute 9 paticipants. References: -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement to outlaw war. This sometimes was called the Pact of Paris for the city in which it was signed. The pact was another effort to prevent another World War. It had little effect in stopping or preventing WWII. References: -
U.S. Stock Market Crash
The stock market began to decline in September and early October 1929. On October 24, a record 12,894,650 shares were traded. On October 29, 1929, stock prices collapsed completely and 16,410,030 shares were traded on New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost. References: -
Japan Invades Manchuria
During 1931 Japan had invaded Manchuria because they were in need for new markets, and new sources of raw materials such as coal, oil, bauxite, iron ore, rubber and lumber. Japan had highly developed industry, but the land was scarce of natural resources. China then pleaded to the League of Nations. The League of Nations was not able to help which showed the world the League could not maintain peace. References: -
Hitler Becomes Germany's Chancellor
President Paul von Hindenburg names Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. That date marked a crucial turning point for Germany. His plan was to do away with politics and make Germany a powerful, unified one-party state. He ordered an expansion of the state police and put Hermann Goering in charge of a new security force, composed entirely of Nazis. From that moment on, Nazi Germany was off and running, and there was little anyone could do to stop it. References: -
Japan Withdraws From the League of Nations
Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after the assembly had an unanimous report blaming Japan for the Invasion of Manchuria. Japan said they would never come back after that. References: -
Nazi's Reach a Political Majority in Germany
The Nazis fail to win a governing majority in parliamentary elections. The Nazis win only about 45 percent of the vote. In March, Hitler introduces a bill that would give his government the power to pass laws without submitting them to the German parliament. The bill passed, because of the arrest of many Communists and Socialists before the vote on the bill. References: -
First Anti-Semitic Law is Passed in Germany
The first major law to cut the rights of Jewish citizens was the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, which excluded Jews from civil service. The new law was the German authorities' first formulation of the so-called Aryan Paragraph, a regulation used to exclude Jews from organizations, professions, and other aspects of public life. This was the foundation of the Nuremberg Race Laws, which formalized their segregation from the Aryan population. References: -
The Night of the Long Knives (Rohm Purge)
The Nazi Party leadership, on the order of Adolf Hitler, purged the leadership of the Nazi paramilitary formation. The Nazi leaders took advantage of the purge to kill other political enemies, mostly the German nationalist, known as the "Night of the Long Knives." The murders made an agreement between the Nazi regime and the German Army that allowed them to claim absolute power. References: -
Hitler Openly Announces to His Cabinet He Will Defy the Treaty of Versailles
Even thought Hitler was Austrian, he loved Germany. Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles and called the people who signed it as "November Criminals" because the war had ended in November. He refused many terms in the Treaty, such as the reparations, military restrictions, and the landd which was stolen from the Germans. References: -
Creation of the Nuremberg Laws
The German government passed two racial laws at the NSDAP Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg. The Reich Citizenship Law and the Law to Protect German Blood and Honor were the two racial laws which became known as the Nuremberg Laws. These two laws took the German citizenship away from the Jews and outlawed both marriage and sex between Jews and non-Jews. The Nuremberg Laws based Jewishness by race rather than religion. References: -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Italy attacked Ethiopia without a declaration of war. Italy's plan for invading Ethiopia was by moving in on its capital, Addis Ababa. Italian soldiers marched into Ethiopia and there was little Ethiopian's military could do to stop them. References: -
Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland
Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles by sending German forces into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone. Germany had been forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler and the Nazi Party seized full power in Germany, promising revenge on the Allied nations that had forced the German people to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler denounced the Locarno Pact and began remilitarizing the Rhineland in March 1936. 2 years later, Germany took Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia. References: -
Rape of Nanking
The uncontrolled butchery of the population of Nanking became known as the "Rape of Nanking." The residents were either shot or stabbed. Thousands of members of the Chinese Army shed their uniforms, arrested, hands tied behind their backs and led to killing fields where they were shot, beheaded, used for killing practice and were dumped in graves. Some were even buried alive. Thousands of women were forced into brutal sex and often murdered once the attackers had been satisfied. References: -
Germany Annexes Austria
The German troops march into Austia to annex German-speaking nation for the Hitler. German troops went into Austria where crowds had meet them. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government. Austria existed as a federal state of Germany until the end of WWII. References: -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was to discuss Hitler's demand for the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. In one day, Britain, France, Italy and Germany came to an agreement to give the Sudetenland to Hitler. The agreement was signed on September 30, 1938. References: -
Hitler Demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia
Hitler demanded the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia because it was home to many ethnic Germans. Great Britain, France and Italy did agree to give Hitler the Sudetenland and made an agreement which was called the "Munich Agreement." References: -
Kristallnacht
Kristallancht is also known as the "Night of Broken Glass." On this day almost 200 synagogues were destroyed, over 8,000 Jewish shops were stolen from, an thousands of Jews were removed from there homes to concentration camps. This was a riot that took place in Germany. References: -
Einstein's Letter to FDR, ¨The Manhattan Project¨
Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt about his recent research on chain reactions. He said by using uranium it made it likely that large amounts of power could be produced by a chain reaction and by controlling this power, the constuction of bombs are conceivable. References: -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotove-Ribbentrop Pact was a pact between Germany and the Soviet Union which was made a few days before WWII began. This pact devided up the eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. References: -
Nazi Invasion of Poland
German troops invaded Poland which was said to be a defensive action. Every once and a while the Germans bombed Polish airfields. The German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Two days later, Poland declares war on Germany, triggering the start of WWII. References: -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
This was a decision that would transform a military defeat into a moral victory. German forces continued their advance into France, General Viscount Gort, could see German invaders were favored. The French called upon Gort to move his troops south to join them. The British commander realized this action is pointless. Gort then ordered his commanders to retreat to the near-by port of Dunkirk, and action that would save the British Army to fight another day. References: -
France Surrenders
"It is with a heavy heart that I tell you today that we must stop fighting." This was the last straw that breaks the French resistance to the German invasion. The French end the fight with an armistice with the Germans. References: -
Battle of Britain
German and British air forces battle in the skies over the United Kingdom, this was the largest bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain was a turning point in WWII. The Battle of Britain ended when Luftwaffe failed to gain air advantage over the Royal Air Forces. Britain's victory saved the counrty from a ground invasion. References: -
The Tripartite Pact
The Axis Powers are formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan become allies by signing the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. The Pact provided assistance to any of the three countries suffering attacks by any nation not already in the war. This alliance was aimed directly at "neutral" America-designed to force the United States to think twice before joining the Allies. References: -
Lend Lease Act
The Lend Lease Act provided the US military aid to foreign nations during WWII. This act gave the president permission to transfer arms for which Congress seizes money to “the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” Under this law, Britain, the Soviet Union, China, Brazil and many other countries recived weapons. References: -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler had his armies move eastward to invade the Soviet Union. The three great army groups with over three milion German soldiers, 150 divisions (large military unit or formation), and three thousand tanks smashed across the frontier into the Soviet Union. The invasion covered two thousand miles. This was the crucial turning point in WWII.
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Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. This lasted for just two hours. The Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, 8 battleships, and almost 200 aiplanes. More than 2000 American soldiers and sailors died and 1000 were wounded. One day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. References: -
The Wannsee Conference and the ¨Final Solution¨
The high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered in Wannsee to discuss what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." The "Final Solution" was a code name for the plan to kill the Jews. Hitler's European-wide scheme for mass murder of the Jews was at a undetermined time. References: -
Bataan Death March
The U.S.'s surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during WWII, about 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to march to prison camps. The troops were subjected to harsh treatment by the Japanese guards. Thousands die in what became known as the Bataan Death March. References: -
Doolittle Raid
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the American military had planned revenge on the Japanese. The revenge was to attack a number of cities on the Japanese mainland. This was the first U.S. air raid to strike Japan during WWII. References: -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of WWII. The United States was able to counter Japan's planned attacked of its last few aircraft carriers. This would cause permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. The victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. References: -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was a successful Soviet protection on the city of Stalingrad during WWII. Historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies. This battle was one of the bloodiest battles in history. Casualties of nearly 2 million. References: -
Operation Torch
The Operation Torch was the invasion of North Africa. The Torch was an American led operation under Eisenhower with UK support. References: -
Island Hopping (Date for Buna-Gona Campaign)
After the Battle of Midway, the United States launched a counter-offensive attack known as "Island Hopping," establishing a line of overlapping island bases, as well as air control. They wanted to capture certain islands until Japan came within range of American bombers. References: -
Operation Overlord and D-Day
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied freedom of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches of the coast of France's Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest invasions in history. References: -
Operation Valkyrie
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, took the fate of the German people into his own hands. He planned to assassinate the dictator and seize power. Shortly after noon, Stauffenberg brought an explosive-filled briefcase into a meeting where Hitler was seated around a large table with other Nazi officials. He placed the briefcase under the table, left, and watched the explosion. This plan did not work as planned, Hitler survived the explosion and four others were killed. References: -
Discovery of Majdanek
Most concentration camps were evacuated during the spring of 1944. In July 1944, Soviet forces approached Lublin, the remaining camp staff abandoned Majdanek during the night of July 22-23 and captured Lublin on July 24. Majdanek was the first major concentration camp to be liberated. Soviet officials invited journalists to inspect the camp and evidence of the horrors that had occured there. References: -
Battle of the Bulge
Three German Armies launched the deadliest and most desperate battle of the war in the west. The once-quiet region became an uproar as Americans were fighting desperatly. As the German armies drove deeper in an attempt to secure the army west of the river, the line defining the Allied front took on the appearance of a large bulge, the name by which the battle would forever be known. References: -
Hitler's Suicide
In a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and then shooting himself in the head. Germany then unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams. References: -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was on May 8, 1945. V-E Day officially announced the end of WWII. On May 7 at 2:41, German General signed the surrender document that formally ended the war. Joseph Stalin had different views on how to announce the surrender which caused the delay. By evening, Churchill decided that he was going to announce the surrender instead of holding up on Stalin. References: -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
An American bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb over Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion destroyed 90% of the city and killed 80,000 people. Thousands more were killed from radiation exposure. Three days later, a second dropped another bomb on Nagasaki, killing around 40,000 people. Japan's Emperor announced his country's surrender in WWII. References: -
V-J Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, ending WWII. Since then, both August 14 and 15 have been known as "Victoryover Japan Day," or simply "V-J." The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan surrendered. References: -
Creation of the United Nations
United Nations was created on January 1, 1942 but was born on October 24, 1945. On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter, which was adopted and signed on June 26, 1945, is now effective and ready to be enforced. The United Nations was born as a means of better judgement of international conflict and negotiating peace than was provided for by the old League of Nations. References: -
The Nuremberg Trials
The purpose of the Nuremberg Trials was to bring the Nazi war criminals to justice. The Trials were a series of 13 trials carried out in Nuremberg, Germany. The defendants included Nazi Party officials and military officers, German industrialists, lawyers and doctors were charged as crimes against peace and humanity. The Trials are considered as an establishment of a permanent international court and an important example for dealing with genocide and other crimes against humanity. References: -
The Japanese War Crime Trials
In Japan the International Military Tribunals for the East begins hearing the case against 28 Japanese military and government officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during WWII. References: -
The Beginning of the Cold War
The Cold War started because the many rivalries between the two WWII allies. The war was between the Communists and the Capitalists. The Communists - U.S.S.R. and the Capitalists - America. References:
