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Mussolini's March on Rome
The march forced King Victor Emmanuel III to make Mussolini prime minister. From that point on, Mussolini set about making Italy a fascist country. -
The USSR Gains A Dictator, Joseph Stalin
Stalin assumed leadership over the country following Lenin's death in 1924. -
Mein Kampf, a book written by Adolf Hitler
(‘My Struggle’) Hitler wrote his only book in prison, where he was serving a sentence for a failed coup he attempted in 1923. Hitler wrote about his ideology and presented himself as the leader of the extreme right. He talked about his life and his youth, his 'conversion' to antisemitism (the hatred of Jews) and his time as a soldier in the First World War. He described his hatred for the Treaty of Versailles and how humiliating it was for Germany. -
The USSR's First "Five Year Plan"
The USSR wanted to speed up the process of industrialization in the Soviet Union so that it could compete with the more developed capitalist economies.
Stalin wanted a control on agriculture and to expand heavy industry. (fuel extraction, energy generation, and steel production) -
Invasion of Manchuria, by Japan
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria -
Holodomor
The starvation of millions of Ukrainians as a result of Soviet policies. In fear that Ukraine would oppose Stalin's policies and possibly lead to Ukraine's secession from the Soviet Union, Stalin set unrealistically high grain procurement quotas. -
The New Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler
Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders convinced President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor -
Germany's “Night of the Long Knives”
("Röhm Putsch") Murdering of Nazi leaders ordered by Adolf Hitler. He feared that the paramilitary SA (The Sturmabteilung or "Storm Division") had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons) guards to eliminate the organization's leaders. -
Nuremberg Laws Enacted
The Nuremberg Laws were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany. This made people of Jewish heritage completely separate from aryans, even if they had a small amount of Jewish decent they would be ridiculed. -
Ethiopia Invaded by Italy
Ethiopia was only 1 of 2 independent African nations at the time, was invaded by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini. The Italians committed extreme violence. The use of mustard gas, the bombing of Red Cross hospitals and ambulances, the execution of captured prisoners without trial, and many massacres. -
Spanish Civil War
The election in Spain brought to power a leftist Popular Front government. Fascist and extreme-right forces responded in with an army mutiny and coup attempt that expanded into a civil war
Francisco Franco will go on to rule over Spain as a dictator for 36 years from 1939 until his death. -
The Rape of Nanking
The Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male “war prisoners,” massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
The Great Purge & The Gulags
A brutal political campaign led by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat. Prisoners were forced to perform hard labor under terrible conditions. Many died from exposure to harsh elements, lack of nutrition, and unsanitary conditions. -
Kristallnacht
This nationwide riot ("Night of Broken Glass.") The name "Kristallnacht" is a reference to the shattered glass from store windows that littered the streets during and after the riot. A violent attack against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilians. -
Poland Invaded by 'Nazi' Germany
Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and ultimately rule their neighbor to the east. The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy.
(Blitzkrieg an intense military campaign intended to bring about a swift victory.) -
Pearl Harbor Bombed by Japan
This was a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II. The attack doomed Imperial Japan to defeat because it had awakened the "sleeping giant."