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Benito Mussolini comes to power in Italy
Benito Mussolini's successful attack on Ethiopia resulted in popularity for himself across Italy. He was elected as Prime Minister of Italy. He later became leader of the National Fascist party. Mussolini taking control of Italy was significant because he showed defiance against the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations by attacking Ethiopia. When this yielded positive results, it showed it showed the rest of Europe how little power the League of Nations had to control it's members. -
Adolf Hitler is imprisoned and writes Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf was an autobiographical book Adolf Hitler wrote when he was imprisoned for political crimes. The book contains Hitler's political ideas and plans for Germany. When Hitler wrote and published the volumes for Mein Kampf, he was laying down the groundwork for ultranationalism in Germany. His ultranationalist views were the foundations for his political ideas and were outlined in Mein Kampf. -
Stalin takes power in the Soviet Union and conducts purges
Stalin assumed total control of the Soviet Union. He began conducting purges, which were periodic reviews of members of the Communist party in order to get rid of the "undesirables" through execution, & soon evolved into execution of any person who was seen as a threat. Stalin's implementation of the policy of purges created a sense of ultranationalism & supremacy by weeding out any person who did not meet his standards or contribute to his attempt at forming a centralistic governed Russia. -
Hirohito and Tojo aim to expand Japanese influence
Tojo was the General of the Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister during WWII. He planned an attack on Pearl Harbor & controlled war affairs which the Emperor - Hirohito - did not choose to be a part of due to a lack of faith. Hirohito & Tojo wanted to expand Japanese influence due to their views of Japanese supremacy. Their takeover of Manchuria was an attempt at pursuing ultranationalism because it resembled their self-serving motives. This was also shown in the bombings of Pearl Harbor. -
Hitler is "elected" to power in Germany
Hitler formed the Sturmabteilung (S.A.) - the functioning military-like wing of the Nazi Party. The main purpose of the SA was to protect Nazi rallies, disrupt opposing parties meetings, & fighting opposing military units of opposing parties. Using the power and intimidation of the SA, Hitler climbed to power and became elected. Hitler's appointment to power expressed the desperate state that the country was in, and gave Hitler a larger platform to promote his political opinions. -
Hitler is given totalitarian powers
Hitler was appointed chancellor by President Hidenburg. After the President passed away, Hitler announced himself the Führer - the dictator of Germany. His dictatorship allowed for his plans to be set into play. He now had the power to implement the ideas he formed in Mein Kampf. His exceptional speaking skills were critical in convincing Germany of it's superiority. -
Germany's economic and military revival (invasion of the Rhineland)
The remilitization of the Rhineland resulted in Germany's economic and military revival & changed the balance of power in Europe, resulting in a higher power reputation for Germany. It was a direct violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which was part of Hitler's promised vengeance on the Allied forces who forced Germany to agree to the treaty. By doing this, Germany was sending the message that it was uprising against the league with their own success as their primary motive. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht was the violent outbreak against the Jews carried out by the SA and German civilians. The event that caused this was the assassination of the Nazi-German diplomat Ernst vom Roth by a Jew named Herschel Grynszpan. Jewish homes, hospitals, & schools were ransacked. This event reflected the Nazi Party's basic belief of supremacy as well as the motivation for takeover without regarding other nation's needs. Hitler believed that the Jewish people were subhuman, & were treated as such. -
German invasion of Sudentenland and reaction of the west
Germany invaded Sudetenland & persecuted the Jews living there. Hitler tried to persuade Chamberlain to unify with Germany, threatening war if he refused. Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler by offering all the areas with a German population of more than 50%. Hitler then demanded Sudetenland. He was appeased once again. Hitler's demands for the West's succumbing's represented his strict standards for other nations foreign policies when dealing with Germany. -
The 'Non-Aggression pact' and the invasion of Poland
Germany signed a pact with the Soviet Union called the Non-Aggression pact, which declared that neither nation would take military action against the other for 10 years. The September Campaign, the invasion of Poland, was carried out by Nazi Germany, which directly violated the pact & erupted into the second World War. Germany signed the pact in order to secure itself from safety threats from the Soviet Union, thus removing an obstacle from their path to ultranationalism & absolutism.
