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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed to "end all wars." The treaty was signed by the Allied Nations and Germany. It was signed in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, Paris, France. This treaty required Germany to pay for war reparations, claim war guilt, loose land, and even give up all of their claimed sea territories. -
Mussolini becomes fascist leader of Italy.
Mussolini was appointed prime minister of Italy by King Victor Emmanuel III. Mussolini and his team of the "Black Shirts" marched through Rome taking over the government and declared Mussolini prime minister. -
Mein Kampf is published
On this date Adolf Hitler's autobiography "Mein Kampf" was published. This title roughly translates to "My struggle or My fight" in english. He wrote this book while serving time in prison after being convicted of treason after trying to take over the government in Bavaria. This event was known as Beer Hall, Putsch. In his book Hitler wrote about his ideologies and his extreme right ideas. He also talks about his youth, conversion to antisemitism, and his time as a soldier in WWI. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
Hitler became chancellor of Germany after the Nazi patry won numerous electorial votes. He ruled until his suicide in 1945. Hitler quickly turned Germany into a war state. His intent was to conquer Europe for the benefit of the "Ayan Race." -
The Night of the Long Knives
Hitler consolidated his power after going an a Nazi party purge and killing anyone he felt was a threat all in the same night. He assasinated hundreds of Nazis who he belived were political enemys. Hitler has feared that some of his men had taked his propaganda about National Socialism too seriously. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
Ethopia was one of two independent nations in Africa at the time. During this time Italy invaded ethopia under the rule of Benito Mussolini. Italy commited countless crimes and caused alot of destruction. Even in the time of the Great Depression the U.S. were more than happy to help Ethopia by training men and bring alot of supplies. In the end Italy took control of Ethopia. The League of Nations ruled aginst Italy and voted for economic sanctions which Italy ignored. -
Japan invades China
Japan sought Chinas raw materials to fuel their growing industries. This caused alot of conflict in Asia and lead to the Invasion of China. As many as 300,000 Chinese civilians and troops were killed. By 1937 Japan controlled large parts of China. Japan ultematly wanted to expand its influence and gain its position of greatest power. -
Rape of Nanjing
During the invasion of China lead by Japan tens of thousands of women were raped in Nanjing. Nanjing was one of the safe zones for Chinas citizens to go and was "roughly the size of New York's Central Park." This city held more than a dozen small refugee camps. On December 1st China abandoned Nanjing. Japan entered the city looking for food and supplies after fighting for weeks. While there they murdered families, raped women, and destroyed the city. All to seek revenge for comrades that lost. -
The Pact of Steel
On this day, Italy and Germany agreed to a political and military alliance to form the Axis powers. Mussolini saw this alliance as protection from the Western democracies and a source of backing. Both sides were fearful of eachother and very cautiously shared plans with each other. In September of 1940, Japan became a part of the Pact of steel. -
WWII Begins-Germany invades Poland
4:43 am marked the begining of WWII when Germany opended fire on Poland. Hitler claimed that it was a matter of "expanding our living space in the east and making our food supply secure; to have sufficient food you must have sparsely settled areas. There is therefore no question of sparing Poland, and the decision is to attack Poland at the first opportunity. We cannot expect a repetition of Czechoslovakia. There will be fighting.” In the end Germany gained full control over poland. -
The Tripartite Pact
The Axis powers were formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. The pact made a mutual alliance between the three countires to provide support and assistance for each other when under attack. This alliance was formed to target the U.S. who were neutral at the time. This pact acknoloweged the leadership of Germany and Italy. But also showed the lordship of Japan.