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Period: to
the start and events of WW2
also known as the Second World War was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, though related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of "total war", the major participants threw their ent -
Mussolini
Benito Mussolini coined the term “fascism” in 1919 to describe his political movement. He adopted the ancient Roman fasces as his symbol. Mussolini established the first fascist regime, followed soon after by others, including Nazi Germany. Fascism, however, differed somewhat from one nation to another. -
Stalin rise to power
Lenin died in 1924. Everyone thought Trotsky, the brilliant leader of the Red Army would become leader – especially as Lenin left a Testament saying that Stalin was dangerous and should be dismissed. Stalin was made General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922. Everybody thought it was a dull, unimportant job. Stalin used it to get his supporters into important positions. -
Hilter rise to power
The party's rise to power was rapid. Before the economic depression struck, the Nazis were practically unknown, winning only 3 percent of the vote to of the elections in 1924. Hitler was appointed chancellor. -
Hitler violates the treaty
Hilter destroyed the League of Nations Disarmament Conference by demanding equality of arms with France and Britain this broke the Treaty because it had set up the League with the stated aim of achieving disarmament. At first, Hitler broke the Treaty’s terms by building up his army in secret, drilling volunteers with spades instead of rifles. -
Italy's conquest of Ethiopia
Italy unseuccessfully tried to conquer Ethiopia in the 1890s, but when a border incident occured, it gave Mussolini an excuse to intervene and invade Ethiopia. Winning and taking the capitol, Addis Ababa, Mussolini proclaimed italy's king victor Emmanuel III emperor of Ethiopia. -
Spanish Civil war
When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, was led by General Francisco Franco and received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States. The Nationalists won, and Franco ruled Spain for the next 36 years. -
Rome-berlin axis
Rome-Berlin Axis, Coalition formed in 1936 between Italy and Germany. An agreement formulated linking the two fascist countries was reached on October 25, 1936. It was formalized by the Pact of Steel in 1939. The term Axis Powers came to include Japan as well. -
Annexing of Austria
Nazis conspired for the second time in four years to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany.Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where enthusiastic crowds met them. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13 the Anschluss was proclaimed. -
Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin viewed the pact as a way to keep his nation on peaceful terms with Germany, while giving him time to build up the Soviet military. Adolf Hitler used the pact to make sure Germany was able to invade Poland unopposed. -
Poland attacked
Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans -
Canada goes to war
Britain’s declaration of war did not automatically commit Canada, as had been the case in 1914. The government and people were united in support of Britain and France. After Parliament debated the matter, Canada declared war on Germany and that only volunteers would serve overseas. -
Nazis take Czechoslovakia
Germany, Italy, France, and Britan signed the Munich Pact, which sealed the fate of Czechoslovakia, virtually handing it over to Germany in the name of peace. Although the agreement was to give into Hitler’s hands only the Sudentenland, that part of Czechoslovakia where 3 million ethnic Germans lived, it also handed over to the Nazi war machine most of its coal, iron, and steel and soon was conquered. -
Invasion of Norway
German minister in Oslo demanded Norway’s surrender. The Norwegian government refused, and the Germans responded with a parachute invasion. But an accelerating German offensive in France led Britain to transfer thousand of soldiers from Norway to France, resulting ultimately in a German victory. -
Battle of britan
German and British air forces clashed, locked in the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population. Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces. -
Tojo rise in power
Tojo was made minister of war and soon clashed with the prime minister, Prince Fumimaro Konoye, who had been fighting for reform of his government, namely, demilitarization of its politics. In October, Konoye resigned because of increasing tension with Tojo, who succeeded him as prime minister. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. America has joined WW2 -
Battle of midway
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Thanks in part to major advances in code breaking, the United States was able to preempt and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers, inflicting permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was a bloddy battle with nearly 2 million dead. -
D-Day
156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated. -
Battle of bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes, the Third Army to Bastogne lead to the neutralization of the German counteroffensive despite heavy casualties. -
Death of Roosevelt
On a clear spring day at his Warm Springs, Georgia, retreat, the president suddenly complained of a terrific pain in the back of my head and collapsed unconscious. A doctor, who immediately recognized the symptoms of a massive cerebral hemorrhage and gave the president a shot of adrenaline into the heart in a vain attempt to revive him. doctors in Warm Springs had pronounced the president dead. -
V-E day
Both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
Dropping of Atomic bombs
The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. -
V-J day
It was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.
