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Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power in Germany
Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party where he soon became leader. He wrote a book "Mein Kampf" which set forth his beliefs of Nazism(German brand of fascism based on extreme nationalism) Enforced "racial purification" and believed that Germans needed more living space. -
Benito Mussolini's Fascist Government in Italy
Fascism stressed nationalism and placed the interests of the states above those of the individuals. There was unemployment and bitter strikes in Italy, and since they needed a strong leader, Mussolini took this opportunity to step in. Fascists argued that power should rest on one leader and a small group of devoted party members. Followers: "Black Shirts" -
Joseph Stalin's Totalitarian Government in the Soviet Union
Tried to exert complete control over its citizens. In a totalitarian state, individuals have no rights, and the government suppresses all opposition. He transformed the backwards rural nation into a great industrial power, but to accomplish this, he purged anyone who threatened his power and was seen as a dictator. -
Mein Kampf
Directly translates to "My Struggles", set forth the basic beliefs of Nazism that became the plan of action for the Nazi Party. Hitler, who had been born in Austria, dreamed of uniting all German-speaking people in a great German empire. -
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
Nationalistic military leaders were attempting to take control of the imperial government of Japan. These leaders shared a common belief with Hitler that they needed more living space for a growing population. Ignoring the protests of more moderate Japanese officials, the militarists launched a surprise attack and seized control of the Chinese province of Manchuria. Within several months, they controlled the entire province. -
Storm Troopers
Over 6 million Germans were unemployed in 1932 and many men who were out of work decided to join Hitler's private army, the Storm Troopers, or the Brown Shirts. -
Third Reich
Once Hitler was appointed as Prime Minister, he dismantled Germany's democratic Weimar Republic and established the Third Reich, or the Third German Empire. According the Hitler, it would last for a thousand years. -
Mussolini's Invasion of Ethiopia
Mussolini began building his new Roman Empire. His first target was Ethiopia, one of Africa’s few remaining independent countries. By the fall of 1935, tens of thousands of Italian soldiers stood ready to advance on Ethiopia. -
Hitler's Military Buildup in Germany
Hitler pulled out of the League of Nations and began a military buildup in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. A year later, he sent troops into the Rhinelands, a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Hitler Invades the Rhinelands
He sent troops into the Rhineland, a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. The League did nothing to stop Hitler. -
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco was a Spanish general that rebelled against the Spanish republic. Revolts broke out all over Spain and the Spanish Civil War began. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
A formal alliance between Germany and Italy due to their relationship during the war. After a loss of almost 500,000 lives, Franco's victory in 1939 established him as Spain's fascist dictator. -
Hitler's Anschluss
Austria was Hitler's first target because the majority of Austria's population were Germans who favored unification with Germany. German troops marched into Austria and announced its Anschluss, or "union" with Austria was complete. The United States and the rest of the world did nothing. -
Munich Agreement
Hitler invited French premier Edouard Daladier and British prime minister Neville Chamberlain to meet him in Munich. When they arrived Hitler declared that the annexation of Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand." They agreed in hopes to avoid war and signed the Munich Agreement which stated that Hitler would claim Sudetenland without a single shot to be fired. -
Nonaggression Pact
Stalin signed this pact with Hitler, who were once bitter enemies, and fascist Germany and communist Russia now committed never to attack each other. -
Blitzkreig
Germany's newest battle strategy, the Blitzkreig, or lightning war made use of advances in military technology (fast tanks and more powerful aircraft) to surprise and quickly crush all opposition and overwhelming force. (This occurred in Poland) 2 days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
Poland was being attacked due to the power of the blitzkreig and as they began to be a menace of power to other countries, Britain and France declared war. -
Phony War
After the fall of Poland, French and British troops on the Maginot Line sat staring at Germany. The Germans stared back on the Siegfried Line. The blitzkreig had given way to what the Germans called the sitzkreig ("sitting war"), or what the newspapers called the Phony War -
Hitler's Invasion of Denmark and Norway
Hitler launched a surprise invasion on Denmark and Norway in order "to protect [those countries'] freedom and independence." -
Hitler's Invasion of the Netherlands
After his invasion of Denmark and Norway, Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which were overrun by the end of May. The phony war had ended. -
Germany and Italy's Invasion of France
Germans attacked by sending tanks through the Ardennes and they trapped almost 400,000 British and French soldiers as they fled to the beaches of Dunkirk on the French side of the English Channel. A few days later Italy entered the war on the side of Germany and closed in the France. -
Marshal Philippe Petain
Petain headed the Nazi-controlled puppet government after France had been given terms of their surrender in Vichy, southern France while the Germans occupied northern France. -
The Battle of Britain
Germany launched an air war with Britain and the Luftwaffe began making bombing runs over Britain. Its goal was trying to gain total control of the skies by destroying Britain's Royal Air Force. They continued to drop bombs on airfields and aircrafts and then began dropping them in cities. Britain retaliated with the RAF shooting down the planes and Hitler called them off. -
Lend-Lease Act
Under this policy, the president would lend or lease arms and other supplies to "any country whose defense was vital to the United States." He asserted that this was the only way to prevent the fire from spreading into our country. The Isolationists favored against the plan, but most Americans favored it and Congress passed this act. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
A Japanese dive-bomber stooped low over Pearl Harbor and was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplanes and began their bombing. In less than two hours, the Japanese had killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178 more. The raid had sunk or damaged 21 ships, including 8 battleships and more than 300 aircrafts were severely damaged. -
Internment
Interment was confinement for the Japanese-Americans due to the prejudice from white Americans. Hawaii's governor, General Delos Emmons was forced to sign the order. -
Battle of the Atlantic
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler ordered submarine raids against ships along America's east coast. Britain depended on the supplies from the U.S. and Hitler knew if they cut that lifeline, Britain would be starved into submission. In Germany's first tour, they sank 87 ships off the Atlantic shore, several months into the year, German wolf packs sank 681 Allied ships. Allies respond with organizing convoys with cargo ships (groups of ships for protection) -
Women's Auxiliary Army Corps
The military's work force needs was so great that Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall pushed for the formation of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. Under this bill, women volunteers would serve in noncombat positions. The "auxiliary" status was removed on July 1943, and were granted full benefits of the U.S. Army. The women worked as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electrician, and pilots. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler invaded the Soviet Union to capture the Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains. He also wanted to wipe out Stalingrad, a major industrial center. Stalin ordered the troops there to defend the city at all costs.The fighting continued to the winter where the conditions became a frozen wasteland. The German commander surrendered but in defending Stalingrad, the Soviet union lost 1.1M soldier. -
Operation Torch
An invasion of the Axis-controlled North Africa, commanded by American general Dwight D. Eisenhower. American troops landed in Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers and sped eastward chasing the Afrika Korps led by Gen. Erwin Rommel, the legendary desert fox. After months of heavy fighting, the Afrika Korps surrender in May 1943. -
War Production Board
The Government needed to ensure that the armed forces and war industries received the resources they needed to win the war. The WPB decided which companies would convert from peacetime to wartime production and allocated raw materials to key industries. They also organized nationwide drives to collect scrap iron, tin cans, paper, rags, and cooking fat for recycling into war goods. -
Manhattan Project
Roosevelt created the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1941 to bring scientists into the war efforts. They brought in new technologies to improve radar and sonar. They set up an intensive program to create the atomic bomb as soon as possible. -
Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration fought inflation by freezing prices on most goods. Congress also raised income tax rates and extended the tax to millions of people who had never paid it before. The higher taxes reduced consumer demand on scarce goods by leaving workers with less to spend. -
U.S. Convoy System
The Allies responded to the German assault with organizing cargo ships into convoys. Convoys were groups of ships traveling together for mutual protection, as they had done in World War I. They were escorted across the Atlantic with sonars to detect for detecting submarines underwater and airplanes that had radar to spot and German U-Boats. -
Unconditional Surrender
Roosevelt, Churchill, and their commanders met in Casablanca for a meeting that they would only accept unconditional surrender from the Axis powers: the enemy nations would have to accept whatever terms the Allies dictated. -
Bloody Anzio
Hitler was determined to stop the Allies in Italy rather than fight in German soil. One of the hardest battles that the Allies fought in Europe was fought less than 40 miles from Rome. Lasted until the end of May 1944, left about 25,000 Allies and 30,000 Axis casualties. -
D-Day
The first day of the invasion for Operation Overlord. Shortly after midnight, three divisions parachuted down behind German lines and were followed in the early morning hours by thousands upon thousands of seaborne soldiers. -
The Battle of the Bulge
Hitler drove tanks 60 miles into the Allied territory creating a bulge in the lines that gave this desperate last ditch offensive its name. As the Germans swept westward, they captured 120 American GIs near Malmedy. The SS troops herded them into a large field and mowed them down with machine guns and pistols. Battle raged for about a month and the Germans were pushed back, losing 120,000 troops, 600 tanks and 1,600 planes. -
Korematsu vs United States
The government's policy of evacuating Japanese Americans to camps was justified on the basis of "military necessity" They demanded that the government compensate those who were sent to the camps that lost property. (Were given $38M, less than 1/10 of the actual amount) After they were released, they were given $20,000 each for compensation of wrongfully taking them to the camps. -
Harry S. Truman
President Roosevelt didn't live to see V-E Day. On April 12, 1945, while posing for a portrait in Warm Springs, Georgia, the president had a stroke and died. That night, the vice president, Harry S. Truman, became the 33rd president of the United States. -
Death of Hitler
By April 25, 1945, the Soviet Army had stormed Berlin. In Hitler's underground headquarters, he prepared for his end. He married Eva Braun on April 29th and wrote out his final address to the German people that he blamed the Jews for starting this war. The next day he shot himself and his wife drank a poison. The two bodies were soaked with gasoline and burned. -
V-E Day
General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. The Allies celebrated V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day, signaling the end of the war.
