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Rise of Fascim and Nazism
Nazis pursue their political aims with aggressive propaganda and violence
Fascism occured when a political system has all the power in the state. All citizens must work for the country and the government. -
Neutrality Act
It imposed a general embargo on trading in arms and war materials with all parties in a war. It also declared that American citizens travelling on warring ships travelled at their own risk. -
Germany’s expansion and annexation of Austria
Earlier, Nazi Germany had provided support for the Austrian National Socialist Party (Austrian Nazi Party) in its bid to seize power from Austria's Fatherland Front government. -
Signing of the Non-Aggression Pact (Germany and U.S.S.R.)
Enemies 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. -
Blitzkrieg attack on Poland
It was a joint invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom. -
Lend-Lease Act
It was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. The act authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense materials for which Congress appropriated money to “the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II. -
Transition of the US home front to War production
By the first years of American involvement in World War II, wartime manufacturing facilities had been established throughout the nation, creating a tremendous demand for labor. The rapid production of military equipment, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition, along with the fortification of American borders and military bases abroad—coupled with the military draft to create a vast labor shortage -
Battle of Midway
Americans discovered the Japanese fleet northeast of Midway. An air battle quickly developed. The turning point came at mid-morning. The Japanese fighters were drawn down to sea level by attacking American torpedo bombers, the vast majority of which were destroyed. -
Battle of Stalingrad
It was a successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. -
Invasion of Africa by Eisenhower
Also known as Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of the Second World War. -
D-Day
Some 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. -
Liberation of Madjdanek (concentration camp)
Soviet forces approached Lublin, the remaining camp staff hastily abandoned Majdanek, without fully dismantling the camp. Soviet troops came to Majdanek and it became the first major concentration camp to be liberated. -
The Battle of the Bulge
More than 600,000 American soldiers, fighting in freezing conditions and often hungry and dog-tired, took part in desperate efforts to contain, then throw back, a surprise German counteroffensive masterminded by Adolf Hitler himself. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting, and the battle earned a place in American lore with the publication of a photograph showing the U.S. flag being raised in victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Americans wished to destroy what was left of Japan’s merchant fleet and use airstrips in the region to launch bombing raids on Japan’s industrial heartland. -
V - Day
Officially announced the end of World War Two in Europe. German General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document that formally ended war in Europe. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people -
V J Day
It was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.
