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Adolf Hitler Joining the Nazi Party
In 1919 Adolf Hitler joined a fledgling political group called the German Workers' Party, who supported German nationalism and Antisemitism and felt that the Treaty of Versailles was unjust to Germany by burdening it with debts it could never pay. This appealed to Hitler, and by July 1921 he gained leadership of the organization - which by then had been renamed the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party - through powerful speeches blaming Jews and Marxists for Germany's problems. -
The Beer Hall Putsch
In 1923 the Nazi Party staged the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed takeover of Bavaria's government, in the hopes that it would spark a larger revolution against the national government. In the putsch's aftermath, Hitler was convicted of treason and sentenced to five years of prison, but spent less than a year behind bars. The publicity of the Beer Hall Putsch and Hitler's trial turned him into a national figure, and after his release he began rebuilding the Nazi party. -
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Hitler's Rise to Leadership of the German Government
In 1929 Germany entered a period of severe economic depression and unemployment. The Nazis exploited the situation by criticizing the government and began to win elections. In July 1932 they took 230 out of 608 seats in the Reichstag. In January 1933, Hitler became chancellor and the Nazis came to control every part of German life. Once Hitler controlled the government, he directed Germany's foreign policy towards undoing the Treaty of Versailles and restoring Germany's standing in the world. -
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The Appeasement of Hitler (Part 1)
In 1934 Hitler destroyed the League of Nations Disarmament Conference by demanding equality of arms with France and Britain - this broke the Treaty as 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; then in 1935, he openly held a huge rearmament rally. The other nations let him get away with it, and by 1939 Germany had 95 warships, 8,250 planes and an arm of 1m. men. -
The Appeasement of Hitler (Part 2)
In 1936 Hitler moved his troops into the Rhineland, a declared demilitarized zone, claiming that the recent treaty between France and Russia threatened Germany's safety. -
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Major Events of WWII (Part 1)
Japanese Invasion of China (Rape of Nanking): The Nanking Massacre was an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing.
German Invasion of Poland: The Invasion of Poland was a joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and several others that marked the beginning of World War II.
Blitzkrieg: Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. -
The Appeasement of Hitler (Part 3)
The treaty forbade Anschluss between Germany and Austria. An attempted Nazi putsch in Austria failed in 1934, but in 1938 Hitler tried again. Austrian Nazis organized riots, while Hitler pressurized the Austrian Chancellor to declare Anschluss, invading Austria and imprisoning some 30,000 Austrians. Next month, 99% of Austrians voted yes to Anschluss. -
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Major Events of WWII (Part 2)
Dunkirk Evacuation: The Dunkirk evacuation was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940, during World War II.
The Battle of Britain: The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of WWII, when the RAF defended the UK against the German Air Force attacks from the end of June 1940.
Battle of Stalingrad: The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of WWII in which the Nazis fought Russia for control of Stalingrad. -
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Major Events of WWII (Part 3)
Bombing of Pearl Harbor: The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Japanese Naval Air Force against U.S. navy base Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Battle of Iwo Jima: The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the U.S. Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Army during WWII.
Normandy Landings: The Normandy landings were the landing missions of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. -
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Major Events of WWII (Part 4)
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki: On August 6, 1945 the US dropped an atomic bomb ("Little Boy") on Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later a second atomic bomb ("Fat Man") was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. These were the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war.
V-E Day: V-E Day was the day Nazi Germany made its unconditional surrender of its armed forces.
V-J Day: V-J Day is the day on which Japan surrendered in WWII, in effect ending the war.
