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Rise of Mussolini
In 1912 Mussolini was the leading member of the National Directorate of the Italian Socialist Party. In 1914 he was a supporter of the Socialist International. -
Rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in Germany, when Hitler joined the political party known as the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. -
Stalin's rise
Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1924 until his death in 1953. After Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin died, Stalin outmaneuvered his rivals for control of the party. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
Italy invades Ethiopia in order to colonize. Italy wanted more support on the southern front. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a civil war fought between the nationalists and the supporters of the Spanish Republicans. -
Rome-Berlin Axis formed
Coalition formed between Germany and Italy. It was made in 1936. -
Japanese invasion of China
Japan captured the former Chinese imperial capital of Beijing after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The Japanese continued to push the Chinese forces back. -
Annexing of Austria
This is when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. This is also known as the Anschluss. -
Japanese invasion of Soviet Union and Mongolia
Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with the Soviet Union.After this, Japan and the Soviet Union signed a Neutrality Pact and turned its focus to the South Pacific -
Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact
When this pact was signed, Germany & the Soviet Union agreed to not attack each other. This agreement was broke less than 2 years later. -
War breaks out of Europe
Germany invaded Poland under the false pretext that the Poles had carried out a series of sabotage operations against German targets. Two days later, on 3 September, after a British ultimatum to Germany to cease military operations was ignored, France declared war on Germany. -
German invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
Battle of Britain
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom. The Battle of Britain ended when Germany failed to gain air superiority. -
Axis attack on the USSR
The Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War. -
War breaks out in Pacific
Japan launched its first attack against Changsha, a strategically important Chinese city, but was repulsed by late September. To increase pressure on China, Japan had occupied northern Indochina. Afterwards, the United States embargoed iron, steel and mechanical parts against Japan. Others followed. -
The Rise of Tojo
A general of the Imperial Japanese Army, the leader of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II. As a prime minister, he was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating. -
Western Europe/ Atlantic & Mediterranean
Commonwealth forces had launched a counter-offensive, Operation Crusader and reclaimed all the gains the Germans and Italians had made. In North Africa, the Germans launched an offensive pushing the British back to positions at the Gazala Line -
Pacific
Japan and its ally Thailand had almost fully conquered Burma, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, and Rabaul. In early May 1942, Japan initiated operations to capture Port Moresby by amphibious assault. -
Battle of Midway
A crucial and decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. John Keegan called it "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare". -
Battle of Stalingrad
A successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War -
Eastern Front.
Germany and its allies stopped a major Soviet offensive in central and southern Russia, In May the Germans defeated Soviet offensives in the Kerch Peninsula and at Kharkiv and then launched their main summer offensive against southern Russia. -
Allies gain momentum
Following the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Allies initiated several operations against Japan in the Pacific. Allied forces were sent to eliminate Japanese forces from the Aleutians. -
D-Day
The landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, -
Allies close in 1944
After three years of Soviet pressure, the Western Allies invaded northern France. After reassigning several Allied divisions from Italy, they also attacked southern France and were successful in the capture. -
Battle of the bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe, Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance. -
Death of Roosevelt
An American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States. Democrat, he won a record four elections and served from March 1933 to his death. -
V-E Day
Public holiday celebrated to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of WWII. -
V-J Day
A name chosen for the day on which Japan surrendered, in effect ending WWII. -
Dropping of the 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.
