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Mussolini's march on Rome
Date: October 22, 1922
Description: Benito Mussolini and his Fascist supporters marched on Rome to demand political power. King Victor Emmanuel III, fearing civil war, appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister.
Significance/Purpose: The March on Rome led to Mussolini's rise to power and the establishment of a Fascist dictatorship in Italy, laying the groundwork for aggressive expansionism and alliance with Nazi Germany. -
Stalin becomes dictator
Description: Joseph Stalin rose to power in the Soviet Union through a combination of political maneuvering, eliminating rivals, and consolidating control over the Communist Party and state institutions after the death of Vladimir Lenin.
Significance/Purpose: Stalin's ascent marked the beginning of a period of authoritarian rule characterized by purges, repression, and rapid industrialization. -
Hitler writes Mein Kampf
Description: Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"), outlining his political ideology, anti-Semitic views, and expansionist ambitions.
Significance/Purpose: Mein Kampf became a foundational text for the Nazi movement, articulating Hitler's goals of German racial purity, territorial expansion, and the subjugation of "inferior" peoples. -
First "5-year plan" in the USSR
Description: Joseph Stalin introduced the First Five-Year Plan to rapidly industrialize the Soviet economy through centralized planning and state control.
Significance/Purpose: The plan aimed to transform the Soviet Union from an agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse, but it also resulted in widespread hardship, forced labor, and social upheaval. -
Japan invades Manchuria
Description: Japanese forces launched a full-scale invasion of Manchuria, a region in northeastern China, under the pretext of protecting Japanese interests after the Mukden Incident, which they orchestrated.
Significance/Purpose: The invasion of Manchuria marked the beginning of Japan's aggressive expansion in East Asia, leading to international condemnation and setting the stage for further conflict in the region. -
Period: to
Holodomor
Description: Holodomor refers to a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine orchestrated by Stalin's government through forced collectivization and grain requisition policies.
Significance/Purpose: The Holodomor resulted in millions of deaths and was aimed at crushing Ukrainian resistance to Soviet policies while enforcing agricultural collectivization. -
Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
Description: President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, believing he could be controlled and used to stabilize the government.
Significance/Purpose: Hitler's appointment marked the beginning of Nazi rule in Germany and paved the way for his consolidation of power and implementation of totalitarian policies. -
Night of the long knives
Date: June 30-July 2, 1934
Description: Adolf Hitler ordered the purge of political rivals within the Nazi Party, including Ernst Röhm and other leaders of the SA (Sturmabteilung), also known as the Stormtroopers.
Significance/Purpose: The "Night of the Long Knives" solidified Hitler's control over the Nazi Party and the German government by eliminating potential threats to his authority and paving the way for the SS to become the primary instrument of state repression. -
Nuremburg laws enacted
Description: The Nuremberg Laws were a set of antisemitic laws implemented by Nazi Germany, stripping Jews of their civil rights, citizenship, and legal protections.
Significance/Purpose: The Nuremberg Laws institutionalized discrimination against Jews, laying the legal groundwork for further persecution, segregation, and eventually genocide during the Holocaust. -
The great purge and gulags
Description: Joseph Stalin initiated a campaign of political repression and mass purges within the Soviet Union, targeting perceived enemies of the state, including Communist Party members, intellectuals, military officers, and ordinary citizens. Many were sent to forced labor camps known as gulags.
Significance/Purpose: The Great Purge aimed to, eliminate potential opposition, and instill fear among the population, resulting in widespread suffering, death, and a climate of paranoia. -
Italian invasion on Ethiopia
Date: October 3, 1935 - May 5, 1936
Description: Italy, under the rule of Benito Mussolini, launched a military invasion of Ethiopia (then Abyssinia) with the aim of expanding the Italian colonial empire.
Significance/Purpose: The Italian invasion of Ethiopia demonstrated Mussolini's imperial ambitions and marked one of the first instances of international aggression leading up to World War II. -
Period: to
Rape of Nanking
Description: Japanese forces brutally massacred hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and committed widespread atrocities, including rape and looting, during the occupation of Nanking (now Nanjing).
Significance/Purpose: The Rape of Nanking symbolizes one of the most horrific episodes of Japanese aggression during World War II and remains a point of contention in Sino-Japanese relations. -
Kristallnacht
Description: Also known as the Night of Broken Glass, Kristallnacht was a coordinated attack by Nazi forces against Jews and Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes throughout Germany and Austria.
Significance/Purpose: Kristallnacht marked a significant escalation in Nazi persecution of Jews, leading to widespread destruction, violence, and the beginning of the Holocaust. -
Spanish civil war
Date: July 17, 1936 - April 1, 1939
Description: A conflict between the Republican government and Nationalist forces led by General Francisco Franco in Spain, with significant international involvement.
Significance/Purpose: The Spanish Civil War served as a prelude to World War II, with fascist and communist powers using it as a testing ground for military tactics and ideologies. -
Nazi Germany invades Poland
Description: Nazi Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, launched a military invasion of Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
Significance/Purpose: The invasion of Poland triggered the outbreak of World War II in Europe, leading to widespread destruction, loss of life, and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Description: Japanese forces launched a surprise military strike on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading to the entry of the United States into World War II.
Significance/Purpose: The attack on Pearl Harbor provoked the United States to declare war on Japan and marked the beginning of America's active involvement in the global conflict.