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Invasion of Manchuria
The beginning of Japan's territorial conquests.
Japan withdrew from League of Nations after they were condemned for invading Manchuria. -
Hitler takes power
Began the persecution of Jews and other people he didn't like.
Became the dictator of Germany. -
Neutrality Acts
Stopped the sale of arms and war material to warring nations.
U.S. companies still secretly sold supplies to the Allies. -
Spanish Civil War
Ended with the defeat of democracy in Spain and the rise of fascism.
German military trained with new technology while on the side of the Fascists. -
Japanese Invasion of China
Gave Japan access to many resources that could be used for further domination.
United China, which was in a civil war. -
Munich Agreement
Let Germany take over the area of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland.
Showed Hitler how lenient they were with his demands, letting him take advantage of this in future demands. -
German Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Beginning of Germany's quest for domination of Europe. Lies were told by German media to justify the invasion. -
Non-aggression Pact
Quickened the defeat of Poland due to the attack by both Russia and Germany.
Forced Russia's guard down, allowing Germany to easily invade and conquer parts of western Russia. -
Invasion of Poland
Started WWII.
Created a buffer-zone for Germany to invade the U.S.S.R. -
Battle of the Atlantic
Allowed supplies to reach Europe without the danger of being attacked.
Most of the German submarines were destroyed. -
Invasion of Denmark/Norway
Germany's reasoning was that it was to protect the freedom of those country's people.
Set up bases to attack Britain. -
Fall of France
Created a puppet government in Southern France.
Left Britain by itself, nearly surrounded by Germany. -
Battle of Britain
Prevented Germany from invading Britain.
Showed the effectiveness of radar. -
Lend-Lease
Gave Britain supplies when they couldn't afford to buy anymore.
Isolationists opposed it but most of the American population approved of it. -
Atlantic Charter
Pledged security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas.
Paved the way for the formation of the United Nations. -
Pearl Harbor
Forced Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan.
Changed the U.S. industry from a private sector to a military driven sector. -
Doolittle Raid
Raised morale among Americans because they "got back" at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor.
Japanese troops retreated from further out islands back to the mainland. -
Battle of Midway
American decoders found where the Japanese fleet was heading, allowing for a surprise attack.
Turned back the Japanese, allowing the U.S. to begin island hopping. -
Battle of Stalingrad
230,000+ Germans, 1,100,000+ Russians died.
Stopped the German invasion into Russia. -
Operation Torch/North African Front
Forced the Axis powers influence back into only Europe.
Allowed for an easy access point to invade Italy. -
Italian Campaign
Forced Benito Mussolini to resign, and was later executed.
Stopped the only ally that Germany had in Europe, leaving it by itself. -
D-Day
Took the Germans by surprise, letting the Allies gain a large foothold in France before Germany could fight back.
It was the beginning of the liberation of France. -
Liberation of France
Forced German army to retreat back into Germany, on the defensive side.
Led to the Battle of the Bulge when Germany was desperate. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Japanese began to Kamikaze American ships.
Reduced the effectiveness of the Imperial Navy. -
Battle of the Bulge
Destroyed most of what was left of German artillery.
Forced the German army to retreat back into Germany on the defensive. -
Yalta Conference
Figured out what would happen in post-war Europe.
Soviets agreed to help fight the Japanese. -
Iwo Jima
Bloodiest battle in the Pacific until that point.
Allowed bombers to reach inland Japan. -
V-E Day
Ended the war in Europe.
Led to the Nuremberg trials for those accused of war crimes during WWII. -
Okinawa
The total number of dead showed the Americans that the Japanese wouldn't surrender.
Showed a taste of what an invasion of Japan would be like. -
FDR's Death
Allowed Harry Truman to become president.
Talks of using atom bomb were put on hold. -
Hiroshima
Destroyed the entire city of Hiroshima, including the military centers.
Showed the world the first use of the Atomic Bomb. -
Nagasaki
Showed the Japanese that the U.S. had more than one atomic bomb.
Convinced the Japanese military to surrender. -
V-J Day
It was the complete end of WWII.
The U.S. begins to round up military leaders to prosecute. -
Nuremberg Trials
Tried Germany's leaders for war crimes committed in WWII.
Half of the defendants were sentenced to death and the others imprisoned.
