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Timeline of WWII
…..1934....................1935...............1936………….1937………….1938…………1939….
…..1940....................1941...............1942………….1943………….1944…………1945….
Nov. 11, 1918 - WW I Ends
• WW I ends with an Allied victory.• The Treaty of Versailles is imposed on
the defeated Germans.• Its conditions are harsh, leading to
years of German resentment, political chaos, and economic disaster – fueling the desire for revenge.
• In 1918, it is called the “Great War” or the “War to End All Wars.”
• Only later will the world be forced to number them.
Jan 16, 1920 – League of Nations
• The League of Nations was founded to promote world peace, as part of the Versailles Treaty.
• Forty one nations joined the League, but Germany is excluded, the Soviet Union boycotts, and isolationist America refuses to take part.
• The League will resolve some small disputes, but will be unable to police aggressor nations or to prevent WW II.
April 3, 1922 – Stalin Rises to
Power• Josef Stalin is elected as General
Secretary of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party.
• Over the next decade, he will outlive Lenin and assassinate other rivals.
• By the time of his death in 1952, Stalin will have transformed a backward Russia into an industrial and military superpower.
• His regimen will be responsible for more civilian deaths than Hitler’s.
Oct 31, 1922 - Mussolini takes power
in Italy• Benito Mussolini, the first of Europe’s fascist dictators in the 20th century, takes power in Italy.
• He ends Italy’s post-war chaos and becomes famous for “making the trains run on time.
• But in doing so, he suspends the constitution and establishes a totalitarian regime.
Oct 29, 1929 - Stock Market Crash
• The U.S. stock market crashes leading to the Great Depression.
• For 10 years, unemployment and poverty will ravage the industrialized world.
• Many will believe that liberal democracy has run its course.
• The crisis will aid Hitler in his bid to gain power in Germany.
Sept. 18, 1931 - Japan Invades Manchuria
• Taking advantage of a weak and divided China, Japan invades Manchuria and establishes the state of “Manchukuo.”
• It installs as its puppet former Chinese Emperor Pu Yi.
• This early aggression is a precursor to Japanese designs on provinces throughout the Pacific Rim.
Nov. 6, 1932 - FDR elected President
• Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected to his first term as U.S. president.
• He will become the only president elected to four terms, leading America out of the Depression and through most of WW II.
Jan. 30, 1933 - Hitler appointed Chancellor of
Germany• After the Nazis win a
plurality in the Reichstag, Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany by President von Hindenberg.
• He immediately moves to reverse the Versailles Treaty, taking steps to remilitarize Germany.
Jan. 30, 1933 - Hitler appointed Chancellor of
Germany• Jews, leftists, and
homosexuals are harassed or jailed.
• Handicapped people are “euthanized”
• The Nazi era has begun.
Aug. 19, 1934 - Hitler becomes Führer of Germany• After the death of
president von Hindenberg, Hitler proclaims himself Führer (leader).
• He now has absolute power.
March 7, 1936 - Hitler occupies the Rhineland• Hitler has already
broken the Versailles Treaty by rearming Germany’s military.
• Now he moves violates the treaty again by moving forces into the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland.
July 7, 1937 - Japan invades China
• After years of Japanese aggression against China, full scale war begins after troops clash in Beijing.
• In the Rape of Nanking on December 13, an estimated 100,000 Chinese are massacred.
• The war will continue for years widening in 1941 when Japan attacks territories throughout the Pacific Rim.
March 13, 1938 - Germany Annexes
Austria• Hitler again violates the Versailles Treaty, accompanying troops into Austria to force a political union.
• Enthusiastic crowds welcome Hitler and his Nazi forces.
• Encouraged, Hitler annexes Austria the next day.
• It becomes part of his vision of a 1,000 year German Reich.
Sept. 29,1938 - Munich Pact
• To avert war, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier meet with Hitler and Mussolini in Munich.
• Hitler assures them he has no aggressive aims; he merely wants to occupy Czechoslovakia’s Sudentenland, to safeguard Germans living there.
Sept. 29,1938 - Munich Pact
• Pursuing a policy of appeasement, Chamberlain and Daladier sacrifice Czechoslovakia to the Nazis.
• Chamberlain returns to London with an agreement promising “peace in our time.”
Oct. 15, 1938 - Germany occupies
Sudentenland• As agreed at Munich, Hitler’s troops occupy Czechoslovakia’s Sudentenland.
• A few months later, Hitler breaches the agreement by seizing the entire country.
• Britain and France are outraged and embarrassed.
• They react by guaranteeing Poland’s security, drawing a line Hitler cannot cross without war.
May 22, 1939 - Germany, Italy sign “Pact of Steel”
• Hitler and Mussolini agree on a formal military and political alliance, strengthening the Berlin-Rome Axis and preparing the way for their eventual joint aggression.
Aug. 23, 1939 – German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact
• In a treaty that stuns the world, Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact.
• Hitler and Stalin have been seen as enemies who provided a check against each other; now they agree to coexist peacefully, carving Europe into spheres of influence.
• Freed of danger to the east, Hitler prepares for war.
Sept. 1, 1939 – Germany Invades Poland – WW II begins• Germany invades
Poland in a blitzkrieg, a “lightning war” of massive attacks by tank battalions and screaming Stuka dive bombers.
• Britain and France have guaranteed Poland’s security; they declare war on Germany two days later.
• WW II has begun!
Nov. 4, 1939 – U.S. reaffirms Neutrality Act
• Congress reaffirms the Neutrality Act: America will not take sides in a European war.
• But, FDR wins a vital modification, belligerents are now allowed to purchase arms on a “cash and carry” basis.
• This aids Britain and France, whose financial resources and control of the seas allow them to buy U.S. arms.
• America is moving slowly from isolationism to support of the Allies.
May 10, 1940 – Churchill becomes British Prime Minister• Ineffective in his war
aims, and in failing health, Neville Chamberlain resigns as Britain’s Prime minister.
• He is replaced by Winston Churchill, whose rousing oratory and stouthearted resistance to Hitler will mark him as one of the greatest leaders in history.
Sept. 27, 1940 – Tripartite Pact signed
• Japan, Germany, and Italy sign the Tripartite Pact, an alliance binding them as Axis partners.
• The 3 countries agree to aid each other if they’re attacked by a power they aren’t currently at war with.
• The United States is the pact’s target, since Germany already has a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union.
• When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the alliance will be triggered: all 3 Axis countries declare war on America.
Nov. 25, 1940 – U.S. imposes embargo on Japan
• In retaliation for Japanese aggression in China, the U.S. cuts off all trade with Japan.
• Japan’s leaders view this as a hostile act; they depend on America as their largest supplier of raw materials.
• They consider alternative ways of obtaining resources from the Philippines and Southeast Asia, by force if necessary.
March 11, 1941 - U.S. passes Lend-Lease Act
• FDR is determined to offer the Allies greater support.
• Pushing the Lend-Lease Act past stiff opposition in Congress, the president gains the power to direct aid to whomever he sees fit.
• America becomes the “arsenal of democracy,” not yet at war, but no longer neutral.
• By 1945, the U.S. will contribute $42 billion in arms, food, and supplies to the Allied war effort.
June 22, 1941 - Germany invades the Soviet Union
• Hitler stunned the world in 1939 with his German-Soviet non-aggression pact.
• Now he launches what he has secretly planned all along; a surprise invasion by nearly 4 million German and Axis troops.
June 22, 1941 - Germany invades the Soviet Union
• His plan: a blitzkrieg victory over the “inferior” Soviet Army, and the seizure of Russia’s vast resources of oil and raw materials.
• The invasion will be a fatal mistake, costing millions of lives and ultimately leading to Germany’s defeat.
Sept. 8, 1941 - Siege of Leningrad begins
• Nazi forces advance to the Russian city of Leningrad.
• Instead of fighting street by street, the Germans decide to force a surrender by starving the city.
• During the 3 year blockade, one million Russian civilians will die.
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
• In a surprise attack on American bases in Hawaii, Japanese carrier-launched planes kill 2,280 servicemen and injure 1,109.
• 19 ships are sunk or disabled.
• The attack is intended to put the U.S. Navy out of action while Japan consolidates its victories in the east.
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
• But U.S. aircraft carriers are safely out to sea, and Pearl Harbor’s fuel depots and repair facilities aren’t hit.
• Within days, America is at war with Japan and its Axis allies, Germany and Italy.
• WW II is now a truly global war.
Dec. 8, 1941 - America enlists
• The day after Pearl Harbor, thousands of volunteers swamp Army, Navy, and Marine Corps recruitment centers across the U.S.
• Throughout the war, millions will volunteer; millions more will be drafted.
• In all, 16 million Americans will serve in uniform in WW II.
Allied Powers v. Axis Powers
Allied Powers
• Britain – Prime Minister Winston Churchill
• Russia – Josef Stalin• United States –
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
THE BIG THREE
Axis Powers
• Germany – Adolf Hitler• Italy – Benito Mussolini• Japan – General Tojo
THE BIG THREE
THE AXIS DICTATORS