Download Timeline of WWII

…..1934....................1935...............1936………….1937………….1938…………1939….
Timeline of
WWII
…..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 nonaggression 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 nonaggression 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