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