Timeline of WWII

1
Timeline of WWII
..1934....................1935...............1936
.1937.19381939.
..1940....................1941...............1942
.1943.19441945.
2
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.

3
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.

4
April 3, 1922 Stalin Rises to Power

• Josef Stalin is elected as General Secretary of
  the Soviet Unions 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 Hitlers.

5
Oct 31, 1922 - Mussolini takes power in Italy

• Benito Mussolini, the first of Europes fascist
  dictators in the 20th century, takes power in
  Italy.
• He ends Italys 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.

6
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.

7
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.

8
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.

9
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.

10
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.

11
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.

12
March 7, 1936 - Hitler occupies the Rhineland

• Hitler has already broken the Versailles Treaty
  by rearming Germanys military.
• Now he moves violates the treaty again by moving
  forces into the demilitarized zone of the
  Rhineland.

13
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.

14
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.

15
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 Czechoslovakias
  Sudentenland, to safeguard Germans living there.

16
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.

17
Oct. 15, 1938 - Germany occupies Sudentenland

• As agreed at Munich, Hitlers troops occupy
  Czechoslovakias 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 Polands security,
  drawing a line Hitler cannot cross without war.

18
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.

19
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.

20
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 Polands
  security they declare war on Germany two days
  later.
• WW II has begun!

21
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.

22
May 10, 1940 Churchill becomes British Prime
Minister

• Ineffective in his war aims, and in failing
  health, Neville Chamberlain resigns as Britains
  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.

23
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
  theyre attacked by a power they arent currently
  at war with.
• The United States is the pacts 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.

24
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.
• Japans 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.

25
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.

26
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.

27
June 22, 1941 - Germany invades the Soviet Union

• His plan a blitzkrieg victory over the
  inferior Soviet Army, and the seizure of
  Russias vast resources of oil and raw materials.
• The invasion will be a fatal mistake, costing
  millions of lives and ultimately leading to
  Germanys defeat.

28
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.

29
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.

30
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

• But U.S. aircraft carriers are safely out to sea,
  and Pearl Harbors fuel depots and repair
  facilities arent hit.
• Within days, America is at war with Japan and its
  Axis allies, Germany and Italy.
• WW II is now a truly global war.

31
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.

32
Allied Powers v. Axis Powers

• Allied Powers

• Axis Powers

• Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill
• Russia Josef Stalin
• United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
• THE BIG THREE

• Germany Adolf Hitler
• Italy Benito Mussolini
• Japan General Tojo

33
THE BIG THREE
34
THE AXIS DICTATORS