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France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, which also led to the creation of the unified German nation-state.
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Adolf Hitler was born in the small town of Braunau in Austria
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Alfred von Schlieffen became the Chief of the Imperial German General Staff
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Schlieffen completed his memorandum on German war plans.
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Schlieffen retired and was replaced by Helmuth von Moltke.
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The death of General von Schlieffen.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) Hitler moved from Austria to Munich in order to avoid compulsory military service in the Austrian armed forces.
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The assassination of Archduke Franz-Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife in Sarajevo.
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Kaiser Wilhelm II and Chancellor von Bethmann Hollweg offered unconditional support to Austria-Hungary in dealing with Serbia.
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Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia, giving Serbia 48 hours to reply.
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Serbia replied to the ultimatum, accepting most of the demands.
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Austria-Hungary, backed by Germany, declared war on Serbia.
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Tsar Nicholas II authorised Russian mobilisation.
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Germany declared war on Russia. France and Germany began to mobilise.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) After the outbreak of World War One, Hitler joined the German army. He had to request permission to sign up for the Bavarian Army, because of his Austrian citizenship.
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German troops invaded Luxembourg. Germany issued an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding access through Belgian territory.
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Germany declared war on France. Italy announced its decision to remain neutral.
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The Battle of the Marne marked the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.
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Paul von Hindenburg appointed Chief of the General Staff
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Germany announced the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
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The Bolsheviks came to power in Russia.
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Germany imposed the severe Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on defeated Russia.
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Hindenburg and Ludendorff inform the Kaiser that the war was lost and the German High Command hands power to the stunned Reichstag. They recommend peace with the Triple Entente and the Reichstag begins to negotiate an armistice.
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Prince Max von Baden appointed chancellor, and a civilian government came to power.
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Mutiny in parts of the German navy at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven.
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Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and then went into exile. Prince Max handed the chancellorship to Friedrich Ebert, leader of the SPD. Philipp Scheidemann declared Germany to the be a republic and the Ebert-Groener Pact was signed.
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The armistice was signed, bringing an end to World War One
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Elections were held for a new German parliament.
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The first meeting of the new parliament took place in Weimar. Phillip Scheidemann became the new chancellor. Friedrich Ebert became the first President of the Weimar Republic.
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The Scheidemann government resigned rather than sign the Treaty of Versailles.
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Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles. The allied blockade of Germany was lifted.
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(APPROXIMATE DATE) After investigating the party on 12 September, Hitler received a postcard informing him of his new status as a member of the party.
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SA (Sturmabteilung) was formed.
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Germany made its first reparation payment to the Allies.
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Germany began to default on the delivery of coal as part of the reparation payment to France in November, as well as their timber reparation payments in December. French and Belgium troops occupied the Ruhr and Germany declared a policy passive resistance.
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The exchange rate for the US dollar equalled more than 350,000 marks. The German economy experienced hyperinflation.
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Stresemann ends the policy of passive resistance.
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The Reichstag passed an Enabling Act, giving the Stresemann government the power to deal with hyperinflation.
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A new currency, the Rentenmark, was introduced. The Stresemann government fell.
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(8-9 NOVEMBER) The Nazis attempted to take power in Munich in the Beer Hall Putsch.
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Hitler was sentenced to five years' imprisonment as a result of his involvement in the Putsch. He began work on Mein Kamp.
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The Dawes Plan, which revised Germany's reparation payment, was announced.
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Hitler left prison after serving nine months of his sentence. He was afforded a number of luxuries and treated favourably during his imprisonment.
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Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty of Berlin
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Germany joined the LON after the negotiation of the Locarno Treaty with the Allies in October 1925. The Treaty was a series of agreements whereby Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy mutually guaranteed peace in western Europe.
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The Reichstag elections were held. The Nazi Party won only 12 seats. Nazi Party membership reached 178,000.
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The Young Plan reduced Germany's reparation figure.
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Elections for the Reichstag were held. The Nazis won 18.3 per cent of the vote, and 107 seats.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) Nine Presidential Emergency Decrees were issued to deal with the economy
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On 25 February 1932, the interior minister of Brunswick, Dietrich Klagges, who was a member of the NSDAP, appointed Hitler as administrator for the state's delegation to the Reichsrat in Berlin, making Hitler a citizen of Brunswick, and thus of Germany.
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No one candidate won an absolute majority
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Paul von Hindenburg, at 83, was re-elected president.
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The Nazis won 230 seats, becoming the largest party in the German parliament
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Hitler was offered the position of vice-chancellor, but he rejected it.
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The Reichstag met and was immediately dissolved. Papen hoped to destroy the alliance between the Nazis and the Centre Party, and suspended elections. The Communists put forward a vote of no-confidence in the Papen government. The Nazis and the Centre Party supported the Communist motion. Papen called another election.
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The Nazi vote declared and the KPD vote increased. The Papen government resigned.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) Papen and Hitler met twice in secret to discuss a political alliance and orchestrate the fall of the Schleicher government.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany and Papen became vice-chancellor.
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Presidential decree was issued For the Protection of People and State. The regulations suspended important provisions of the German constitution, especially those safeguarding individual rights and due process of law.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) A secret Air Ministry operation began under the control of Hermann Göring.
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The Nazis won 43.9 percent of the vote.
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First concentration camp established in Dachau shortly after Hitler became Chancellor.
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The first Reichstag of the Third Reich opened with a special ceremony at Potsdam.
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The "Law for the Removal of the Distress of People and State" passed in the Reichstag
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This internal consolidation of power to remake Germany as a Nazi state was known as Gleichschaltung. The term is a German word that means “coordination” or “synchronization.” Under Gleichschaltung, German political, social, and cultural life were rearranged to serve Nazi goals.
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Excludes Jews and other political opponents of the Nazis from all civil service positions. The law initially exempts those who had worked in the civil service since August 1, 1914, those who were veterans of World War I, or those with a father or son killed in action in World War I.
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Removed many Jewish students from schools.
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The Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) - the secret police - was set up.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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The German Labour Front (DAF) was set up in its place.
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The Nazi Party became the only legal political party in Germany.
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Banned Jews from owning farmland.
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Gave the government control over the press.
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The Nazi Party won every seat in the German parliament
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Effectively abolished all German states, further unifying the German nation.
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Set up as part of the Judicial System to deal with crimes against the state.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) Married couples who were passed as "genetically healthy" were eligible for a loan of 1000 Reichmarks, provided the woman gave up her job at the time of the wedding and took no paid employment as long as her husband was earning an income. One quarter of the loan was cancelled on the birth of each child. Childless couples and single men paid more taxes to help fund the financial arrangement.
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Ernst Röhm and the leadership of the SA were suppressed.
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President Paul von Hindenburg died. The position of president was abolished and Hitler combined the offices of president and chancellor. The German army swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler himself.
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Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles by reintroducing conscription
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German and Italian troops entered Spain to assist General Franco.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) The Four-Year Plan for economic self-sufficiency and rearmament commenced. The Lebensborn program began under the control of the SS.
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The summary of a meeting in Berlin on 5 November 1937 between German dictator Adolf Hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership in which Hitler's future expansionist policies were outlined.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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Germany incorporated Austria into the Reich.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) All Jewish doctors were removed from the medical register and were permitted to treat only Jewish patients. Forced to refer to themselves as "sick-treaters" rather than doctors.
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(AUGUST-OCTOBER) All Jewish lawyers were deprived of their right to work. All Jews were required to add the names "Sarah" or "Israel" to their names. All Jewish businesses had to be registered. All Jews were required to have the letter "J" stamped in red in their passports.
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The Munich Agreement or Munich Betrayal was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. It provided "cession to Germany of the Sudeten German territory" of Czechoslovakia.
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(9-10 NOVEMBER) The destruction of Jewish synagogues and property across much of Germany. New regulations excluded the Jewish population from theatres, concert halls, cinemas, parks, swimming pools, restaurants and holiday resorts. Jewish children were totally excluded from German school.s
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Hitler delivered a speech to the Reichstag in which he threatened the annihilation of the Jews.
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Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France respond by giving guarantees to Poland
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Also referred to as Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE) Hitler ordered the start of T4, the involuntary euthanasia program in Germany.
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(NON-SPECIFIC DATE)
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General Erwin Rommel leads the Africa Korps.
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Germany began the invasion of the Soviet Union.
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Reinhard Heydrich received orders from Hermann Göring to prepare for the "final solution of the Jewish problem".
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All Jews required to wear the yellow Star of David.
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Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor
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Plans were confirmed for a European-wide deportation of the Jews, and genocide.
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Goebbels called on Germans to wage "total war".
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SS chief Heinrich Himmler orders the liquidation of remaining ghettos in the Generalgouvernement and removal of the Jews capable of work to forced-labor camps and those incapable of work to killing centers in German-occupied Poland
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Battle of Normandy
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