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The Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
In the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations was created and WWI was blamed on Germany. The significance of the Treaty of Versailles leading up to Germany's invasion of Poland was that it led to unrest within Germany as the policies were very harsh. The League also had no power whatsoever to enforce their rules. The discontent on the harsh policies and the lack of power within the League led to the appeasement policy allowing Germany to build themselves back up prior to the coming war. -
March on Rome
This is the event which led to Mussolini to take power in Italy. The insurrection marked the beginning of Fascist rule in Italy. This impacts the war as it was Mussolini and the fascist party who caused Italy to join the war on the Axis side. -
The Great Depression
In the Great Depression, 16 million shares of stock were sold rapidly by Investors who no longer trusted the American Economy. The downturn in the American Economy led to isolationist policies, as the United States turned inwards to repair the economy. This had worldwide economic effects and also led to the United States not being able to lend much aid to Europe. The US didn't even join the war until very late due to the Great Depression. -
Annexation of Czechoslovakia
Germany basically asked the Britain and France for the country of Czechoslovakia and due to the appeasement policy they said yes. The allies wanted Germany to be less aggressive and to avoid war they tried to give into German demands. This is important as it allowed Germany to basically surround Poland and when they invaded initially It made their job so much easier. -
Non-Aggression Pact
In 1939 prior to Germany's invasion of Poland, Germany and Russia came together to form a pact to not attack one another. They also formed a pack in secret to divide up Poland when Germany invaded and took over. They pledged to not attack one another for 10 years at the least. This agreement was not honored in the end as Germany attacked the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Poland
This marked the beginning of the war as Germany invaded Poland with it's military and took it swiftly. The French and the British both declared war on Germany after they invaded. This marks the start of WW2. -
Fall of Paris
The fall of Paris was due to a effective German strategy called Blitzkrieg which meant lightning war. The German military advanced and attacked extremely quickly which overwhelmed many countries early on and allowed them to take a ton of territory very quickly. This basically established Germany as the undisputed global power at this time. -
Battle of Britain
This was a major turning point In the war as the German Luftwaffe tried to take Britain through the sky. The British Royal Air Force had much better pilots although they had worse planes. This basically told Germany they were incapable of capturing Britain so the Germans turned towards Russia. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the American Navy which decimated the Naval base in Hawaii. This crippled the American presence in the Pacific for six months which gave the Japanese free reign for that time. This also led to the United states joining the war on the side of the Allies. It also led to the use of Aircraft carriers rather than destroyers. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway marked an extremely important American Victory over the Japanese Naval forces. It was the most important naval battle of World War II. It was also seen as the turning point In the pacific. This victory established American superiority in the Pacific and prevented the Japanese from launching any more large-scale attacks on allies forces. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
This was perhaps the most important battle on the eastern front of the war. The Germans decided to invade Russia and continued through the winter which was a huge mistake, then the Soviets and Germans met at Stalingrad and an extremely bloody battle ensued. This was a major turning point in the war and basically was what proved that Germany wouldn't be able to take Russia. Approximately 2 million people died in the Battle making it the bloodiest battle of all time. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
This was the invasion of Italy by the Allied powers as the name of the event clearly indicates. The Allies' main goal in taking Italy was to force them to surrender yes, but mainly to give them a weak point to attack Germany from. This was a large blow contributing to the fall of the Axis powers in Europe. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
This battle was a allied invasion of the French beaches of Normandy. The Germans had taken the northern part of France and this was the start of the allied campaign to push back the Germans. The allied troops came in from drop ships and they trudged up from the beaches and to the fortified mountains where the Germans were. This was a massive win for the allies and It marked another turning point in the war. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a German surprise attack on the allied forces in the Ardennes forest region in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. This battle was the last offensive of the Germans and the German defeat led to them being on the defensive for the rest of the war. -
VE Day
VE Day stands for Victory Over Europe Day. This day is important as it is the day that Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied powers. It marks the end of the war in Europe. However the war does continue in Japan until the dropping of the Atomic Bombs and eventually VJ day.