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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles marked the end of the Great War and resulted in widespread German resentment thanks to its harsh policies including reparations and massive territorial loss. -
Stock Market Crash
The Black Monday stock market Crash resulted in a global depression and killed American Investment abroad, particularly in Germany, which was hit especially hard. This economic downturn played a large role in the popularization of the Nazi party. -
Hitler elected Chancellor
In January of 1933 Hitler was legally appointed Chancellor of Germany. It was from this position that he was able to award himself and the Nazi party emergency power which he used to create a fascist dictatorship -
Anschluss
Anschluss was the German annexation of Austria in 1938. It marked the first German territorial expansion. It also directly violated the Treaty of Versailles and the lack of action taken by Britain or France gave Hitler the confidence to continue his territorial expansions. -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the USSR. Both parties secretly agreed to divide eastern Europe between them. It marked a significant change in European politics as the dominant fascist and communist nations entered an alliance which made Western powers such as Britain and France extremely nervous. -
Invasion of Poland
The German invasion of Poland was the event which began the Second World War. Britain had made a sovereignty promise to the Polish government five months prior and the declaration of war was a manifestation of this promise. The Soviets entered the east a few days after the Germans, making the Molotov-Ribbentrop alliance between Germany and the USSR real. -
Battle of France
After months of standstill following the declaration of war, the German army used Blitzkrieg tactics and a gap in the French defenses to quickly overwhelm the Allied armies. An encirclement of the British and French at Dunkirk led France to surrender just six weeks after the invasion. -
Dunkirk Evacuation
Less than three weeks after the invasion of France, 400,000 British and French soldiers found themselves encircled at the coastal city of Dunkirk. Thanks to a German tactical error and inspiring bravery from British citizens, over 330,000 of these soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk aboard civilian boats. Such a prevention of loss of life was a massive victory for both British morale and the British military. -
North African Campaign
For over three years, German/Italian forces battled British and later American troops in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia. Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps utilized tanks and tropical-modified aircraft to establish dominance early on. However with the introduction of American forces, the Afrika Korps was driven out following the Battle of El Alamein. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain or the Blitz (as called by Londoners), was the Luftwaffe's attempt to eliminate the RAF in preparation for an amphibious invasion of Britain, called Operation Sea Lion. The bombings originally were military targets such as airfields, but after a retaliation by the British, the bombings were centered on London. The RAF was able to push back the Luftwaffe and the bombings were called off after around 2 months of air raids. -
Operation Barbarossa
After the Luftwaffe failed to eliminate the RAF, Hitler set his sights on the Soviet Union. In June 1941, millions of German soldiers stormed the border towards Moscow. Using Blitzkrieg and massive encirclement, they were able to capture or kill millions of Soviet soldiers, and it seemed that the Soviet union would fall. But as winter set in and the weather turned for the worst, the Wehrmacht became bogged down. After their victory at Stalingrad, the Soviets went on the offensive towards Berlin. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Expecting months of free reign over the Pacific, the Japanese fleet snuck across the pacific and launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The next day, Congress declared war on Japan and her allies, Germany and Italy, formally entering the US into the Second World War. -
Battle of Stalingrad
After a Soviet counterattack repelled the German attack on Moscow, the German high command turned its sights on Southern Russia. The German Sixth army attacked the city of Stalingrad which had been reduced to rubble by bombings. The Soviets encircled the city and eventually forced a surrender which made German victory in the east impossible. -
D-Day
After months of preparation and espionage, Operation Overlord was put into action to open up the western front. On June sixth 1944, hundreds of thousands of American, British, and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. Less than a year later, Nazi Germany would surrender. -
Atomic Bomb Detonations
Under Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project developed the atomic bomb (originally for use against Germany). After VE, the bomb was to be used against Japan, hoping to save the millions of lives believed to be lost in a mainland invasion.