Timeline of Events

1930s: Prelude to War

• 1931: Japan invades Manchuria
  • Japan seizes the Chinese region of Manchuria, creating the puppet state of Manchukuo.
  • Consequence: Encouraged Japanese expansionism and undermined the League's credibility.
• 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
  • Adolf Hitler rises to power and begins rearming Germany, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Consequence: Germany begins militarization and expansion under Nazi ideology.
• 1935: Italy invades Ethiopia
  • Mussolini’s forces conquer Ethiopia, showcasing Italy’s imperial ambitions.
  • Consequence: League of Nations fails to stop aggression.
• 1936: German remilitarization of the Rhineland
  • German troops enter the demilitarized Rhineland in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Consequence: Western democracies’ inaction emboldens Hitler.
• 1937: Nanking Massacre
  • Japanese troops massacre hundreds of thousands of civilians in Nanking, China.
  • Consequence: International outrage, but no major intervention.
• 1938: Annexation of Austria (Anschluss)
  • Germany absorbs Austria without resistance.
  • Consequence: Hitler's power and ambitions grow.
• 1938: Munich Agreement
  • Britain and France agree to Hitler’s annexation of Sudetenland.
  • Consequence: Policy of appeasement emboldens Hitler.

1939: Outbreak of War

• March: Germany occupies Czechoslovakia
  • Violates the Munich Agreement and demonstrates Hitler’s ambitions.
  • Consequence: Britain and France abandon appeasement.
• August: Nazi-Soviet Pact
  • Germany and the Soviet Union agree to divide Eastern Europe.
  • Consequence: Enabled Germany to invade Poland without Soviet interference.
• September 1: Germany invades Poland
  • Blitzkrieg tactics crush Polish defenses.
  • Consequence: Britain and France declare war on Germany.

1940: Axis Dominance

• April: Germany invades Denmark and Norway
  • Secures resources and strategic positions.
  • Consequence: Germany gains control over the North Sea.
• May-June: Fall of France
  • Germany invades France through the Ardennes; Paris falls.
  • Consequence: France is divided into German-occupied and Vichy-controlled zones.
• July-October: Battle of Britain
  • Germany launches an air campaign to prepare for invasion.
  • Consequence: First major German defeat, halting plans for a UK invasion.

1941: Global Expansion

• June 22: Operation Barbarossa
  • Germany invades the Soviet Union, breaking the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
  • Consequence: Opens the Eastern Front.
• December 7: Pearl Harbor
  • Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii.
  • Consequence: U.S. declares war on Japan, and Germany declares war on the U.S.