Timeline of Main Events

• 1918November 11: World War I ends with the German-Allied Armistice. Europe is left devastated.
• 1919World leaders meet in Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI. The treaty is punitive towards Germany, stripping it of land and imposing reparations.
• The Communist International (Comintern) is established in Russia to spread revolution.
• The Treaty of Versailles is signed in France, but the US refuses to join the League of Nations which it establishes.
• 1921Benito Mussolini forms the National Fascist Party in Italy.
• 1922Mussolini seizes power in Italy, installing a one-party dictatorship and beginning a military buildup.
• 1923Hyperinflation collapses the German economy.
• Hitler's Nazi party stages a failed coup in Munich, leading to Hitler's imprisonment.
• 1925Chiang Kai-Shek becomes head of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) and begins campaign to unify China.
• 1926Hirohito becomes Emperor of Japan, aligning with nationalist and military leaders.
• 1929The US stock market crashes, leading to a global economic depression.
• 1931Japan invades Manchuria, establishing control over the province.
• The League of Nations condemns Japan's aggression, but takes no real action.
• 1933Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, consolidating power and secretly rebuilding the military.
• 1935Hitler reveals German rearmament in violation of the Versailles treaty.
• 1936Hitler sends troops into the demilitarized Rhineland.
• The Spanish Civil War erupts, with Germany and Italy supporting the Nationalists.
• The Rome-Berlin Axis is formed between Italy and Germany.
• Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact.