1. World War Looms

2. Germany Remilitarizes
Germany Remilitarizes
Hitler announced the formation of a German air force & compulsory military service
Sends troops to the Rhineland bordering France
All of these actions challenge the Treaty of Versailles

3.
Reaction
The League of Nations lodges a formal protest but refuses to consider sanctions against Germany

4. Italy Invades Ethiopia
1935
Italy Invades Ethiopia
The Italian army, under Mussolini, invades Ethiopia
Annex the country in 1936
Form the Rome-Berlin Axis with Germany

5. 1935 Reaction Ethiopia appeals to the League of Nations for help
Votes to impose economic sanctions against Italy, including an oil embargo
The U.S. refuses to join the embargo

6.
Spanish Civil War
Italy & Germany back a military rebellion in Spain led by General Francisco Franco
Provide the Nationalists with supplies, weapons, & troops
Over throw Spain’s democratic republic & set up a right-wing government

7.
Reaction
Congress passes Neutrality Acts in 1936 & 1937, keeping the U.S. out of the conflict
3000 American volunteers fight against the Nationalists
The Soviet Union officially aides the Republican government

8. Japanese Troops in Nanjing
1937
Japanese Troops in Nanjing
Japanese army captures the city of Nanjing
Soldiers go on a 6-week rampage, killing approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians & raping about 20,000 Chinese women

9. 1937
Reaction
Roosevelt makes a speech calling for a ‘Quarantine’ against aggressor nations
Japan invades French Indochina, Formosa, Korea, large areas of China, & several small Pacific islands

10. German Union with Austria
1938
German Union with Austria
Hitler pressures the Austrian government to join Germany
His army crosses the border without opposition
Declares a political union between the two countries

11. 1938
Reaction
Britain & France act as passive spectators

12. Germany Invades Czechoslovakia
1939
Germany Invades Czechoslovakia
Hitler acquires the Czech region of the Sudetenland in the Munich Pact
Declares that it will be his last territorial demand
Breaks the pact & invades the rest of Czechoslovakia

13. 1939
Reaction
Britain & France declare that any further attacks by Germany would trigger war

14. Germany Attacks Poland
1939
Germany Attacks Poland
Germany signs a Nonaggression Pact with the Soviet Union
Uses blitzkrieg tactics to attack & take over Poland

15. 1939 Reaction Britain & France declare war on Germany
U.S. replaces the Neutrality Act of 1939 with the Cash & Carry Policy

16. Germany Invades Low Countries & France
1940
Germany Invades Low Countries & France
Hitler attacks & captures the Low Countries & launches an invasion of France
British & French troops are trapped along the coast
Italy declares war on Britain & France

17. 1940
Reaction
Britain evacuates the trapped British & French forces in the Battle of Dunkirk
France surrenders to Germany
Southeast France is under the control of a puppet government
Vichy France

18. Germany Attacks Britain
1940
Germany Attacks Britain
German planes fly raids against British ports, airfields, & industry
Bombing targets are later shifted to large cities

19. 1940
Reaction
British fighter pilots successfully shoot down more than 600 German aircraft during the Battle of Britain
Roosevelt claims that the U.S. must become the “Arsenal of Democracy”
Begins sending aid to Britain under the Lend-Lease Act

20. Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
1941
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
300 Japanese bombers & fighter planes attack the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor
Cripples the U.S. Pacific fleet, sinking or damaging 18 ships & destroying or damaging 300 aircraft

21. 1941
Reaction
The U.S. declares war on Japan