 Emperor Hirohito leader of Japan, desires a Pacific empire.  Japan, invades Manchuria (China) in 1931 –  The Japanese soldiers commit countless inhumane attacks on the Chinese people.

 Hitler 1 st appointed chancellor, then declares himself dictator in  He begins to initiate pogroms against the disabled, communists, political competition, Gypsies (Roma), and Jews.  Pogrom – Russian word meaning, an organized massacre of helpless people.

 1935, Hitler defies the Versailles Treaty and begins to rebuild the military.  Appeasement - the making of concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid war.  1936, Hitler, Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito form the Axis Powers – alliance.

 Hitler demands more lebensraum – living space for Germany.  1938, Hitler annexes Austria.  1938, Hitler invades Czechoslovakia.

Nonaggression pact - an agreement in which nations promise not to attack one another.  Soviet Union and Germany sign a nonaggression pact.  Germany and Russia split Poland.  Finland, and the Baltic nations claimed by Russia.

Blitzkrieg - “lightning war” - a form of warfare in which surprise attacks with fast- moving airplanes are followed by massive attacks with infantry forces. Using the “Blitzkrieg Tactic” France falls quickly to the Axis Powers.

Winston Churchill – prime minister of Great Britain urges England to fight to the end. Battle of Britain - series of battles between German and British air forces, fought over Britain in 1940–1941.

1940 – Mussolini attacks North Africa to gain access to oil fields and the Suez Canal for the Axis Powers. Benito Mussolini - Italian fascist dictator from 1922–1943.

Fascism - a political movement that promotes an extreme form of nationalism, a denial of individual rights, and a dictatorial one-party rule. Erwin Rommel - known as the Desert Fox, he was a German field marshal of World War II.

Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania join the Axis Powers and secure the Balkan Peninsula. Operation Barbarossa – Germany’s plan for a surprise attack on the Soviet Union in June, 1941.

Lend-Lease Act – a law passed by U.S. Congress which said the president could send supplies to any country vital to the United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt – president of the U.S. during the Great Depression and most of WWII.

Pearl Harbor – the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet attacked on Dec. 7, The U.S. had cut off oil shipments to Japan, and was deemed as a threat to Japanese goals for an empire.

Isoroku Yamamoto – Japanese naval commander responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Battle of Midway – the U.S. strikes back destroying most of the Japanese navy.

 Hideki Tojo – general of the Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister of Japan.  Battle of Guadalcanal – a 1942–1943 battle of World War II, in which Allied troops drove Japanese forces from the Pacific island of Guadalcanal.

Aryans - to the Nazis, the Germanic peoples who formed a “master race.” Holocaust - a mass slaughter of Jews and other civilians, carried out by the Nazi government of Germany before and during World War II.

Kristallnacht - “Night of Broken Glass”—the night of November 9, 1938, on which Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues throughout Germany. Ghettos - city neighborhoods in which European Jews were forced to live.

“Final Solution” - Hitler’s program of systematically killing the entire Jewish people.  Ghettos  Concentration Camps  Death Camps  Mobile Killing Units  Used to kill over 6 million Jews throughout Europe.

Dwight D. Eisenhower – American general that focused efforts in taking over North Africa and Italy. Douglas MacArthur – American general in charge of the war in the Pacific Rim.

The German’s advance into the Soviet Union was stopped during the “Battle of Stalingrad”. Feb. 2, 1943 the Germans lost an army of 330,000 soldiers and can press no further into the Soviet Union.

Italy surrenders by Sept. 3 rd, Mussolini is taken from power. America rations at home to help the fighting troops.  Meat Sugar  TiresGasoline  SoapNylon

Operation Overlord : D- Day Invasion - June 6, 1944—the day on which the Allies began their invasion of the European mainland during World War II.  Holding the beach head of Normandy would be needed to take back France.

May 7 th, 1945 Germany surrenders to the Allied Forces. Sept. 2 nd, 1945 Japan surrenders after two atomic weapons are dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  150,000 people died immediately.

 1931 – Japan invades Manchuria (China)  – Italy invades Ethiopia  1936 – Germany, Italy, and Japan form the Axis Powers.  1937 – Japan invades China.  1938 – Germany annexes Austria, and invades Czechoslovakia.  1939 – Italy invades Albania  1939 – Germany invades Poland.  After the invasion of Poland, France and Great Britain declare war on Germany.  April 1940 – Germany invades Denmark and Norway.  May 1940 – Germany invades Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.  September 1940 – Germany attacks Great Britain.  1940 – Italy invades North Africa and Eastern Europe.  1941 – Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania join the Axis Powers  1941 – The Axis Powers invade the Soviet Union (Russia).

1941 – Axis Powers invade and conquer Yugoslavia – Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Axis Powers declare war on the U.S – Allies begin bombing attacks on Germany, turning the country to rubble – American and British Navy stop the Japanese advance towards the U.S. and Australia – Axis Powers surrender North Africa – Germany takes control of Italy to stop the Allied advance – Germany takes control of Hungary to stop the Allies advance – Allies land at Normandy (France) to begin land attacks on Germany – Germans begin to pull out of France, The Netherlands, and Southeastern Europe. Jan. 1, 1945 – Germans are in retreat. Aug. 30, 1945 – Hitler is dead, 8 days later Germany surrenders to the Allies. Aug. 6 & 9, 1945 – The U.S. drops two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Sept. 2, 1945 – Japan surrenders