1935-1941WORLD WAR LOOMS

Germany RemilitarizesHitler announced the formation of a

German air force & compulsory military service

Sends troops to the Rhineland bordering FranceAll of these actions challenge the Treaty of Versailles

1935-1936

ReactionThe League of Nations lodges a

formal protest but refuses to consider sanctions against Germany

1935-1936

Italy Invades EthiopiaThe Italian army, under Mussolini,

invades EthiopiaAnnex the country in 1936Form the Rome-Berlin Axis with Germany

1935

ReactionEthiopia appeals to the League of

Nations for helpVotes to impose economic sanctions against Italy, including an oil embargoThe U.S. refuses to join the embargo

1935

Spanish Civil WarItaly & Germany back a military

rebellion in Spain led by General Francisco FrancoProvide the Nationalists with supplies, weapons, & troopsOver throw Spain’s democratic republic & set up a right-wing government

1936-1939

ReactionCongress passes Neutrality Acts in

1936 & 1937, keeping the U.S. out of the conflict3000 American volunteers fight against the Nationalists

The Soviet Union officially aides the Republican government

1936-1939

Japanese Troops in NanjingJapanese army captures the city of

NanjingSoldiers go on a 6-week rampage, killing approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians & raping about 20,000 Chinese women

1937

ReactionRoosevelt makes a speech calling for

a ‘Quarantine’ against aggressor nations Japan invades French Indochina, Formosa, Korea, large areas of China, & several small Pacific islands

1937

German Union with AustriaHitler pressures the Austrian

government to join GermanyHis army crosses the border without oppositionDeclares a political union between the two countries

1938

ReactionBritain & France act as passive

spectators

1938

Germany Invades Czechoslovakia

Hitler acquires the Czech region of the Sudetenland in the Munich PactDeclares that it will be his last territorial demandBreaks the pact & invades the rest of Czechoslovakia

1939

ReactionBritain & France declare that any

further attacks by Germany would trigger war

1939

Germany Attacks PolandGermany signs a Nonaggression Pact with the Soviet UnionUses blitzkrieg tactics to attack & take over Poland

1939

ReactionBritain & France declare war on

GermanyU.S. replaces the Neutrality Act of 1939 with the Cash & Carry Policy

1939

Germany Invades Low Countries & France

Hitler attacks & captures the Low Countries & launches an invasion of FranceBritish & French troops are trapped along the coast

Italy declares war on Britain & France

1940

ReactionBritain evacuates the trapped British

& French forces in the Battle of DunkirkFrance surrenders to GermanySoutheast France is under the control of a puppet government Vichy France

1940

Germany Attacks BritainGerman planes fly raids against

British ports, airfields, & industryBombing targets are later shifted to large cities

1940

ReactionBritish fighter pilots successfully

shoot down more than 600 German aircraft during the Battle of BritainRoosevelt claims that the U.S. must become the “Arsenal of Democracy” Begins sending aid to Britain under the Lend-Lease Act

1940

Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor300 Japanese bombers & fighter

planes attack the U.S. military base at Pearl HarborCripples the U.S. Pacific fleet, sinking or damaging 18 ships & destroying or damaging 300 aircraft

1941

ReactionThe U.S. declares war on Japan

1941