-
First Meeting of the League of Nations
The League of Nations, an international organization, met for the first time in Geneva, Switzerland. This organization was created to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. Many countries were involved, but the United States never became a member and Germany and Soviet Russia were never admitted. I believe this event is important because it ensured that war would never break out again. -
Washington Conference is held
The Washington conference, an international conference, was called by the United States to limit the naval arms race and to work out security compromises in the Pacific area. It consisted of nine nations and the Soviet Union was not invited. The conference was held in Washington D.C. and developed into the drafting and signing of various major and minor treaty agreements. I think this is important because it resulted in 3 important treaties that preserved peace during the 1920s. -
Locarno pact is signed
The Pact of Locarno was a series of agreements between Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy where they all made certain that there would be peace in western Europe. The treaties were signed in London but initialed at Locarno, Switzerland. Germany refused to guarantee its eastern fronts that France sought to give to other countries. This is important because it admitted Germany into the League of Nations, but Hitler tore it up as he sent his troops into the Rhineland. -
Stalin takes over in Russia
-
Stock market on Wall St. crashes
On Wall Street in New York, investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in just one day. Loads and loads of money were lost, cleaning out thousands of investors. Also called the Great Crash, this stock market crash was a sharp decline in the U.S. stock market values. This is historically significant because this crash led to the Great Depression which was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. -
Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany
-
Mussolini's Abyssinian War
This war, also known as the Italo-Ethiopan War, was an armed conflict which grew into Ethiopia's subjection to Italian rule. This demonstrated the inadequacy of the League of Nations when decisions weren't backed by the great powers. Back in the 1890s, Italy tried to conquer Ethiopia, but failed. Later, there was a border incident which gave the Italians an excuse to invade. This is important because this war added to international tensions between the fascist states and the Western democracies. -
The Popular Front
-
Spanish Civil War
-
Munich agreement
Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier, the prime ministers of Britain and France, sign the Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi's. This agreement adverted the outbreak of war but gave Czechoslovakia away to German conquest. Hitler had recently annexed Austria into Germany and was planning on doing the same with Czechoslovakia. Hitler was not cooperative which led to both of the prime ministers give in to his demands. This is important because it was an attempt to avoid war.
