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The End of the Great War
On this date, the First World War comes to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans are largely blamed for the start of the war. -
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The Expansion of Nazi Germany
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Hitler Joins the Nazi Party
In 1919, Adolf Hitler became a member of the Nazi Party. -
Hitler's Failed Coup
In 1923, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party attempt to seize control of the government. The coup fails, and Hitler is imprisoned. While in prison, Hitler writes his autobiography "Mein Kampf," which would become a basis for his political ideologies. -
A New Führer
After becoming the largest political party in Germany, Adolf Hitler is appointed as the new Führer of the Nazi Party. Shortly after, he began the process of reforming the democratic Weimar Republic into the single-party dictatorship of Nazi Germany. -
The Munich Agreement
After hours of negotiation in Munich, Germany, the Munich Agreement was signed. The Agreement permitted Germany's annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia in an attempt to appease Hitler into stopping plans of dominating Europe. -
The Annexation of Czechoslovakia
On March 15, 1939, Hitler completed his annexation of Czechoslovakia, proclaiming, "Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist!" -
The Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
On August 23, 1939, Soviet Russian and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression pact, in which they promised to never attack each other. The two leaders separately signed a secret pact, in which they agreed to equally divide Poland amongst themselves. -
The Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, Hitler commenced the invasion of Poland. The attempted non-aggression pact signed nearly a year early was a failure. Employing their blitzkrieg tactic, in which the Nazis would use fast tanks and planes to overwhelmingly strike an enemy, the Poles were overwhelmed. Two days later, countries across the globe began declaring war on Germany. Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa all formally declared war on Germany. The Second World War had begun. -
Hitler's Continued Expansion in to Europe
On April 9, 1940, Hitler unexpectedly invaded Denmark and Norway. He planned to build bases in these countries from which to attack Great Britain. Shortly after, he invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. -
The Surrender of France
On June 22, 1940, Hitler handed French officers his terms of surrender. The French accept. France had fallen to the Nazi Empire. -
The Battle of Britain
On August 15, 1940, 2,000 German planes pounded Britain. For the next two months, bombs rained down on London every single night. -
Operation Barbarossa
In June of 1941, Hitler broke his non-aggression pact with Joseph Stalin. Hitler's forces began to invade the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Normandy
On June 6, 1944, the United States and it's allies conducted the largest amphibious invasion in history. Hundreds of thousands of troops stormed the northern beaches of France, in an attempt to defeat the Nazis.
