Soviet Union
Spanish Civil War – support
Republicans (July 1936 – April
1939)
Britain/France
Chamberlain becomes PM –
adopts appeasement (May
1937)
Germany
1937–1942
Italy
Spanish Civil War – support Nationalists (July
1936 – April 1939)
Japan
USA
Three Neutrality Acts passed
by Congress (1935-1937)
Appeasement of
Aggressors
Road to War
Invades mainland China – (July
1937 – Sept 1945)
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis formed – after Italy joins Anti-Comintern
Pact (Nov 1937)
Anschluss (March 1938)
Munich Conference – Sudetenland to Germany (Sept 1938)
Polish independence
guaranteed (29 March 1939)
Take-over of Czechoslovakia
breaking Munich Agreement
(15 March 1939)
Greece/Romania
independence guaranteed
(April 1939)
Invades Albania (7 April 1939)
End of Appeasement
Pact of Steel – Full military alliance (22 May 1939)
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression
Pact (23 Aug 1939)
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression
Pact (23 Aug 1939)
Invasion of Poland (1 Sept
1939)
Declare War on Germany (3
Sept 1939)
Invasion of Eastern Poland (17
Sept 1939)
Occupies Baltic States of
Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania (Oct
1939)
Invasion of Finland (Dec 1939)
Expelled from LON (Dec 1939)
Peace Treaty forced on Finland
(March 1940)
Phoney War – do nothing
(Sept 1939 – April 1940)
Poland defeated (6 Oct 1939)
Neutrality Act “Cash and
Carry” (Nov 1939)
British Navy lays mines off
Norwegian coast (April 1940)
Churchill replaces
Chamberlain as PM (10 May
1940)
Germany
Italy
Japan
USA
Fall of Western Europe
Britain/France
Invasion of Norway & Denmark
(April 1940)
Invasion of Holland, Belgium &
France (10 May 1940)
Dunkirk Evacuation (26 May –
4 June 1940)
Invasion of Southern France
(10 June 1940)
France defeated and surrenders (14 June 1940)
Britain
Battle of the Atlantic intensifies (June 1940 – June 1943)
Prepares for invasion of
Britain – Operation Sealion
(July – Aug 1940)
Battle of Britain – air war (Aug – Oct 1940)
Invasion of Egypt [British held]
from Libya & Abyssinia (13
Sept 1940)
Invasion of French Indo-China
[Vietnam] (Sept 1940)
Loans 50 old Destroyers
[ships] to Britain (Sept 1940)
Tri-Partite Pact [military agreement] signed (27 Sept 1940)
The Blitz – bombing of British Cities (Oct 1940 – May 1941)
Invasion of Greece (28 Oct
1940)
Italian troops pushed back into
Albania (Nov)
Italian troops defeated &
pushed back into Libya.
Abyssinia retaken (Jan 1941)
Britain on the defensive in the
Mediterranean & North Africa
(Feb – June 1941)
Italian troops routed in Egypt
& Abyssinia (Jan 1941)
German troops arrive in North
Africa to help Italy (Feb 1941)
Germany invades Greece &
Yugoslavia to help Italy (April
1941)
Germany invades Crete (May
1941)
Roosevelt re-elected to 3rd
term as President (Nov 1940)
Roosevelt gives “Arsenal of
Democracy” speech (Dec
1940)
Fight alongside German troops
in North Africa (Feb 1941)
“Lend-Lease” Act passed by
Congress (Mar 1941)
Britain Alone
Soviet Union
Soviet Union
Britain
Invaded by German led Axis
forces (22 June 1941)
Germany
Italy
Japan
USA
Invasion of the Soviet Union
(22 June 1941)
Stalemate against Rommel’s
Africa Korps in North Africa
(July 1942 – Oct 1942)
Freezes Japanese funds &
Cuts Oil Supply [because of
aggression in Asia] (July
1941)
Back & Forth battles in North
Africa until Rommel breaks
through to El Alamein [Egypt]
(Nov 1941 – July 1942)
Limited Counterattack pushing
German troops away from
Moscow (Dec 1941 – April
1942)
Continue to fight alongside
German forces in North Africa
(Nov 1941 – July 1942)
German advance stalls within
20 miles of Moscow [severe
Russian winter] (5 Dec 1941)
Attack Pearl Harbour to remove
US interference with goals to
expand (7 Dec 1941)
Declaration of War against USA (11 Dec 1941)
Defeated by Japan in
Southeast Asia (by Feb 1942)
Pearl Harbour attacked (7 Dec
1941)
Declaration of War against
Japan (8 Dec 1941)
Drive British out of
Malaya/Singapore & USA out of
Philippines & other Pacific
bases (by Feb 1942)
Battle of Coral Sea stops Japanese advance south
to capture Papua New Guinea (May 1942)
Renewed German summer
offensive against southern
areas including Stalingrad
(June 1942)
Summer offensive begins in
south to capture Caspian Sea
oil regions and Stalingrad
(June 1942)
Suffers heavy Naval losses in
Battle of Midway (June 1942)
Battle of Midway Inflicts heavy
losses on Japanese Fleet
(June 1942)
Expansion to Global War
General Tojo becomes Prime
Minister (Oct 1941)