History EofY Y10

November 1918

Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates; Germany becomes a republic, marking the end of the monarchy.

January 1919

Spartacist Uprising; communist revolt crushed by the Freikorps in Berlin.

June 1919

Treaty of Versailles signed; Germany blamed for WWI, loses territory and must pay reparations.

August 1919

Weimar Constitution adopted; creates a democratic government with proportional representation.

March 1920

Kapp Putsch; failed right-wing coup attempt against the Weimar Republic.

January 1923

French and Belgian troops occupy the Ruhr due to unpaid reparations.

November 1923

Munich Putsch; Hitler’s failed coup in a beer hall, leads to his imprisonment.

1923

Hyperinflation crisis peaks; German currency becomes worthless.

1924

Dawes Plan; US loans help stabilize the German economy.

1925

Locarno Pact signed & Hindenburg elected President; restores some international trust in Germany.

1926

Germany joins the League of Nations; sign of diplomatic recovery.

1929

Young Plan reduces reparations; Wall Street Crash causes global economic crisis.

1930

Nazis become second largest party in the Reichstag due to economic hardship.

1932

Hitler runs for President (loses) but Nazis become largest party in July elections.

30 January 1933

Hitler becomes Chancellor; appointed legally by Hindenburg.

27 February 1933

Reichstag Fire; blamed on Communists, used to justify emergency powers.

March 1933

Enabling Act passed; gives Hitler power to pass laws without Reichstag consent.

April 1933

Gestapo (secret police) established to silence opposition.

May 1933

Trade unions banned; replaced by German Labour Front under Nazi control.

July 1933

Nazi Party declared the only legal party; Germany becomes a one-party state.

June 1934

Night of the Long Knives; Hitler eliminates SA leaders like Röhm.

August 1934

Hindenburg dies; Hitler combines roles and becomes Führer.

1935

Nuremberg Laws introduced; Jews lose citizenship and basic rights.

1936

German troops reoccupy the Rhineland; violating Treaty of Versailles.

March 1938

Anschluss with Austria; Germany annexes Austria without resistance.

September 1938

Munich Agreement; Britain and France give Sudetenland to Germany (appeasement).

November 1938

Kristallnacht; coordinated attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues.

March 1939

Hitler invades Czechoslovakia; breaks Munich Agreement.

August 1939

Nazi-Soviet Pact; secret agreement to divide Poland between Germany and USSR.

1 September 1939

Germany invades Poland; triggers the start of WWII.

3 September 1939

Britain and France declare war on Germany.

June 1941

Operation Barbarossa; Germany invades the Soviet Union.

December 1941

USA enters WWII after Pearl Harbor.

January 1942

Wannsee Conference; Nazis plan the Final Solution (Holocaust).

July 1944

July Bomb Plot; failed assassination attempt on Hitler by German officers.

30 April 1945

Hitler commits suicide in his Berlin bunker.

8 May 1945

VE Day; Germany surrenders and WWII ends in Europe.