Germany and Italy declare an Axis, or alliance.
Germany reoccupies the Rhineland, on the border with France, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I.
Spanish nationalists under General Francisco Franco attack the Republican army, beginning the Spanish Civil War. The war will last for three years. Franco is supported by Germany and Italy, while the Republican government receives support from the USSR. U.S. companies supply Franco’s army with trucks and oil.
Italian forces capture the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaims an Italian Empire, and Ethiopia becomes part of Italian East Africa.