Maria-Anita Ronchini

In the early years of World War II, Germany swept through Europe in a series of surprising attacks known as Blitzkrieg (lightning war).

In October 1938, the Nazi regime ordered the expulsion of the Polish Jews residing in Germany. The mass deportation, known as Polenaktion, uprooted around 17,000 people.

London in WWII suffered an intense bombing campaign known as the Blitz. The resilience of its residents became an indelible part of British collective memory.

Triggered by a mutiny of war-weary German sailors, the German Revolution of 1918-1919 led to the birth of the Weimar Republic.

One of the oldest European royal families, the House of Savoy ruled Italy from 1861 to 1946.

Between 1861 and 1865, southern Italy protested against Italian unification with a violent uprising known as Brigantaggio (brigandage).

During World War II, the Nazi regime looted hundreds of Jewish-owned art collections. Today, the victims’ heirs are still trying to recover the Nazi-looted art.

In 1884-1885, Western powers met in Berlin to regulate their colonization of Africa. Known as the Berlin Conference, the meeting ushered in a new era of imperialism.