-
Stalin Marries Nadezhda Alliluyeva
Stalin's wife, who was one of Lenin's secretaries after the revolution, married him when she was 17 and he was 40. -
Treaty of Versailles
After World War 1, this treaty was an agreement between the Allies, the winning countries of WWI, which were mainly France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The treaty was created primarily so that the Allies could decide and agree upon what they wanted to do to the Central Powers, the losing countries of WWI, which were mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. -
The student rebellions
After becoming a history teacher at Xiuye Primary School, Mao began to establish protests against the Hunan Province governor, known as Zhang the Venomous because of his viciousness and corruptness. Zedong founded the Hunanese Student Association, advocating for trade unions, non-violent revolts, and mutual aid -
Period: to
The Polish-Soviet War
The Soviets sued for peace and the war ended with a ceasefire in October. The Peace of Riga, signed on March 18, 1921, divided the disputed territories between Poland and Soviet Russia and established borders for Poland that would hold until September 1939. Joseph Stalin , who had served during the 1920–1921 war, would later avenge the Polish victory by having Polish veterans and their families shot or deported to Soviet labor camps during World War II, when he headed the USSR. -
Hitler is elected the leader of the new Nazi Party
Hitler wins an election and becomes the leader of new political party, nicknamed Nazi. The party's official name is National Socialist German Workers Party and it believes that equality is only for Germans, not Jews or immigrants -
The Communist Party
Founded in 1921, Mao established the Changsha branch of the Communist Party, also creating a Socialist Youth Corps subdivision. He opened a bookstore in order to circulate literature of the revolution and used it as a base to form worker strikes, activities for Hunan autonomy, and his other revolutionary movements -
Stalin is named the General Secretary of the Communist Party
As Russia becomes the Soviet Union, Stalin becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party and is responsible for placing others in specific jobs. He understands that controlling people and what they do is key to gaining power and eventually has many key people in his debt for the jobs they have -
Mussolini's rise to power
Mussolini became prime minister in the Republic of Italy. He was put in power after a coup d’etat and was supported by many right wing liberalists. At first he was part of a fascist government, but his ultimate goal was to become a totalitarian dictator. This was the beginning of one of Italy’s darkest years -
Stalin's rise to power
He was one of seven members of the Politburo--the others were Zinoviev and Kamenev, Trotsky, Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, and Mikhail Tomsky. By 1930, Stalin would overshadow them, and by 1940 outlive them. His amazing success can be attributed to a combination of his own political genius and the mistakes that his rivals persisted in making. -
Mussolini's reign
He started taking the title of Il Duce on this date after he became the totalitarian dictator of Italy. This was his goal from the start of his reign as prime minister in 1922. Not unlike Hitler, Mussolini used propaganda in order to secure his position as the dictator of Italy. But there were still countless assassination attempts against him during his reign. -
Hitler is sentenced to five years in prison for treason
The Nazis unsuccessfully try to take over the German government and Hitler is sentenced to prison for five years for treason. While there, he dictates his autobiography and book of political ideas, "Mein Kampf," to Rudolph Hess -
Stalin's Daughter Svetlana Is Born
Her mother was his second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva. Raised by a nurse she only occasionally saw her parents. She was only six when her mother died -
Mao planned to attack Changsha
Mao Zedong led his troops into Changsha. He planned to attack the KMT-held city as commander-in-chief of the Red Army -
Zedong accepts his defeat
Mao Zedong's four regiments could not stand their ground in the Autumn Harvest Uprising. After six days of fighting, he pulled his troops from the battle -
The first of Stalin's Five-Year Plans begins
In a brutal and ill-fated attempt to bring the Soviet economy in to the industrial age, Stalin seizes farms and factories that were crucial to the nation's agriculture. Hundreds of thousands of people die for protesting or simply due to starvation as Stalin continues to ship food out of the country to try and cover up the failure of his plan -
The Jewish Holocaust begins
The Nazis, led by Hitler, begin to systematically eliminate Jews from Eastern Europe. At least six million Jews will be killed, many in brutal concentration camps, before the Holocaust ends in 1945 -
Hitler takes power
Hitler takes power in 1933, and begins changes. He first begins by stop paying because its harming the German economy so much hitler won't pay anymore. Also against the treaty, Hitler began to make a new and strong military. At this point he is going completely against the French and Britain treaty. He goes on to remilitarize the industrial land, Rheinland. Hitler began opening old factory is to begin producing weapons and products to fill the needs of Germans and the Nazi party. -
The Long March
The Red Army broke through the KMT to embark on the Long March. Many wounded, children, elderly, and ill were left behind, but 85,000 soldiers and 15,000 others were on their way to cross the Xiang River, Wu River, and the Guizhou territory. During a temporary rest, Mao was elected as Chairman of Politburo -
Apeasment
After hitler began re opening the factories, and beginning to expand the German empire. Thus beginning the worst genocide this world has ever seen. Hitler begins to move on to reunite the people of Germany. If he succeeds, he's gaining support to become a dictator and also gaining support about is Nazi party. In 1938 Hitler decided he wanted to become allies with Austria. With Austria by his side he would have another ally, more followers, in a little more power. France and Brita -
Stalin's invasion
Stalin ordered an invasion. He expected a quick, easy war, but amid wintry conditions the Red Army (which had, after all, seen its generals purged only a few years before) suffered a series of setbacks. Not until spring of the following year did the Finns capitulate. This was a major event in the beginning of WWII. -
Munich Pact
In the Munich Pact of 1938 Hitler want to gain the sudan land, though the czechoslovakians do not want to give up their land easily. Hitler has so much support behind him, he's not afraid to wage a war. Eventually in 1939 the czeckloslovakians became puppets of hitler's. Also in 1939 is when Hitler decided he wanted Poland. He declared war on Poland and began to try to invade it but he needed more help. His help came from the dictator, Stalin. between them they create a secret non aggression pac -
Hitler is named Time magazine's "Man of the Year."
Due to his political dominance and being such as central figure in the world, Time magazine names Hitler as "Man of the Year." The magazine describes the actions of his Nazi Party as "ruthless." -
German forces invade Poland
German dictator Adolf Hitler begins his quest to build an empire by invading Poland. The capital city of Warsaw is destroyed and Poland is defeated within weeks -
Period: to
The Civil War
The Communist Party of China was sent a special envoy from the diplomats, called the Dixie Mission. In 1948, Mao ordered the People's Liberation Army to occupy Changchun. More than 160,000 civilians were killed in the siege that lasted five months -
Hitler declares war against the United States
Four days after Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, Hitler declares war against the U.S. Germany had no agreement with Japan, but Hitler likes the fact that he is now the center of World War II, the biggest war the world has ever seen -
Japan bombs the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attack the United States by bombing its military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets with Congress and Congress declares war on Japan. Germany and Italy respond by declaring war on the U.S. -
The U.S. defeats Japan at the Battle of Midway
The U.S. Navy fights Japan in the Battle of Midway and wins the most important battle of the Pacific campaign. It is the first defeat in a modern war ever sustained by the Japanese navy -
The Soviet Union allies with Great Britain and the United States in World War II
After the Soviet Union is invaded by Germany, Stalin decides that the Soviet Red Army will join forces with the United States and Great Britain in World War II. Eventually, the Red Army defeats the Nazis and is responsible for liberating the concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1945 -
President Roosevelt orders Japanese-Americans to internment camps
President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066. Despite being American citizens, Japanese-Americans are ordered to go to internment camps in the West out of fear that they will aid the Japanese in the war. -
Allied forces invade Italy
Allied troops invade Italy at Salerno, Calabria, and Taranto. Italy signs a secret armistice, agreeing to stop fighting and to not help German troops -
Hitler survives an assassination attempt
Hitler escapes serious injury when a bomb explodes at his headquarters in Berlin. It is the third assassination attempt against Hitler. A senior officer is blamed for planting the bomb -
Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy
In what has come to be called D-Day, 100,000 Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy, France to fight the German forces. It is a victory for the Allies but there were over 10,000 casualties -
The Allies liberate Paris
After four years of German occupation, the Allies liberate Paris. French and U.S. troops force Germany to surrender -
The Battle of the Bulge begins
German troops launch an offensive attack on the Western front. Allied forces fought the Germans throughout the winter and eventually defeated them in what has come to be called the Battle of the Bulge. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and it remains the bloodiest battle ever fought by American troops -
Hitler orders the destruction of the Germany's infrastructure
Hitler decides that since Germany has lost the war, the country does not deserve to survive. He orders the destruction of the railroads, highways, and other important features of German industry, but the order is not obeyed -
Hitler commits suicide in Berlin
Probably trying to avoid being captured by Soviet troops, Hitler kills himself. He commits suicide by shooting himself in the head while biting down on a poisonous cyanide capsule -
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz
After troops from the Soviet Union arrive in Auschwitz, Poland, survivors of the Nazi concentration camps are freed. The world finally realizes the depth of the horror that the Nazis have inflicted on the Jews -
The Battle of Iwo Jima begins
U.S. Marines invade the island of Iwo Jima, an important strategic location in the Pacific. American forces win after weeks of fighting, but not without suffering heavy casualties -
President Roosevelt dies in Warm Springs, Georgia
President Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage while in Warm Springs, Georgia. Vice-president Harry S Truman is sworn in as president and is charged with leading the U.S. through the end of the war -
Germany surrenders as Soviet troops reach Berlin
As Soviet troops reach Berlin, the German army surrenders. Meanwhile, Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker. -
The U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
Eighty thousand Japanese people are instantly killed when the U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The force of the weapon causes buildings to disintegrate and temperatures on the ground reach 5,000 degrees, causing birds in flight to ignite. -
The U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
A B-29 bomber drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. 40,000 people are killed and Emperor Hirohito announces days later that Japan will surrender. -
Japan officially surrenders and the war ends
After agreeing to unconditionally surrender weeks earlier, Japan formally surrenders to the Allied forces. World War II comes to an end. -
Mussolini's death
During the end of WW2 when Axis Forces were nearing defeat Benito Mussolini was executed. Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were stopped by communist partisans Valerio and Bellini and identified by the Political Commissar of the partisans' 52nd Garibaldi Brigade, Urbano Lazzaro. He was then taken to Mezzegra. He and his wife spent their last night in the house of the De Maria family. -
Stalin rejects aid from the Marshall Plan
When the Marshall Plan is enacted to provide aid to Europe after being devastated in World War II, Stalin rejects it. He does not like the plan because it will also help Germany and he thinks the U.S. is becoming too dominant. His attempts to block food from arriving in West Berlin fail when the U.S. airlifts supplies into the city -
The People's Republic of China was established
After two decades of international and civil wars, Chairman Mao became a businessman and a leader from his poolside compound. He established the Peoples Volunteer Army and sent them into the Korean War -
Stalin grants North Korea permission to invade South Korea
Stalin gives permission to Kim Ill Sung of Communist North Korea to invade non-Communist South Korea, leading to the Korean War. The U.S. is a supporter of South Korea due to its foreign policy of preventing the spread of communism, so the U.S. gets involved in the Korean War -
Thirteen Soviet Jews are murdered on the Night of the Murdered Poets
Stalin orders the execution of 13 Soviet Jews, including five Yiddish poets, who are accused of treason and of being spies. This was the beginning of Stalin's plans to purge the Soviet Union of Jews -
Stalin's death
Stalin hatched a plot to eliminate all Jews from western Russia. This was to begin with the discovery of the so called "Doctors Plot": his Jewish doctors would be accused of collaborating with a foreign power and plotting to kill him. He suffered a stroke. For three days he wavered between life and death, before finally passing from this life, in great pain. -
Mao Zedong split from the Soviet Union
After Stalin's s death in March, Albania was the only nation to openly side with China, forcing an alliance. Mao led the alliance by the Marxist doctrine -
Mao Zedong passed away
At the age of 86, after years of smoking, drinking, Parkinson's disease, and two heart attacks, Chairman Mao died from heart attack complications. His body was in state for a week for visitors to pay their respects. He was then put to rest in a mausoleum. Mao Zedong still remains a debated character with many opinions of his legacy. He is praised for unifying China, ending decades of war, refining women's rights, literacy, and education.