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Robert Owen
Where: Great Britain What Happened: British contributor to the early socialist tradition. He established a cotton factory in New Lanark and treated his employees well and with respect. He believed they would perform better if they were in good spirits. Significance: Due to Owen backing up labor unions and his employees, more labor unions popped up during Britain's Industrial Revolution, and the laborunions lead to several reforms over the years for eight for workers. -
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Charles Fourier
Where: France What Happened:extreme socialist that wanted to create communes called 'Phalansteries' with work for the benefit of all. Believed in male dominance was oppressive, marriage was like prostitution, and homosexuality was ok. Significance: Believed in a utopian society where everyonewas equal in every way. This gave the idea to write "Utopia" which outlined his ideas for society, but yet still has not occured. -
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Klemens von Metternich
Where: Austria & Germany What Happened: Austria's foreign minister who wanted a balance of power in an international equilibrium of political and military forces that would discourage aggression Significance: Metternich's stratagies help unify Germany and become a super power in Europe. Metternich also did cause tenstion with this formation of alliances and then undoing them once what he needed was completed. -
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Jose de San Martin
Where: France (?) What Happened: an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. Significance: In the end, Martin helped central America succeed in gaining independence from Spain and was a main leader in the revolts over that. -
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Simón Bolívar
Where: Europe Controlled Central America What Happened: Venezuelan revolutionary. A staunch republican who denounced monarchial rule in the new states. He eventually went into exile and let Peru fall into confusion. Teamed up with San Martin to form a liberating army to oppose Spanish forces. Significance: Bolívar and Martin were the driving forces that lead to Central American independence from Spain and Britain and France. However, did not help unify Centrla America as a whole -
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Robert Peel
Where: Great Britain What Happened: riginally a Tory Prime Minister, in 1846 he joins with the Whigs to repeal the Corn Laws. Significance:With him, the power shifts from the Tories to the Whigs. The Corn Laws were later put away with, an theAnti-Corn League was the force behind that action. -
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Alexander I ruled over Russia
Where: Russia What Happened: Ruler of Russia during the caotic Napoleaonic Era. Focused on Liberal reforms, and kept up with Russia's absolutist policies. Later focused conservitism and constantly changed sides in war. Significance: Help create the Holy Alliance along with Metternich.Change in government led to many liberalist revolts in Russian, in which the problems were passed on to his brother Nicholas II. -
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Flora Tristan
Where: France What Happened:combined socialism and feminism and advocated complete equality of men and women in the Women's union in order to achieve true economic equality (soc'ism). She was ignored and socialist men remained traditional in their views on women. Significance: Fourier to become one of the founders of modern feminism, Peregrinations of a Pariah, Promenades in London and Workers' Union -
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John Stuart Mill
Where: Great Britain What Happened: British philosopher who published On Liberty (1859), advocating individual rights against government intrusion, and The Subjection of Women (1869), on the cause of women's rights. Significance: Mill was part of the fight for labor workers and women to gain equal rights in English society. And showed the living conditions of a labor worker/woman during that time in society. Which will later go on to help with labor unions -
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Pope Leo XIII
Where: Italy What Happened: Pope who established understanding with Bismarck and encouraged French Catholics to accept Third Republic Significance: During his reign the Roman Catholic Church achieved an international prestige it had not enjoyed since the Middle Ages. -
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Louis Blanc
Where: Spain What Happened: A Paris journalist, editor of Revue de Progres and author of Organization of Work. Proposed social workshops/state supported manufacturing centers as a way to deal with the problems of industrialization. Significance: This man urged people to agitate for universal voting rights and to take control of the state peacefully -
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David Livingstone
Where: Great Britain What Happened: Crisscrossed Africa and met many Africans he felt sympathy for. Opposed slave trade, believed that Christianity and trade would end slavery. Tried to find the source of the nile, explored interior of Africa, Significance: After people persuming he was dead, Livingstone continued to fight against slavery as the fight for colonies in africa and asia occured. Was the start of slavey abolishment. -
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Congress of Vienna
Where: Austria What Happened: A peace settle ment between Great Britian, Austria, Prussia, and Russia was formed to prevent further wars and promote peace. Significance: Created a more efficient balance of power, germany was broken up into 39 states, old monarches were re-established though legitmacy and France forced to pay reperations. -
Reaffirmation of the Triple Alliance
Where:France What Happened: Great Britain, Russia, and Austria renewed with the Quardruple Alliance and wanted to restore the Bonapartist power. Significance: This maintained peace in Europe for about a few years. And later on added France to help better maintain the peace throughout the nation. -
Zimmerman Letter
Where:Germany What Happened: Germany sends the secret Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to entice Mexico to join the war. The British intercept and decipher the coded message. Significance: Gave Britain a reason to attack Germnay and angred my Americans. -
Battle of Chacabuco
Where: Chile What Happened: During the Chilean War of Independence, the Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata led by José de San Martín defeated the Spanish force led by Rafael Maroto. Significance: Major step in Chile's independence from Spain and was also a step towards establishing a new Chilean government and began preparations for an invasion of Peru. -
Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle
Where:Germany What Happened: A meeting was held in Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany where the four allied powers Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia to decide the question of the withdrawal of the army of occupation from France Significance: In the end, France was forced to reduce its army size, and to pay reperation for damnages done. France admitted as a full discussion partner in the European congress system and France's position as a European power was restored. -
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Herbert Spencer
Where: Great Britain What Happened: Spencer applied Darwin's ideas of survival of the fittest to humans. This became social Darwinism, and argued that societies were organisms that evolved through time from a struggle witht heir enviorment. Significance: This creation of Social Darwinism was later applied to races and the imperialism of Africa where the White Man's Burden was later written. -
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Congress of Laibach
Where: Laibach (now Ljubljana, Slovenia) What Happened: It was a meeting of the Holy Alliance, which did not include Britian and the Ottoman Emipre. In the meeting limits were set for Austrian intervention in and occupation of the Two Sicilies in action against the Neapolitan revolution Significance: A spark in the Italian Revorltion to independence, where Austria was told to occupy Italy with military forces which lead to the a revolt in Peidmont. -
Greek Revolts Against the Ottoman Empire
Where: Ottoman Empire What Happened: Greece attacked the Ottoman Empire with the aid of a secret society, "Friendly Union", as well as outside help (ie. Britian, and the Balkans). The Revolts and overseas aid help destroy the Ottoman fleet allowing the Turks to capture Greece capital city Significance: resulted in the establishment of an independent kingdom of Greece.Britain, Russia and France claiming a major role in Greek politicsmarked a seminal event in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire -
Revolts in the Southern Italy Crushed
Where: Southern Italy What Happened: In the south Carbonari and his revolt group started revolts for Italy unification. The group held many marches against the Austrian government and military. Significance: Although many of the revolts were not successful, they did encourage nothern Italy to fight against Austria, with a better military force, aiding the the unification of Italy. -
Congress of Verona
Where: Verona, Italy What Happened: A series of international conferences that started with the Congress of Vienna, which had created the Concert of Europe. This discuessed the major problems with Spain and Ferdinand II Significance: The meeting decided that a French army, under mandate of the Holy Alliance, should suppress the Spanish rebellion. This decision was protested by the British foreign minister, and led to a growing rift between Great Britain and the rest of the Quadruple Alliance. -
Central America becomes Independent
Where: European Controlled Central America What Happened: Started in El Savador, and contintued later by Agustín de Iturbide, who first won Guatemala independence from Mexico in 1821, and continued to fight for Central America's independence from Mexico. Significance: Since gaining independence from Spain and Mexico, Central America has had many attempts in unifying its self into one, however small flaws in the plan continue to disrupt the process. -
Monroe Doctrine
Where:U,S What Happened: Stated that the Americas should be free from future European colonization and interference in sovereign countries' affairs. Also said, the United States's wished to stay neutral in European wars and in wars between European powers an colonies unless threatened. Significance: Stated the United States of opposition to colonialism, The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny combined to form the backbone for rapid U.S. expansion & helped Latin Amer. win independence. -
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Reign of Nicholas I of Russia
Where: What Happened: Russian Tsar that succeeced Alexander; he strengthened the secret police and the bureaucracy, crushed Decembrist Revolt, believed in "Autocracy, Orthodoxy, and Nationality", led Russia in the Crimean War Significance: With the help of Britain help with their future alliance in WWI. Nicholas was also aggressive foreign policy involved many expensive wars, having a disastrous effect on the empire's finances. -
Decemberist Revolt
Where: Russia What Happened: After the death of Alexandar II, its left his two brothers to the throne. Russian army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in a protest against Nicholas I's gaining of the throne after his elder brother Constantine removed himself from the line of succession. Significance: The social and economic improvements, as the revolt served to make Nicholas aware of the need s to focus on the people in he revolt, so he set up the committees that wanted serfdom reforms -
Treaty of Adrianople
Where: Russia What Happened: concluded the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29, between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan recognized Russia's possession of Georgia. Significance: urkey gave Russia access to the mouths of the Danube and additional territory on the Black Sea, opened the Dardanelles to all commercial vessels, granted autonomy to Serbia, promised autonomy for Greece, and allowed Russia to occupy Moldavia and Walachia until Turkey had paid a large indemnity -
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Francis Joseph
Where: Austria What Happened: Successor to Ferdinand I of Austria. Was a boy of 18, brought in by counterrevolutionaries to replace Ferdinand I who was seen as having given in to the revolutionaries and had fled in the October uprising. Was seen as too weak to resume the position of Emperor. Significance: -
Reform Act in Britain
Where: Britian What Happened: Parliament that transferred voting privileges from small rotten boroughs controlled by nobility and gentry to large industrial towns controlled by middle class Significance: increased the electorate about 18 per cent of the total adult-male population in England and Wales. The vast majority of the working classes were still excluded from voting. The reform of Parliament had begun, and this paved the way for the popular agitation of the Chartists. -
Factory Act of 1833
Where: Britian What Happened: the Government passed a Factory Act to improve conditions for children working in factories. major accomplishment for the proper rights of child workers. With this act, children who worked in factories would now be given more safe regulations. Significance: This act was one of the first big steps into working for the rights of child labors during the industrial revolution. -
Poor Laws of 1834 enacted
Wher: Britian What Happened: Benthamite reforms (taking care of the greatest number). Built workhouses where unemployed could go for work and thus receive money. But they were hard dangerous work which discouraged people from going there. Significance: Benthamite reforms (taking care of the greatest number). Built workhouses where unemployed could go for work and thus receive money. But they were hard dangerous work which discouraged people from going there. -
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Reign of Ferdinand I of Austria
Where: Austria What Happened: Not an effective ruler due to medical issues. Promised to grand Prussia a liberal constitution and to merge Prussia into a new national German state Significance: last King of Bohemia to be crowned as such. And took part in the industrial growth of Austria. -
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King Leopold II
Where: Blgium What Happened: king of Belgium, wanted to rule the congo basin, hosted the Berlin Conference Significance: Frederick William II issued the Declaration of Pillnitz. -
Anti Corn League established
What: Britian What Happeneed:The organization formed to work for the repeal of the English corn laws. It was an affiliation of groups in various cities and districts with headquarters at Manchester and was an outgrowth of the smaller Manchester Anti-Corn-Law Association Significance: The League outcomes gave manufactures more outlets for their products,expand employment,lower the price of bread, makeBritish agriculture more efficient and productive. -
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Paul Cézanne
Where: France What Happened: A postimpressionist and expressionist who had a profound impact on 20th century art and committed to form Signiicance: Painted Woman with Coffee Pot- use geometric stucture and form in eveything painted. -
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Henry M. Stanley
Where: Great Britain What Happened: an enthusiastic journalist who was sent by Leopold II to go to Africa. He established trading signs and planted Leopold's flag everywhere. Tried to find Dr. Livingstone. Significance: Stanly was King Leopold II's helper and was used to establish Belgian settlements in the Congo. -
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Giovanni Giolitti
Where: Italy What happened: Prime minister of Italy. Master of transformisso (old political groups were transformed into new government coalalations by political and economic bribery). Significance: Made Italian politics even more corrupt and led to protests and tried to gave popularity with suffrage and conquering Libya but unrest continued. -
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Bertha von Suttner
Where: Austria What Happened:became leader of the Austrian Peace Society, protested against the growing arms race, wrote the novel "Lay Down your Arms" Significance: this book called for an elimination or at least a reduction of the arms during the arms race of the 1890's. -
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Friedrich Nietzsche
Where: Germany What Happened: A German philosopher who believed that the strength that produces heroes and great artists springs from something beyond reason. He criticized Christianity and democracy for empowering the mediocrity of the sheeplike masses. Significance: political dictators of the 20th Century, including Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini, all read Nietzsche, and the Nazis made (admittedly selective) use of Nietzsche's philosophy, an association which caused Nietzsche's reputation to -
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Karl Lueger
Where: Austria What Happened: The popular mayor of Vienna. Combined severe Anti-Semitic rhetoric with municipal ownership of basic services, and he appealed especially to the German-speaking lower middle class Significance: Was idolized by Hitler and was an insperation as to what Hitler wanted to be when an adult. -
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Sergei Witte
Where: Russia What Happened: a leader in moving Russia towards industrialization, kept Russia on the gold standard, raised taxes, and kept a very efficient government. Kept strong fiscal connections to France as they were the ones who funded Russia's industrialization. Significance: railways grew by almost 30,000 kilometers, trans Siberian railroad completed, coal production grew by 3X, steel production also grew. People didn't see the benefit of Wittes high taxes. -
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Millicent Fawcett
Where: Great Britain What Happened: middle class British woman, brought together 16 organizations to form "National Union of Woman's Suffrage Societies", peaceful reform. Significance: efforts did not succeed- widespread opposition -
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George Sorel
Where: France What Happened: A French socialist who thought there socialism would come from a general strike of all workers that would cripple the capitalist system. Thought that socialism was an improbable religion rather than accepted truth. Thought that the new socialist governments would not be democratic, rather controlled by a small revolutionary elite. He did not like democracy. Significance: led by an elite, would succeed through a great violent strike of all working people. -
The Communist Manifesto, Marx & Engles
Where: Russia What Happened: Marx and Engles believed in a perfect society in which every man was equal and the government controlled everything. Marx believed his ides were the cure to the troublematic society of the time. Significance: The book was the "bible" for communist. The communist movement continued to occur, even in present day. However, the ideal society mentioned by Marx has never been sucessful . -
Frankfurt Assembly
Where: Germany What Happened: German national parliament that tried and failed to create a united German state during the 1848 revolutions. First meeting in May 1848, the convention was populated by middle class civil servants, lawyers, and intellectuals dedicated to liberal reform. Significance: Friedrich Wilhelm, the Kaiser refused in March 1849, dooming hopes for a united, liberal Germany, and the Frankfurt assembly dissolved soon after. -
July Revolution in France
Where: What Happened:Rebellion against Charles X's actions in issuing the July Ordinances which imposed rigid censorship of the press, dissolved the legislative assembly, and reduced the electorate in preparation for new elections. Significance: created a constitutional monarchy. On August 2, Charles X and his son the Dauphin abdicated their rights to the throne and departed for Great Britain. the provisional government instead placed on the throne a distant cousin, Louis Philippe -
Second Republic established
Where: France What Happened: France's government established after Louis Phillipe was forced to abdicate the thrown during the 1848 revolution. Significance: The emergence of universal male suffrage came about, also much conflict between middle and lower classes, had Louis Naploeon as president 1848-1851 -
Louis Napoleon becomes emperor
Where: France What Happened: Elected president after Louis Phillip reign, and his era was known as the Second Republic until he named himself emperor Napoleon III during the 2nd Empire of France. Seized power in 1851 via coup d' état and became dictator of second French empire. Significance: rebuilt Paris, extends French power overseas (Crimean War, war for Italian unification (which got some territory for France Nice and Savoy), Constructed Suez Canal between Mediterranean and Red Sea. -
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Vincent van Gogh
Where: Netherlands' What Happened: Significance: dutch post impressionist artist. painted "the starry night" 1889. mentally ill in later life. cut off his own ear. influential in the world of painting, very famous Significance: sed art as a spiritual experience. Interested in color and blieved that it could act as its own form of language. -
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Cecil Rhodes
Where: Great Britain What Happened: He was a financier, statesman, and empire builder with a philosophy of mystical imperialism.Wanted to extend wealth through expanding British power. Realized that Afrikaner government were major in impediments to profitable gold production. Organized an attempt to overthrow Afrikaner government Significance: played a major political and economic role in colonial South Africa. -
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Crimean War
Where: What Happened:onflict between the Russian and Ottoman Empires fought primarily in the Crimean Peninsula. To prevent Russian expansion, Britain and France sent troops to support the Ottomans. Significance: showed that France, and especially Britain, were prepared,through the use of military force, to prop up the declining Ottoman Turkish Empire. the Crimean War was a direct contributory factor to the 1861 Emancipation of the serfs in Russia.Czar Alexander II saw the defeat of the Russian -
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Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Where: Great Britain What Happened: an Englishman who settled in Germany, drew together these strands of racial thought into two volumes of his Foundation of the Nineteenth Century (1899), anti-semitic Significance: Wrote the book The Foundations of the nineteenth Century and made a huge impact on germany.
Claimed that the pure germans (Aryans) were destined as leaders of western culture. -
Treaty of Paris
Where: France What Happened: settled the Crimean War between Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, Second French Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Significance: Made the Black Sea neutral territory, closing it to all warships, and prohibiting fortifications and the presence of armaments on its shores. The treaty marked a severe setback to Russian influence in the region. -
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Sigmund Freud
Where: Austria What Happened:The Viennese. Fascinated with tensions resulting from the son's instinctive competition with his father for the mother's love. Much of unconscious psychological energy is sexual energy. Significance: Founder of psychoanalysis who believed that mental problems originated in the past. -
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Max Planck
Where: Germany What Happened: German physicist whose explanation of blackbody radiation in the context of quantized energy emissions initiated quantum theory (1858-1947) Significance: His quantum theory proposed that rather than heated body radiating energy in a steady stream that it is discontinuous, in packets called quanta -
On Liberty, John Stuart Mill
Where: Great Britian What Happened: Essay that talked about problem of how to prortect the rights of individuals and minorities in the emerging age of mass electoral paricipation. Advocated right of workers to organize, equality for women, and universal suffrage Significance: The book was used for labor unions and workers during Britian's industrial Revolution. -
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Henri Bergson
Where: France What Happened: French philosopher who said a religious experience is often more accesable to human comprehension than a scientific law or a math equation. Intuition. Significance: convinced many young people through his writing that immediate experience and intuition were as important as rational and scientific thinking for understanding reality. -
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Alfred Dreyfus
Where: France What Happened: Jewish captain in French army, was falsely accused and convicted of treason. The Catholic Church sided with the anti-Semites against Dreyfus; after Dreyfus was declared innocent, the French gov. severed all ties between the state and the church. Significance: This battle, which eventually led to Dreyfus's being declared innocent, revived republican feeling against the church. -
On the Origin of Species, Darwin
Where: Great Britain What Happened:Written by Charles Darwin and expanded the thoughts on evolutionary aspects from animals to people, believed it was true unlike others who believed everything in the bible. Significance: This book went against religious ideas of God's perfect creations, and alos was applied to humans (What Man's Burden) which was also part of the imperialism race in Asia and Africa. -
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Theodor Herzl
Where: Austria-Hungry What Happened: Austrian Jew, and founder of Zionism—political solution to anti-semitism. Wrote The Jewish State in 1896 in which he concluded that Jews must have a state of their own in Palestine Significance: THe Zionism movement helped the anti-semitism movement become more know to other countries in and outside of Europe. -
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Raymond Poincare
Where: Franch What Happened: Leader of the National Bloc who sought to use German reparations to rebuild the devastated areas of northern and eastern France. Significance: decided to teach the Germans a lesson and force them to comply with their payment of reparations. To get Germany to comply he began occupying the Ruhr and taking their resources as a way to collect war reparations. -
Emancipation of the Russian Serfs
Where:Russia What Happened: System which tied the Russian peasants irrevocably to their landlords, was abolished at the Tsar’s imperial command. Significance: Tsar Alexandar II had to become mroe liberal in order to gain more control over the peasants and other lower classes by giving them freedom. However, the peasants were the ones paying the price for the emancipation, but the landlords were getting money for the serf that they lost. -
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David Lloyd George
Where: Great Britain What Happened: A member of the liberal party. He led the way in raising taxes on the rich as part of the Peoples Budget. Significance: The additional taxes paid for national health insurance, unemployment benefits, old age pensions and other social measures in GB. -
The Salvation Army, Founded
Where: Great Britain What Happened:Founded in London in 1865 by William Booth, the army's first "general." Established food centers, shelters where the homeless could sleep, and "rescue homes" for women. Significance: The Salvation Army is still running today and is still doing the same helpful work for the community as it did when Booth first esatblished it. -
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Young Mutsuhito
Where: Japan What Happened: emperor of Japan from 1868 to 1912; his reign is known as Meiji (enlightened peace), the first great era of modernization in Japan Significance: Meiji Restoration The new emperor after the restoration of the emperor as the rightful head of the government -
Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy Created
Where: Austria and Hungary What Happened: compromise between the Germans of Austria and the Magyars of Hungary to resolve the nationalities problem by creating the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, with a common ministry for finance, foreign affairs, and war. Significance: The different nationalites of Austria-Hungary will later cause problems in Serbia's independence leading on to WWI, and the complete state seperation of Austria and Hungary. -
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Marie Curie
Where: What happened: Born in Warsaw, Poland. Studied at the University of Paris, received degrees in Physics and mathematics. First woman to win two nobel prizes (1903, physics; 1911, chemistry). Died of leukemia due to radioactivity from her work. Significance: discovered radium emits subatomic particles -
Opening of the Suez Canal
Where: Egypt What Happened: the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Great Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt. Significance: This later was used by the Egyptains to keep the Isrealies out of Egypt, but then later opened up agian as a peace treaty. And is today a heavly trafficed area. -
Unification of Germany
Where: Germany What Happened: tto von Bismarck pushed German unification through "blood and iron" and skillful understanding of realpolitik. Victory in the Franco-Prussian war, ended the who process when Alsace-Lorraine was transferred to Germany in the peace settlement, allowing Prussia to declare the German Empire. Significance: This left Prussia as a super power and German a unified state that would later also become like Prussia, while the tension between Germany and France grew. -
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Bismarck as German Chancellor
Where: Germany What Happened: Once the empire was established, he actively and skillfully pursued pacific policies in foreign affairs, succeeding in preserving the peace in Europe for about two decades. Significance: Bismarck strategically unified German, and created a powerful European country which would go on to use that power on other nations and cause more tension in Central Europe. -
Unification of Italy
Where: Italy What Happened: Garibaldi, supported by his legion of Red Shirts, led the way for revolutions in Italy for unification. However, it was Camillo di Cavour who finally, using the tools of realpolitik, united Italy under the crown of Sardinia.. Significance: it marked the end in Central Europe, as well as bringing closure, or finality, to the settlement of 1815. Secondly, if it proved anything, it was that Nationalism was of greater import than Liberalism. -
Paris Commune
Where: France What Happened: An organization of disgruntled bourgeoisie members took over Paris in this. Adolphe Theirs organized an army to surround Paris and quell this uprising. It has wrongly been called the first seizure of power by the working class. Significance: served as a model for a socialist structure of government for the following hundred years -
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Winston Churchill
Where: Great Britain What Happened: greatest wartime leader; rallied the British with his speeches, infectious confidence, and bulldog determination; known for his "iron curtain" speech Significance: led the British during WWII; agreed Hitler sould be conqured; was thrown out by hos own people. -
Formation of German Social Democratic Party
Where:Germany What Happened:The merger of ADAV & SDAP.Its origins can be traced to Ferdinand LaSalle and his efforts to encourage political participation by the working class. This party kept Marxist socialism alive . Significance: Even today the SDP is the largest party in Germany politics. It advocates the modernization of the economy to keep up with globalization, but it also stresses the need to address the social needs of workers and society’s disadvantaged. -
Treaty of San Stefano
Where: Russia What Happened: peace treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, at the conclusion of the last of the Russo-Turkish Wars; it was signed at San Stefano . Significance: It failed at keeping peace, which was why the Treat of Berlin replaced it, also leading the brink of war in Central Europe -
Congress of Berlin
Where: What Happened: Diplomatic meeting of the major European powers at which the Treaty of Berlin replaced the Treaty of San Stefano, which had been signed by Russia and Turkey at the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 Significance: Although this was meant to make peace, the treaty put Europe on the brink of war with Russia and Austria -
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Joseph Stalin
Where: Russia What Happened: became dictator of Russia after Lenin's death in 1924. He led the USSR through WWII and into the Cold War. Significance: He died in 1953 and is remembered for his brutal purges in his nation. -
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Albert Einstein
Where: Germany What Happened:physicist born in Germany who formulated the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity Significance: developed the theory of relativity, which states that time, space, and mass are relative to each other and not fixed. -
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Reign of Tsar Alexander III
Where: Russia What Happened: Sought to roll back Alexander II's reforms; strengthened secret police and imposed censorship of press; autocratic. Significance: introduced reforms that included limited emancipation of the serfs (1818-1881) -
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Pablo Picasso
Where: Spain What Happened: One of the artistic giants of the twentieth century. Helped found the Cubist and Abstract movements. During his life, 1881-1973, he worked in various media and is noted for scores of important works. His painting Guernica is one of the most powerful anti-war expressions of the modern era. Significance: Was a part of the cubism movement. -
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Benito Mussolini
Where: Italy What Happened:Fascist dictator of Italy (1922-1943). He led Italy to conquer Ethiopia (1935), joined Germany in the Axis pact (1936), and allied Italy with Germany in World War II. He was overthrown in 1943 when the Allies invaded Italy. Significance: the principle theorist of Facism and the first to establish a Facist state. Converted Italy into a Facist state was also signicant in its attacks on civil and political rights -
Bosnian Crisis
Where:Bosnia What Happened: Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina angering the serbs and Russians; William II forced Russia to accept annexes or face war with Germany Significance: This decision left Russia no choice to go to war, starting WWI with German and Austria. -
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Adolf Hitler
Where: Germany What Happened: dictator was the leader of the Nazi Party. He believed that strong leadership was required to save Germanic society, which was at risk due to Jewish, socialist, democratic, and liberal forces. Significance: Used propaganda and intimidation upon taking power to keep the people in line. Extremely anti-semitic, fascist, and nationalist. -
Dreyfus Affair
Where: France What Happened: a divisive case in which Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French army was falsely accused and convicted of treason. Significance: It initiated a distinctively new phase of the Third Republic, ( Radical Republic) . it enabled a coalition of Left Wing forces to gain a legislative majority that governed from 1899 to 1906. With the coming to power of the Left, the Republic was further consolidated and the campaign to secularize French society was relaunched. -
First Zionist Congress
Where: Switzerland What Happened: After the Dreyfus Affair, Theodore Herzl advocated Zionism and was against the anti-Semitism acts that were occuring. Significance: This congress made the Anti-Semitism problem international and more open during the time of Afria and Asia imperialism. -
Battle of Omdurman
Where: Sudan What Happened:British victory over the Mahdi in the Sudan in 1898. General Kitchener led a mixed force of British and Egyptian troops armed with rapid-firing rifles and machine guns. Significance: This was considered a massacre of the Sudan army and made the European people take a second look at how evil imperialism was becoming. -
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The Boer War
Where: What Happened: The Boers fought England in order to regain the independence they had given up to obtain British help against the Zulus. Where the British defeated the Boers and annexed the two republics (Orange Free State and Transvall) Significance: Major turning point in British history, due to world reaction over the anti-insurgency tactics the British army used in the region. led to a change in approach to foreign policy from Britain who now set about looking for more allies. -
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Boxer Rebellion
Where: China What Happened: uprising of Chinese nationalists to drive out all foreigners and restore China to isolation; Failed Significance: This was Chin'a rebellion against the imperialism that was occuring in Europe that left China under British control. -
"Open Door Policy" in China
Where: China What Happened: an American solution to the maneuvering among all countries to secure China. It basically said the best way to avoid a conflict over China was to keep it an open market for all Significance: drafted in part by the United States Secretary of State John Hay between 1899 and 1900, was that it proposed an open and free market for all interested nations with regard to trade with China. -
Formation of the Labour Party
Where: Great Britain What Happened: ts formation was the result of many years of hard effort by working people, trade unionists and socialists, united by the goal of changing the British Parliament to represent the interests of everybody. Ignored by the Tories and disillusioned with the Liberals, a coalition of different interests came together to push for change Significance: This party is still in act today, and still represents what it stood for. -
Queen Victoria Dies
Where: What Happened:After experiencing seizures and losing consciousness, Queen victoria passed away. Significance: On the evening of February 4, 1901, Queen Victoria's coffin was taken by gun carriage to Frogmore Mausoleum, which she had built for her beloved Albert upon his death.Above the mausoleum's doors, Queen Victoria had inscribed, "Vale desideratissime. Farewell most beloved. Here at length I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again." -
Pankhursts establish Women's Social and Political Union
Where: Great Britain What Happened: The union enrolled middle and upper class women and used media and publicity stunts to call attention to their demands for women equality. Significance: This union helped women gain more rights and privileges before, during and after WWI. This idea also spread to the rest of Europe and to America. -
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Russo-Japanese War
Where: Russia, Japan, Korea, and China What Happened: imperialistic conflict that grew out of the rival designs of Russia and Japan. Russian failure to withdraw from Manchuria and Russia went into N Korea were countered by Japanese attempts to negotiate a division of the area into spheres of influence. Significance: Japan gained the position of a world power, becoming the first non-European and non-American imperialist modern state. -
Bloody Sunday
Where:Russia What Happened: in St Petersburg, Russia, where unarmed demonstrators led by Father Georgy Gapon were fired upon by soldiers of the Imperial Guard as they marched towards the Winter Palace to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Significance: This lead to the October Manifesto where the people actually supported the revolution and was against the Tsar. -
Revolution of 1905
Where: Russia What Happened: a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies. Significance: considered an important event for those such as Lenin and other revolutionaries. The people of Russia got a parliament out of it (the Duma) and more limits on the powers of the Tsar. -
October Manifesto
Where: Russia What Happened: The result of a great general strike in October 1905, it granted full civil rights and promised a popularly elected duma (parliament) with real legislative power Significance: Showed clearly the inability of the tsar to react to all the different forms of protest against the government and the existing political system in the appropriate way. the absolute monarchy was forced to make mayor political concessions to restore the peace in the country, -
Triple Entente formed
Where: Europe What Happened: he alliance linking the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente on 31 August 1907. Significance: This alliance was the winners of WWI, and was in charge of the peace settlements in the end of WWI, which left Germany angry leading to the next world war. -
Social Welfare Legislation
Where: Germany What Happened: Bismarck’s Germany pioneered social welfare legislation in the 1880s (sickness and
accident insurance, old-age pensions) as a way of weakening the Social Democratic Party.
Despite Bismarck’s efforts, the Social Democratic Party retained the support of Germany’s
workers and was the largest political party in the Reichstag by 1914. Significance: This was one of the first social welfare programs in Europe. It fail to remove the SPD in Germany. -
Union of South Africa
Where: South Africa What Happened: the unification of four previously separate British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal Colony, Transvaal Colony and Orange River Colony. Following World War I, the Union of South Africa was granted the administration of the German South-West Africa colony as a League of Nations mandate and it became treated in most respects as if it were another province of the Union. Significance: A government similar to the one setted up in Great Britain was set up in S. Africa -
National Insurance Act of 1911 enacted
Where: Great Britain What Happened: was a law passed by the British Parliament which provided unemployment benefits and health care for most workers, paid for by taxation. One of the foundations of modern social welfare in the United Kingdom and forms part of the wider social welfare reforms of the Liberal Government of 1906-1914 Significance: The start of Social Welfare, which later went on to influence types of welfare in other countries that would help out everyday living expenses -
Balkan League Formed
Where: The Balkans What Happened: This was an alliance between Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece (Russia not included) defeated the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War Significance: This was the cause of the Second Blakan War. By the end of the tension was high among the major powers and left Serbia wanting more. (WWI) -
Universal Male Suffrage in Italy acheived.
Where: Italy What Happened: One of the three steps that help unify Italy as one country. Centralized Democratic Republic- universal male suffrage(pushed by Mazzini) Significance: This process was used to help drive the Italian people to unify Italy as one and this would help form a better government for the people of Italy. -
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Where: Serbia What Happened: Believed to have been killed by the group "Black Hands" and was considered the last straw with Austria, in which was the start of WWI when Austria declared war on Serbia. Significance: Russia then declared war on Austria. Which then Germany vs Russia. Then Russia and France vs Germany and Austria. Then therest of the world was like "Hey! Why not join?" Thus causing an actual World War. -
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World War I
Where: Europe/ Worldwide What Happened: Austria declared was on Serbia after the Archduke was assassinated. The led to many other nations to join and make alliances and have europe's major power go against wach other. Significance: In the end germany was forced to reduce it's army and pay up for it's involvement in the war. -
USA stays neutral
Where: What Happened:U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces the U.S. will remain neutral Significance: This policy of neutralism help keep the US out of WWI for some time before they would declare war. -
Battle of Tannenberg
Where: Germany What Happened: German victories in the East were accomplished early in the war against Russia. At Battle of Tannenberg and at Masurian Lakes - big German victories. Captured 225,000 Russians. Significance: in the long run this was small consolation because the front in West became immobile as a result and led to the trench warfare that would be one of the tragic hallmarks of WW I. -
First Battle of the Marne
Where: France What Happened: German troops mobilized to get into pposition to put the Schieffen Plan in to action but the British troops caught up to them and pushed them back. Significance: The armies dug trenchs for protection, which was a continues use of trench warfare since the American Civil War. This also was the cause as for why WWI took longer than expected. -
Allied powers declare war on the Ottoman Empire
Where: Ottoman Empire What Happened: After the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany, the Allied powers all declared war on the empire. Significance: The defeat of Central powers left the Ottoman Empire to be split up in different countried and the empire to crumble. -
MS Lusitania is sunk
Where: European Sea What Happened: The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat, U-20 Significance: This led to the US entering the war because ther was about 100+ Americans on the ship as well. -
Trans-Siberian Railway Completed
Where: Russia What Happened: he longest single rail system in Russia, stretching from Moscow 5,778 miles (9,198 km) east to Vladivostok or (beyond Vladivostok) 5,867 miles (9,441 km) to the port station of Nakhodka Significance: had great importance in the economic, military, and imperial history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. -
Easter Rebellion in Ireland
Where: Ireland What Happened: Nationalistic uprising in Dublin, Ireland in 1916. The Brits suppressed it in less than a week, executed the leaders and immediately created a broad nationalistic movement. Significance: marker on the road to establishing an independent Irish republic.This was also the most significant uprising in Ireland to this day. -
Battle of Verdun
Where: France What Happened: The longest single battle of World War I, lasting 10 moths and with approximately 700,000 casualties. It began as a German attack on the French, and ultimately the French won. Significance: is considered the greatest and lengthiest in world history. Never before or since has there been such a lengthy battle, involving so many men, situated on such a tiny piece of land. Enormously bloody because of the use of trench warfare. -
Bolshevik Revolution
Where:Russia What Happened: After the Tsar abdicated the throne, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks both went for control of the government. The Bolsheviks were controlled by Lenin, who help lead them to victory though proper disciple. Significance: In the end, Communism took over and the government had power over the banks and industries. -
Where:What Happened:Significance:
Where: Russia What Happened: In Russia Nicholas listened to his wife and sent armiesagainst the people on strike. This displeased the people, leaving the gov't the do away with the Tsar. Then, a war b/w the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks broke out. With Lenin leading the Bolsheviks to victory in the Revolution and a change in gov't Significance: The changes Lenin made were in favor of the working class and gave back to them through policies after winning the gov't over the Mensheviks. -
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Civil War in Russia
Where: What Happened: War between the "White" armies and the Bolshevik "Red" armies in the summer of 1918; started when the White armies wanted to overthrow the Bolsheviks; Red armies were the victors Significance: Communism was in control of Russia society, and that would continue on in Russia for many years to today. -
Willson's Fourteen Points
Where: France What Happened: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points to peace. Significance: Stated the way the the US wanted to keep peace in Europe after WWI, but Britain or France really didnt care. -
Dadaism starts
Where: Switzerland What Happened: an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century Significance: Dada in Zurich, Switzerland, began in 1916, spreading to Berlin shortly thereafter, but the height of New York Dada was the year before, in 1915. -
Russian Czar Nicholas II and His Family are Killed
Where: Russia What Happened: After having to abdicated, the Tsar and family was on the run from the revolutionaries in Russia. And after the Bolsheviks revolution, they were captured and killed. Significance: After the Tsar and family were killed, Lenin become in power with the help of the government. -
Second Battle of the Marne
Where: France What Happened: The first battle that the US participated in overseas. They stopped Germany from taking France, turning point of WWI. Significance: Ludendorff's planned Flanders offensive was initially postponed, then entirely cancelled. No further large-scale attempt to win the war was undertaken. This was when Germany realized that they were losing and was leaning towards ending the war. -
Germany surrenders WWI
Where: Germany What happened: Germany realized that peace could only be made if the German government was to change. Friedrich Ebert announced the establishment of a republic Significance: This would leave Germany to bare the resonsibilities, reperations, and territorial lost. As well as this left German with a decline in population, and the "lost gerneration" of people who were accustomed to violence and war. -
November Revolution
Where: Germany What Happened:Similar to the Bolshevik revolution. Led by Rosa Luxemburg. The SPD was formed. The radicals failed to gain control of the government . And any attempts of communism trying to take over, armies were sent to stop them. Significance: This left Germany with a dissatisfaction in the people and then the peace efforts caused even more anger and tension in the German economy and society which led up to WWII -
Hitler and Nazi's come to power
Where: Germany What Happened: Hitler joined the Worker's Party what was an extreame nationalistic party. The Nazis and Hitler gain support among the working class and nationalistic circles. Significance: The support of the people help Hitler gain power -
French policy of Coercion
Where: France What Happened: Tough policy towards Germany = must pay full reparations. In 1921 the reparations that Germany owed was set at 132 billion marks. Germany agrees and starts to pay reparations in 1921. In 1922 Germany says it is broke and can’t pay the reparations. France sends troops to occupy the Ruhr Valley in Germany - operate and use Ruhr mines and factories Significance: Germans adopt policy of passive resistance . Germany begins printing money to pay debts = inflation -
League of Combat
Where: Italy What Happened: Mussolini wanted to create a new political movement called fascism after his group. Significance: This did not get Mussolini a lot of votes in the next election. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
Where: Germany What Happened: an anti-communist pact concluded between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan Significance: directed against the Comintern but was specifically directed against the Soviet Union. It was one of a series of agreements leading to the formation of the Axis Powers. Japan renounced the pact in 1939 but later acceded to the Tripartite Pact of 1940, which pledged Germany, Japan, and Italy to mutual assistance. -
League of Nations founded
Where: Switzerland What Happened: an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. Significance: called for collective security and the peaceful settlement of disputes by arbitration. It was decided that any country that resorted to war would be subjected to economic sanctions -
Irish Free State Proclaimed
Where: Ireland What Happened:Civil war broke out even before the declaration of the Irish Free State on December 6, 1922, and ended with the victory of the Irish Free State over the Irish Republican forces in 1923. Significance: ending a five-year Irish struggle for independence from Britain. Like other autonomous nations of the former British Empire, Ireland was to remain part of the British Commonwealth, symbolically subject to the king. -
BBC Founded
Where: Great Britain What Happened:The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.[9] Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee Significance: t is the world's oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees, with over 20,000 staff in total, of which 16,672 are in public sector broadcasting -
Mussolini and Fascist come to power
Where: Italy What happened:Mussolini and Fascist stormed Rome and seized power. This created the illusion that the Blackshirts had gained power. Significance: Mussolini was elected as prime minister and had controll over Italy and it Government. -
Acerbo Law
Where: Italy What Happened: electoral reform that would give 2/3 of the seats to the party with the most votes; it enabled Mussolini to create a dictatorship Significance: Gave fascists the upper hand the the next election with mussolini. -
Hitler Jailed After Failed Coup
Where: Germany What Happened:Ten years before Hitler came to power in Germany, he tried to take it by force. three men that governed Bavaria, to join him in a national revolution. The men of the tiumvirate disagreed. Hitler was arrested three days
later and after a short trial, he was sentenced to five years in prison. Significance: This is where Hitler wrote his book for how Germany should be runned. -
V.I. Lenin Dies
Where: Russia What Happened:Vladimir Lenin, the architect of the Bolshevik Revolution and the first leader of the Soviet Union, dies of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 54. Significance: Fellow revolutionary Joseph Stalin succeeded him as leader of the Soviet Union. -
Establishment of Fascist dictatorship
Where: Italy What Happened: Mussolini created the foundations of a new political movement that was to be named afer his League of Combat. At first it received little attention. Significance: The Fascist would soo gain enough votes and spots in the government that would allow Mussolini to take over Italy. -
Mein Kampf published
Where: Germany What Happened: became the basic book of nazi goals and ideology, with basic ideas on "racial purification" and territorial expansion that would define Nazis. Significance: Gave insight as to what Hitler was to become once he was able to gain power in Germany, and apply hi s policies to society. -
Locarno Pact
Where: Switzerland What Happened: series of agreements whereby Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy mutually guaranteed peace in western Europe. Significance: It gave well needed peace to Europe after WWI, and gave Germany semi perminant boundaries with France and Belgium -
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Stalinist Era
Where: Russia What Happened: Stalin emerging victorious by the late 1920s. Stalin's program called for a more gradual transformation of Soviet society than did Trotsky's and had as its primary objective the consolidation of communism in the USSR rather than Trotsky's ideal of immediate world revolution. Significance: Later Stalin adopted more radical measures. Nevertheless, the Soviet Union continued to guide the Communist parties abroad through the Third International -
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Modernist Movement
Where: Europe. What Happened: cultural movement embracing human empowerment and rejecting traditionalism as outdated. Rationality, industry, and technology were cornerstones of progress and human achievement. Significance:Showcased a new style of painting that showed progress away from the previous ages art of music, painting, and sculptors. But, naturalism would quick come and outshine it. -
The Great Depression
Where: Central Europe What Happened: Caused by a downturn in domestic econimoics and international financial crisis caused by the collapse of the U.S. stock market, Significance: Falling prices and demand induced by the crisis created an additional problem in the central European banking system, where the financial system had particularly close relationships with business. -
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Holocaust
Where: Germany What Happened: A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of primarily Jews, but also non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled. Significance: was the greatest act of hate and anti-semitism in the last thousand years or more. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party had millions of Jews, homosexuals, Catholics, and basically anyone else who disobeyed him killed. -
Enabling Act
Where: Germany What Happened:An act pushed through the Reichstag by the Nazis that gave Hitler absolute dictorial power for four years. Significance: Armed with this act, Nazis moved to smash or control all independent organizations with their deceitful stress of legality -
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Nazi State
Where: Germany What Happened: After Hitler was finally gain control and power over Germany and it's government. With this power Hitler was able force his views on the country easily. Significance: This led to Hitler's Ayran race plans which was part of his Final Solution plan that was part of the Holocaust. -
Hitler violates Treaty of Versailles
Where: Rhineland What Happened:Adolf Hitler withdrew Germany from the League of Nations and claimed he had done so because of the failure to reach agreement about disarmament.Hitler trebled the size of the German Army and completely ignored the restrictions on weapons that had been imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Significance: The French government was horrified to find German troops on their border but were unwilling to take action without the support of the British. -
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Where: Germany What Happened: British and German pact that allowed Germany to build a navy that would be 35% the size of the British navy and equal the amount of submarines. Britain created this pact in hopes of appeasing Hitler. Significance: fooled Britain and its government into believing Hitler wasn't interested in war. And it meant Britain wouldn't have to get involved in naval arms race with Germany,which was seen as too expensive during the Great Depression -
Nuremberg Laws
Where: Germany What Happened: anti-Jewish statutes enacted by Germany on September 15, 1935, marking a major step in clarifying racial policy and removing Jewish influences from Aryan society. Significance: This led to the Holocause where people who did not fit into the Ayran race was put into camps and killed. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
Where: Italy What Happened: This was a treaty signed between Fascist brothers Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. They assured an alliance with each other while agreeing to support each other against Allied powers. Significance: When Hitler told Mussolini that he would protect him if he helped protect him -
Hindenburg takes off.
Where: Germany What Happened: the captain of the Hindenburg ordered the zeppelin out of its shed at the airship station in Frankfurt, Germany. and the ground crew released the handling lines and gave the giant airship a push upward. Significance: while the Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, a flame appeared on the outer cover of the rear of the Hindenburg. Within 34 seconds, the entire airship was consumed by fire. -
Great Purge
Where: Russia What Happened: This was when Stalin persecuted all those in Russia who he perceived to be a threat, and deemed "enemies of the people". There were millions of deaths, in addition to imprisonment, censorship, and other forms of oppression. Significance: Stalin eliminates Russia’s greatest minds so they can’t retaliate in future -
Hitler Annexes Austria
Where: Austria What Happened: German troops march into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. Significance: the merger of both countries was based on the will of the majority of both people. It was against the Versailles paper. -
Non-Aggression Pact of 1939
Where: Germany What Happened: Agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union not to fight one another, which allowed Hitler to concentrate on a one front war once the war started Significance: The pact allowed Germany to take Poland without any interference from the USSR. And since Germany and the USSR were lined up together, Britain and France were prevented from helping Poland in any practical way. -
Germany invades Poland
Where: Poland What Happened: Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. World War II had begun. The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to use the “blitzkrieg” strategy. Significance: Britain and France declared war on Germany -
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World War II
Where: Europe What Happened: A global war that though related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming the Allies and the Axis. Significance: Most widespread war in history, and involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of "total war", the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort. -
Invasion of Poland
Where: Poland What Happened: marked the start of World War II. It was led by the Nazis, a small contingent of Slovaks, and the Soviet Union. Significance:Forced Britain and France to enter war -
Auschwitz Opens
Where: Germany What Happened: Built by the Nazis as both a concentration and death camp, Auschwitz was the largest of the Nazi's camps and the most streamlined mass killing center ever created. It was at Auschwitz that 1.1 million people were murdered, mostly Jews. Significance: Auschwitz has become a symbol of death, the Holocaust, and the destruction of European Jewry. -
Tripartite Treaty of 1940
Where: Germany What Happened: Signed between the Axis powers in 1940 where they pledged to help the others in the event of an attack by the US. Significance: simply defining Asia as the Japanese area and Europe as the European area, agreeing to unspecified cooperation, and agreeing mutual defence in the event of attack. -
Battle of Coral Sea
Where: New Guinea What Happened:a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia Significance: the first naval battle in human history where opposing ships never fired upon or attacked each other. The entire battle was fought by planes from carriers. -
Bombing of Cologne
Where: Germany What Happend:The German city of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II, including 31 times by the Royal Air Force. Air raid alarms went off in the winter/spring of 1940 as enemy bombers passed overhead. Significance: The most notable attack on Cologne was the first Allied 1,000 bomber raid on 30/31 May 1942.During the 1939 to 1945 period the Royal Air Force dropped 34,711 long tons of bombs on the city -
Battle of Midway
Where: Japan What Happened:U.S. naval victory over the Japanese fleet in June 1942, in which the Japanese lost four of their best aircraft carriers. Significance: Marked as the turning pointin WWII. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Where: Germany What Happened: The 1942 assault on the Russian city by German forces during WWII (1939-45). Seen as an opportunity by Germany to gain access to Soviet oil, the seige was ultimatley a major miscalculation. After months of expensive violent fighting, Significace: Germany was defeated, and 90,000 surviving soldiers were captured. The battle represented a turning point in the war on the Eastern front, as Russia continued to push West against Nazi forces on the ground. -
The Katyn Forest Massacre
Where: Germany What Happend: massacre was uncovered on April 13, 1943 by German forces in the Katyn Forest outside Smolensk, Russia. The mass graves discovered there contained the remains of 4,400 Polish military officers,
who had been killed by the NKVD (Soviet secret police) upon the orders of Soviet leader Josef Stalin in April/May 1940. Significance: Red Cross investigation placed the blame on the Soviet Union. In 1990, the Soviets finally claimed responsibility. -
Battle of Kursk
Where: Russia What Happened: Largest tank battle in history between Germany and Russia in July 5 1943. Represents clash between two industrial giants putting entire production capabilities behind war effort Significance: Left the defense considerable weakened. The taking of the bulge was necessary if the Germans were to hold the line due to the fact that if the battle of the bulge was won , it would considerable increase the strength of the current German line. -
Anne Frank and her family are discovered and arrested
Where: Germany What Happened: Acting on tip from a Dutch informer, the Nazi Gestapo captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse. The Franks had taken shelter there in 1942 out of fear of deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Significance: Frank's diary is an important book today for learning about the condtions of Jews during the Holocaust. -
Battle of the Bulge
Where: Germany What Happened: Germany's last effort of a counterattach through Belgium and the Argonne Forest. After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. In the winter of 1944, Germany staged a massive counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg
The Allies stopped the German advance and threw them back across the Rhine with heavy losses. And led to the end of WWII
Significancce: -
Yalta Conference
Where: What Happened:Post-war meeting of the big three in which they decided to divide Germany into occupation zones. Significance: Germany would pay heavy reparations to Russia, and Russia agreed to attack Japan after Germany. -
Stalin Gains Control
Where: Russia What Happened: In the years following Lenin's death in 1924, he rose to become the leader of the Soviet Union.talin was one of the Bolsheviks' chief operatives in the Caucasus and grew very close to Lenin. Stalin had anyone in his way dismissed from the government. Significance: Stalin led Russia into an age of nuclear weapons, space travel, and also a similar holocaust known as the great purge of Russia. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Where: Germany What Happened: Once Hitler and his wife were surrounded by Allied power military forces, rather than being captured and taken as prisoners, Hitler took poison and shot himself. Significance: This ended Hitler's Reign over Germany and its political system. -
Potsdam Conference
Where: Germany What Happened: The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union was held at Potsdam, outside Berlin in July 1945. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the future of Europe Significance: their failure to reach meaningful agreements soon led to the onset of the Cold War. -
Nuremberg War Crimes Trial
Where: Germany What Happened: a series of trials of accused Nazi war criminals, conducted by a U.S., French, and Soviet military tribunal based in Nuremberg, Germany, begins. Twenty-four former Nazi officials were tried, and when it was all over, one year later, half would be sentenced to death by hanging. Significance: This helped clean up the Nazi influences in Germany to keep the Holocaust from occuring again. -
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Where: USA What Happened: Winston Churchill gave this speech at Westminster College after receiving an honorary degree. He introduced Iron Curtain to describe the division between Western powers and the Soviet Union controlled areas. Significance: marks the start of the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
Where: Europe What Happened: President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology Significance: Truman’s Speech overturned the Monroe Doctrine and led directly to the Marshall Plan. It set a precedent for the principle of ‘collective security’ – building up a network of allies and friendly states to which the US gave military aid free of charge – and NATO. -
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The Cold War
Where: Russia and U.S.A What Happened: A continuing state of tension and hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union Significance: This led to teh arms race between the two countries, in which the first atomic bomb. -
Berlin Airlift
Where: Germany What Happened: The U.S.-sponsored airlift, from June 1948 to May 1949, which brought supplies to West Berlin; it was a response to Soviet troops cutting off all land traffic from the West into Berlin in an attempt to take control of the whole city. Significance: showed the Soviet Union that the western Allies would not abandon the citizens of West Berlin and were prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to maintain their independence. -
Marshall Plan
Where: Europe What Happened: A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe. Significance: aid that U.S. would give money to help rebuild countries after the war, as long as they would create a Capitalistic Government (Like the U.S. had). this would help countries become more like the U.S. -
Formation of NATO
Where: Belgium What Happened: North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries Significance: Gave each country the piece of mind they needed agianst the Communists -
Period: to
Korean War
Where: Korea What Happened: The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea. Significance: left the Korean peninsula divided. Initially, the division along the 38th parallel was meant to be temporary, but the 150-mile long demilitarized zone (DMZ) created remains an international border today. -
The Warsaw Pact was signed
Where: Russia What Happened: treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania Significance: Parted Europe in two different words - democratic west and communist east. The countries that were in the pact were still under pressure of soviets -
Body of Stalin Removed from Lenin's Tomb
Where: Russia What Happened: After Stalin's death and funeral was honore and was placed in an extravagant place. However, Stalin's body was taken and re burried under a trees next to other common War figures. Significance: this was an attempt to remove the power of Stalin from Russia by not glorifying his death. -
Treaty of Rome
Where: Italy What Happened: Created the European Economic Community (EEC), generally known as the Common Market; marked the beginning of European economic integration Significance: instituted the EURATOM tried to create the conditions for developing a strong nuclear industry. It was much less important than the treaty that brought into existence the EEC and, in fact, when people speak about the treaties of Rome refer, incorrectly, to the one which established the EEC. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
Where: Germany What Happened: a wall separating East and West Berlin built by East Germany in 1961 to keep citizens from escaping to the West Signficance: The caused the U.S to get involved and send food and supplies to people trapped on the poor side of the wall. -
Leonid Brezhnev takes over from Khrushchev as ruler in Russia
Where: Russia What Happened: The USSR Communist Party leader that replaced Khrushchev. He played a significant part in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 Significance: His doctrine justified the invasion of Czechoslovakia and was meant to transform communist governments to capitalist democracy (independence of communist parties were not allowed). -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Where: Germany What Happened: There had been signs that the Communist bloc was weakening, but the East German Communist leaders insisted that East Germany just needed a moderate change rather than a drastic revolution. Significance: Communism was no more in Eastern Europe, namely in Germany -
Germany Reunited
Where:Germany What Happened: Less than one year after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany come together on what is known as “Unity Day.” Significance: Although this action came more than a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, for many observers the reunification of Germany effectively marked the end of the Cold War. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
Where: Russia What Happened: The collapse of the Soviet Union started in the late 1980s and was complete when the country broke up into 15 independent states on December 25, 1991. This signaled the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Significance: the west as a victory for freedom, a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism. -
Official End of the Cold War
Where: Russia What Happened:The failure of the August Coup marked the end of the Soviet Union. Yeltsin entered into agreements with the leaders of other Soviet republics for the dissolution of the USSR, replacing it in December of 1991 with a “Commonwealth of Independent States.” Significance: Ended the tension between the US and Russia and the fear of a killer nuclear war.
