Cold War & World War ll Timeline

  • Period: to

    Japan Invades Manchuria

    This event started aggression against China & Indochina, their intention was to create a japanese sphere of economic domination, attempting to solve economic problems through expansion.
    Important: Japan’s invasion of Manchuria led to U.S. embargoes of oil & iron-Japanese viewed these as threatening
  • Munich Pact

    Hitler broke the Munich Pact when he invaded Czechoslovakia.
    Germany used blitzkrieg warfare to quickly destroy France.
    Important: led to France & Britain declaring war on Germany, also brought about the Neutrality Acts from FDR.
  • Kristallnacht

    Referred to as “The Night of Broken Glass”.
    Nazis torched & trashed Jewish homes, schools & businesses. They also killed about 100 Jews
    Important: Little action was taken to stop this & the Holocaust, resulting in the deaths of 6 million Jews & 5 million others.
  • Period: to

    Germany Invades Poland

    During the invasion Germany used a strategy known as blitzkrieg (overwhelmed the enemy). They then proceeded to invade France and launch devastating air raids on britain.
    Important: Germany’s invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 led to France and Britain declaring war on Germany.
  • Neutrality Acts of 1939

    Prevented the U.S from going into war & maintained Isolationism. Prohibited the sale of arms or lending of money to any country involved in military actions.
    FDR wanted to have the acts amended in response to German aggression
    Important: Helped the U.S remain isolated
  • Executive Order 8022

    African Americans served in segregated units & faced discrimination as they trained.
    Phillip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washington demanding equality in war-time jobs.
    Important: Prevented racial discrimination in the nation’s defense industry
  • Atlantic Charter & Atlantic Conference

    Showed Roosevelt's commitment to ending German & Japanese aggression
    Roosevelt also met with Joseph Stalin to sign another document
    Important: The alliance between the U.S & Great Britain strengthened after signing the Atlantic Charter
  • Lend-Lease Act

    Means the U.S can lend & sell supplies to the allies to protect our interests
    The U.S transitioned into wartime economy before our entry into the war.
    Important: U.S became the arsenal of democracy.
  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    “a date which will live in infamy “. A surprise attack by Japanese in response to US embargoes. 2400 Americans killed, 1300 wounded, 19 US ships sunk or damaged in the attack
    Important: led to US declaration of war on Japan, Germany then declared war on U.S.
  • Exec Order 9066

    Issued by FDR, this order forced Japanese residents and Americans of Japanese descent to sell their property & belongings and report for deportation to camps in the inland deserts.
    Important: authorized the internment of Americans of Japanese descent and resident aliens from Japan.
  • Period: to

    Battle of Midway

    The United States strategy of island hopping led to the battle of Midway & turned out to be a victory and one of the most important battles, it also put Japanese on the defensive.
    Important: Stopped the Japanese advance
  • Period: to

    Operation Torch

    Was an invasion of North Africa to protect oil interests.
    Was also to free the Mediterranean Sea from German control
    Important: American & British landings in Italy opened up new fronts
  • D-Day(Invasion Of Normandy)

    Provided the long-awaited western front
    Germany was engaged on 3 fronts & had to divert resources
    Important: More progress was made in the fight to Berlin.
  • Period: to

    Battle of the Bulge

    Last German offensive & the beginning of the end for the Nazis
    Hitler committed suicide as British, French & American armies neared
    Important: led to the post war division of Berlin & Germany, Cold War tensions began.
  • Korematsu v. United States

    Japanese American Fred Korematsu refused to leave his home under the executive order 9066, because it violated his constitutional rights. So he took his case to court but lost.
    Important: This case led to the supreme court making the japanese internment constitutional.
  • Period: to

    Yalta Conference

    Churchill, FDR, & Stalin met to plan strategy and later post war plans, they planned to defeat europe.
    Important: was the beginning of post war European Plans
  • Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

    President Truman decided to drop the bombs to prevent further fighting & the loss of more American lives
    Japanese surrendered unconditionally
    Important: U.S assisted in rebuilding & establishing a democracy & gained an ally
  • United Nations is created

    Organized with the help of US, intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation
    Important: It created and maintained international order
  • Period: to

    Nuremberg Trials

    People were put on trial for crimes they committed, a precedent was set that said individuals are responsible for their own actions, and went on for future war crimes.
    Important: Established the precedent ( individuals are responsible for their own actions )
  • Truman Doctrine

    Was first applied when the U.S supplied military & financial aid to Greece & Turkey.
    Important: A pledge to contain communism in Europe
  • Marshall Plan

    Offered financial aid to promote economic rebuilding
    Also known as the Economic Recovery plan & was proposed by George Marshall
    Important: Was to prevent the fall of European countries to commnunism
  • Israel is established

    The creation of the Jewish state of Israel shows the US support of self determination of the Jewish people
    Important: This demonstrated the impact of German war crimes on the conscience of the US & the world.
  • Period: to

    Berlin Airlift

    The U.S supplied the people of Berlin with food & water by air drops.
    Important:The U.S won the first Cold War confrontation with this
  • US establishes NATO

    North Atlantic Treaty Organization established by the US, was an alliance aimed at the soviet union, which later caused soviet union to organize Warsaw pact
    Important: established a military alliance aimed at the Soviet Union
  • Soviet Union tests Atomic Bomb

    The test of the atomic bomb led the United States to accelerate the development of the hydrogen bomb.
    Important: It began the nuclear arms race
  • Period: to

    Korean Conflict (War)

    Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, this invasion led Truman to think that it had been orchestrated by soviet union, leaving the United Nations to take action.
    Important: Conflict ended with peace negotiations ended with North Korean forces contained above the 38th parallel, a victory for containment,
  • Eisenhower Doctrine

    President Eisenhower intervened in the Suez Crisis
    Suez Crisis was when Isreali troops push into Egypt towards Suez Canal after Egypt had nationalized it.

    Important: extended containment to the Middle East
  • Soviet Union launched Sputnik

    U.S congress passed the National Defense Education Act as a result
    U.S eventually took the lead in the Space Race once they landed on the moon.
    Important: Began the Space Race
  • National Defense Education Act

    Passed as a result of the launch of Sputnik
    Promoted science & math skills & counteracted the fear that consumerism had mad Americans less competitive & less likely to win the Arms Race.
    Important: Helped us get on the moon.
  • Rise of the Berlin Wall

    The Berlin Wall divided Europe, it kept people of the eastern block from escaping to freedom in the west through Berlin.
    Important: It was a physical symbol of the cold war
  • Period: to

    Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

    Soviet invaded Afghanistan to prop up a friendly government, Afghanistan had support from the US because of containment

    Important: Soviets try to prop of govt/ US supports Afghan resistance movement
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall

    The wall that separated East & West Germany has now fallen and the cold war has ended
    Important: The end of the Cold War