-
Opening of the Suez Canal 1867
The Suez Canal was opened in November of 1867 which meant that ships could sail from the Mediterranean straight into the Red Sea. This cut the trip between Europe and Asia by over 4,000 miles and meant that Britain and France raced to control Egypt and protect this new shortcut. -
Period: to
Dec 1880 – Mar 1881: First Boer War
At the end of 1880, Britain tried to rule the Boer republics in South Africa themselves. The Boers fought back and won several battles as they did not want to take part in British rule. In March 1881 Britain agreed to let the Boers govern themselves again, but the war showed how hard it was to run an overseas army with a vast empire -
May 20 1882 – Triple Alliance formed
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy agree mutual defense marking the first major alliance in Europe. -
Feb 1885: Treaty of Berlin
European powers met in 1885 to set rules for taking over Africa. They agreed you had to occupy land to claim it, and European powers like Britain and France made decisions of what areas they wanted to take. This was supposed to mediate what parts of Africa would go to what countries. -
Period: to
Oct 1899–May 1902: Second Boer War
Britain sent a larger army to South Africa to crush the Boer resistance. The Boers used guerrilla tactics and caused heavy British losses. Britain won but faced criticism over scorched-earth tactics and concentration camps, so it looked to new allies to protect its empire and public opinion. -
1894 – Franco-Russian Alliance
France and Russia team up between themselves due to the worry of German power. -
Period: to
Jul 1894 – Apr 1895 First Sino-Japanese War
After mounting pressure over influence in Korea, Japan and Qing China went to war in July 1894. Japan’s modernized army and navy won a series of quick victories which showed that Japan was the stronger nation, forcing China to make peace. The conflict signaled Japan’s arrival as a major military power in East Asia and exposed the Qing dynasty’s military weaknesses. -
Apr 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki
After beating China in the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan forced China to give up Korea and Taiwan. Japan also got access to warm water ports like Port Arthur. This treaty showed that Japan was now a modern military power in East Asia. -
Period: to
Dec 1895–Jan 1896: Jameson Raid
A British force under Leander Starr Jameson tried and failed to start an uprising against the government in South Africa. The raid was a disaster for Britain made the Boers more confident and annoyed Britain when the German Kaiser praised the Boers. -
Jan 1896: Kruger Telegram
Germany’s Kaiser sent a congratulatory message to the Boer president Paul Kruger after the failed raid. Britain saw this as Germany poking into its business in South Africa. The message made tensions between Britain and Germany worse. -
Sep 1898: Fashoda Incident
British and French forces met at Fashoda (Sudan) and both claimed it. They came close to war but worked it out by diplomacy. Britain got control of Egypt and Sudan, and France kept its hold on Morocco. -
Period: to
Apr 1898–Aug 1898: Spanish–American War
The United States went to war with Spain to help Cuba gain independence. American naval victories in Cuba forced Spain to give up Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. This was the U.S.’s first big move into overseas empire and marked the US as a rising powerful nation. -
Period: to
Oct 1899–May 1902: Second Boer War
Britain sent a larger army to South Africa to crush Boer resistance. The Boers used guerrilla tactics and caused heavy British losses. Britain won but faced criticism over scorched-earth tactics, so it looked to new allies to protect its empire and public opinion. -
Jan 1902: Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Britain and Japan signed an agreement promising neutrality if either was attacked by one power, and support if attacked by more. Britain recognized Japan’s interests in Korea; Japan agreed to defend British interests in China. This marked a big stepping stone for Japan being recognized as a major power. -
Period: to
Feb 1904–Sep 1905: Russo-Japanese War
Japan and Russia went to war over Korea and Manchuria. Japan’s modern army and navy won key battles which showed how strong Japan was and Russias weakness, furthering Japan's place as a world power. -
Period: to
Jan 1906–Apr 1906: Algeciras Conference
European powers met in Spain to settle disputes over Morocco after the German Kaiser's speech. They backed France’s control of Morocco but guaranteed free trade. This strengthened the Entente between Britain and France and left Germany more isolated. -
1907 – Triple Entente completed
Russia joins Britain and France, turning the Entente Cordiale into a full three power team that would face down the Triple Alliance in 1914. -
Oct 1911: Xinhai Revolution in China
Soldiers in Wuchang ( a province in China) revolted, sparking the end of over 2,000 years of imperial rule and the fall of the Qing dynasty, which caused the formation of new governments. -
Jan 1912: Last Emperor Abdicates
Three-year-old Pu Yi formally stepped down being seen as the last fit emperor, this caused Sun Yat-sen to set up the Republic of China in Nanking. -
Aug 1912: Kuomintang Founded (KMT)
Sun Yat-sen’s Revolutionary Alliance merged with other groups to form the Kuomintang (KMT), aiming to unite China under one republic. -
Jul 1914: Outbreak of the First World War
After Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed, alliances kicked in and Europe went to war. Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia; Russia, Germany, France, and Britain joined in, turning a Balkan crisis into a World War. -
Aug 1914: Opening of the Panama Canal
The Panama canal officially opened, linking the Atlantic and Pacific. During WWI it let Allied ships redeploy more quickly and sail between oceans. -
January 1917: Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman telegram was a message to the Mexican government from the Germany government, which urged them to attack the U.S if they were to enter the war from the side of the Allies. This was caught by the British government and shed light on Germany's plans. -
Apr 1917: United States Enters WWI
President Wilson led the U.S. into the war after Germany’s U boat attacks and the Zimmermann Telegram. American troops and supplies tipped the balance in favor of the Allies. -
Oct 1917 – Bolshevik Revolution in Russia
The Bolsheviks overthrew Russia’s Provisional Government, bringing Lenin to power and setting the Russia to be the world’s first communist state. -
Jan 1918: Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Wilson’s speech placed out ideas for diplomacy instead of war, free trade, self determination, and a League of Nations to guide the postwar settlement when the war ends. -
Mar 1918 – Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia quit WW I by signing with Germany and Austria-Hungary, ceding vast territories (Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic states) in return for peace. -
Nov 11, 1918 – Armistice: Central Powers Surrender
Germany and its allies agreed to an armistice , which ended active combat and forced the Central Powers to give up occupied territory. -
Jan 1919 – Opening of the Paris Peace Conference
Delegates from over 30 nations met at Versailles to negotiate terms for ending WW I and rebuild
post-war Europe. -
May 1919: May Fourth Movement
Chinese students in Beijing protested at Versailles giving Shandong to Japan. Protests spread nationwide, sparking modern Chinese nationalism and calls for reform which inspired a lot of key parties. -
Jun 28, 1919 Treaty of Versailles
The Big three ( Britain, France, and the U.S) imposed harsh terms on Germany: loss of territory, military limits, reparations, and the League of Nations covenant. Many Germans saw it as a cruel and it was a big cause for future war. -
Sept 1919 – Treaty of Saint-Germain
Austria’s 1919 peace treaty dismantled the Habsburg Empire, recognized new states (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia) and limited Austria’s army. -
Nov 1919 – Treaty of Neuilly
Bulgaria lost territory to Greece and Yugoslavia, paid reparations, and had its army sharply reduced. -
Aug 1920 – Treaty of Trianon
Hungary was forced to cede two-thirds of its land and population to its neighbours. -
Jul 1921: Chinese Communist Party Forms
A small group of intellectuals launched the CCP in Shanghai with help from the Soviet-led Comintern. -
Feb 1922 – Washington Naval Conference
World powers led by the US, Britain, Japan, France and Italy met in Washington to agree limits on battleships and cruisers. By setting tonnage ratios , they aimed to prevent another naval arms race. -
Apr 1922 – Treaty of Rapallo
Germany and Soviet Russia quietly renounced all territorial and financial claims against each other and opened the door to military and economic cooperation worrying France and Britain, which also helped stop Soviet isolation. -
Oct 1922 – March on Rome
Benito Mussolini’s Blackshirts marched into Rome and forced King Victor Emmanuel III to invite him to form a government, marking the birth of Fascist rule in Italy. -
Aug 1924 – Dawes Plan
An international committee, backed by US loans, restructured Germany’s reparations payments and stabilized their currency easing a major cause of European tension and economic pressure. -
May 30, 1925 – May Thirtieth Movement
In Shanghai, British police shot Chinese protesters. News of the killings sparked nationwide strikes and boycotts and accelerated the rise of Chinese nationalism. -
Oct 1925 – Locarno Treaties
Germany, France, Belgium, Britain and Italy guaranteed Germany’s western borders (with France and Belgium) and pledged to settle future disputes peacefully and diplomatically giving a brief hope that post war tensions would end. -
Jul 1926: Northern Expedition
Chiang Kai-shek led KMT forces north from Canton to defeat warlords and reunify China under one Nationalist rule. -
Sept 1926 – Germany Joins the League of Nations
Germany was admitted as a full member, a sign that the Allies were finally willing to treat its government as a partner in keeping the peace. -
Mar 1927: Shanghai Massacre (White Terror)
Chiang purged communists from the KMT, killing thousands and ending the first KMT–CCP alliance, which also ended some support from peasants and workers for the KMT. -
Aug 1928 – Kellogg–Briand Pact
Almost 60 nations (including Germany, France, the US, Japan) renounced war as national policy though without enforcement, and promised to engage in diplomacy. -
Oct 1928: Peking Falls to the KMT
Chiang’s Northern Expedition reached Peking (Beijing), giving his Nationalist government in Nanking a big control of China. -
Aug 1929 – Young Plan
Further reduced and stretched out Germany’s reparations, replacing the Dawes Plan with lower annual payments. -
Oct 1929: Wall Street Crash
On “Black Friday” (29 October) the U.S. stock market collapsed. American loans and exports dried up, plunging many countries into depression and mass unemployment across Europe and the US. -
Sep 1931: Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
Japan’s Kwantung Army seized Manchuria and set up the puppet state of Manchukuo, showing the League of Nations’ weakness over handling disputes. -
Nov 1931: Mao’s Jiangxi Soviet
Mao Zedong and Zhu De declared a communist “Soviet” government in Jiangxi Province, laying the base for future CCP survival from the KMT's persecution. -
Feb 1932: World Disarmament Conference Opens
Over sixty nations met in Geneva to try to limit arms. Talks stalled because of the Depression, Japan’s actions in Manchuria, and Hitler’s demands. Germany dropped out of the conference later on. -
Jan 1933: Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
On 30 January, Hitler joined Germany’s government. He quickly banned rival parties, turned Germany into a one-party state, and set expansionism as the official policy. -
Feb 1933: Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations
In protest at criticism over Manchuria, Japan quit the League, moving closer to fascist Germany and Italy. -
Oct 1933: Germany Leaves the League of Nations
Hitler pulled Germany out of the Disarmament Conference and the League, making clear he would ignore international rules and the League. -
Period: to
1934 – 35: The Long March
Surrounded by KMT forces, about 90,000 communists trekked nearly 6,000 miles to Yenan. Only 10,000–20,000 survived, but Mao’s leadership was secured. -
Jan 1935: Saar Plebiscite
On 13 January, voters in the Saar region chose to rejoin and be part if Germany. This legal revision of Versailles boosted Hitler’s domestic standing. -
Mar 1935: Conscription and the Luftwaffe
Hitler announced a draft army and a new air force on 16 March, breaking Versailles limits and showing the Allies wouldn’t stop him. -
Period: to
Jul 1937 – 45: Second Sino-Japanese War
After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China, drawing both KMT and CCP armies into conflict. -
Oct 1935: Italian Invasion of Abyssinia
Mussolini attacked Ethiopia to boost Italy’s standing and distract from economic troubles. League sanctions were weak, pushing Italy closer to Hitler. -
Mar 1936: Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
On 7 March, German troops marched into the demilitarised Rhineland. Britain and France protested but did nothing, and Hitler’s gamble paid off. -
Jul 1936: Spanish Civil War Begins
Franco’s generals rebelled, plunging Spain into civil war. Germany and Italy backed Franco; the USSR and foreign volunteers backed the republican side. -
Oct 1936: Rome–Berlin Axis
Hitler and Mussolini formalized their partnership, ending Italy’s ties with Britain and France and setting the stage for joint expansion and Friendliness. -
Nov 1936: Anti-Comintern Pact
Germany and Japan signed an anti-communist agreement later joined by Italy uniting the three main fascist powers together. -
March 1938 Anschluss
Germany and Austria united into one, where Germany basically absorbed Austria and met no opposition by Austria or Britain, although this was due to appeasement. -
Sep 1938: Munich Agreement
On 30 September, Britain and France let Hitler take the Sudetenland in hopes of peace, mostly backed by Britain. This act of appeasement failed to stop further aggression. -
Mar 1939: Occupation of Czechoslovakia
On the 15th of March Germany took the rest of Czech lands, shattering Munich promises and ending appeasement of Germany. -
May 1939 – Pact of Steel
Germany and Italy formalized their military alliance, pledging mutual support in any future conflict. -
Aug 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact
On 23 August, Hitler and Stalin agreed not to attack each other and secretly divided Eastern Europe (Poland) This cleared the way for Germany to invade Poland with support from the USSR. -
Sep 1939: Germany Invades Poland; War Begins
On the 1st of September, Germany attacked Poland. Two days later Britain and France declared war on Germany, officially starting World War II. -
Jan 1941 – New Fourth Army Incident
Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces ambushed and destroyed a Communist New Fourth Army unit in southern China, killing thousands and effectively ending real cooperation between the KMT and CCP. -
Nov 1941: Japan Cuts Ties with the USA
Diplomatic talks broke down amid U.S. oil embargoes, pushing Japan toward war. -
Dec 1941: Pearl Harbor and Global War
On 7 December, Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States and Britain into the Pacific War ending U.S. isolationism and making WWII truly global, as Japan had just attacked the most powerful nation in the World.