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Industrial Revolution
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First successful steam engine is built
James Watt improved upon the previous steam engine which was to slow to be successful. By the 1800’s there were hundreds of Watt’s engine throughout Britain. The popularity of the steam engine began when they were put to use in textile factories. -
Russo-Japanese War
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Mexico declares its independence
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Michael Faraday’s dynamo
For years, people were curious about electricity, but had no way to put electricity to use. That is, until Michael Faraday invented the dynamo. When Faraday found the connection between magnetism and electricity, the discovery would lead to the dynamo, an invention that used magnets and copper wire to power an electric motor. -
Taiping rebellion
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Sepoy Mutiny in India
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Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital”
When new economic models began to emerge, a more radical version of socialism appeared, and would later be known as Communism. One of the founders, Karl Marx, would write a book called “Das Kapital.” In this book, he would state his arguments against capitalism. -
The Meiji Restoration
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Franco-Prussian War
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Spanish-American War begins
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Boxer Rebellion
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Franz Ferdinand is killed
Ferdinand was the archduke of Austria-Hungary and decided to visit Serbia while tensions were high. While they were in his car, a man shot both Franz Ferdinand and his wife. After Austria-Hungary learned that the assassin was a Serb, they used it as an excuse to attack. -
Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution in Russia
In mid-1917, the Russian army was beginning to fall apart. Vladimir Lenin saw this as the perfect time to lead the Bolshevik revolution. After a struggle that resulted in almost no deaths, the government of Russia was in Bolshevik control. -
U.S. joins WWI
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Treaty of Versailles is signed
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Mussolini’s Fascist Party in Italy
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Russia becomes the USSR
By 1922 the Russian economy was beginning to improve thanks to the “New Economic Policy.” Russia also began to reunite with some parts of the Russian empire that had been lost. This new country was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the USSR. -
Stalin’s rule in the USSR begins
After Vladimir Lenin died in 1924; Joseph Stalin became the new Soviet leader. He recognized Marx’s idea that the state would go away and focused on making the USSR into a totalitarian state. He also started a “Five-year plan” to strengthen the Soviet Unions economy. -
Black Tuesday Stock Market crash
On October 29, 1929 over 16 million shares were sold back. This follows a trend that had been happening, but this was the worst. With shares flooding the market, and little people buying the stock prices fell dramatically. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
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Germany attacks Poland –WWII begins
Hitler’s attack on Poland right before making an agreement with the USSR marked the beginning of World War II. Germany used a tactic called “blitzkrieg”, which in German means “lightning war.” On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, as they were allies to Poland. -
Japans attack on Pearl Harbor
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U.S. declares war on Japan
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D-Day
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Nuremberg trials are held
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials to get rid of any remnants of the Nazi Party. This was done by bringing in former Nazi leaders and charging them with crimes committed during the war. In total, more than 200 people were tried for war crimes. -
U.S. drops A-Bomb on Hiroshima
After taking Okinawa, the next step would be to take Japan in its entirety. However, it was calculated that it would be too costly to simply invade. When the Japanese government refused to surrender to the Allies the plans to use the atomic bomb on a Japanese city went into action. -
Apartheid in South Africa
The apartheid in South Africa was a policy put into place by the National Party. In the Afrikaans language it means “apartness.” The apartheid separated the people into racial groups: white, black, colored, and Asian. -
Mao Zedong’s People’s Republic of China
After the civil war in China Zedong wanted to build up a Communist government. Zedong also put a five-year-plan into action similar to the Soviets. The plan succeeded and doubled China’s small industry output. -
Korean War is fought
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Vietnam War is fought
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Fidel Castro’s Communism in Cuba
In 1959, Fidel Castro lead a revolution to overthrow the current Cuban government and installed his own Communist government. After this new government was established he forged ties with the USSR. In response, the US trained Cubans who fled from Castro and sent them in what is now call the “Bay of Pigs invasion.” -
Mikhail Gorbachev power in USSR
Gorbachev became the leader of the USSR in 1985, and saw the need for immediate change. He wanted to build better relations with the US and tried to reach an arms agreement with the United States. He also reduced the planning of the Soviet economy to help the economy. -
USSR collapses & Russia is back
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Persian Gulf War begins
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NAFTA is formed
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WTO is formed
