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Japan's Invasion of China
Japan invaded China through Manchuria, using the excuse that they were fired on by the Chinese soldiers. The Rape of Nanjing comes from this event. -
Germany Invades Poland
Poland was invaded because of the territories granted to it after WWI and the invasion prompted declarations of war against Germany by Britain and France. -
Battle of Britain
Failed attempt by the German airforce to obtain air superiority against the Royal Air Force in England. -
Tripartite Pact
This signified the formation of the Axis Powers and the promise that if one country was attacked, the other countries would help out. -
Lend-Lease Act
It allowed the US to help with the war effort without actually fighting by sending supplies to its allies. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Hitler attempted to invade Russia by using the blitzkrieg technique; it seemed to work at first, but it failed. -
Germany takes Leningrad
The Germans lay seige to Leningrad, killing many people throug starvation and attcks, but the Germans retreated at the end. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Many Japanese planes attacked the American base, killing thousands and sinking many ships. this event caused the US to declare war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
It was a meeting to determine how to get rid of all the Jews in Europe, in a plan called the Final Solution. -
Battle of Midway
The turning point in the naval war for the US, who had lost to the Japanese before. -
D-Day
The first day of the Battle of Normandy, where the Allies planned to take western Europe. back from Germany -
Yalta Conference
The meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt toward the end of the war to dicuss Germany's fate. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
Two islands that were critical to the defense of Japan were invaded by the US. -
Hitler’s suicide
After being warned that the Russians were close, Hitler chose to commit suicide via cyanide pill and shooting himself. -
VE Day
This is the end of WWII and this day is the celebration of that end. -
Potsdam Conference
Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met to talk about terms for Germany at the end of WWII. They decided to demilitarize and disarm Germany, along with changing the society. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The first used atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, destroying 90% of the city. A couple of days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, causing Japan to surrender. -
VJ Day
The day when the Japanese surrendered and is called Victory Over Japan Day. -
Formation of the U.N.
It was formed to help with international affairs and its formation was lead by the Soviet Union, the US, and the UK. -
Truman Doctrine
This doctrine stated that political, military and economic help would be provided for any democratic nation under oppression; this help coming from the US -
Marshall Plan
A successful plan to generate money to aid the economy of Europe. -
NATO
Its goal is to protect the Allies' freedom and security politically and through the military. -
Mao Zedong & People’s Republic of China
After Mao became leader of China, he renamed China as the
People’s Republic of China and turned it into a communist state. -
Korean War
The war between communist North Korea and anti-communist South Korea. -
Stalin’s Death and Khrushchev
After Stalin died, there was a power struggle that led to the rise of Khrushchev. -
Vietnam War
The war between the communist North Vietnam with their allies, the Viet Cong, and South Vietnam with the US as an ally. -
Warsaw Pact
An greement between the Soviet Union and 7 other countries; the Soviet Union was put in charge of the armies of those countries -
Sputnik
A rocket that was successfully launched into orbit by the Soviet Union, and it started the space race. -
Bay of Pigs
A failed invasion by Cuban refugees attempting to overthrow the communist government in Cuba. -
Berlin Wall
A symbol of the Cold War that separated East and West Berlin to prevent the people from East Berlin from crossing to West Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After dicovering the missiles being built by the Soviet Union on Cuba, the US decided to blockade Cuba. -
Gorbachev
The last General Secretary and leader of the Soviet Union, who brought a lot of change through reforms and attempted to bring democracy to the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Union falls
The Soviet Union fell and separated into different countries due to internal resistance to its policies and instability.
