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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Serbia. The death of the Austria-Hungarian heir is extremly upseting. His death is the event that sparked WWI. -
World War I begins
On August 4 Germany invaded Belgium. This is the beginning of World War I. Russia defends serbias actions, this causes Germany to declar war on Russia and then France. Following this England declares war on Germany. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
British intelligence gives the Telegram a message from Germany. This Telegram proposed that maxi o side with Germany in the war between Germany and the US. This event only further pushed American public opinion to support entering the war. -
Czar Nicholas tries to step down
After his father, Czar Alexander III, died, Nicholas In became Czar of Russia. The people were unhappy with Czar Nicholas, so he tried to step down to allow his brother to take over for him. His brother refused to take the title of Czar. Russian aristocrats tried to form a temporary government. -
The U.S. Enters the war
The U.S. Entered the war because of the Germans continuing the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. A declaration of war against Germany is authorized by Congress. When the United States enters World War I they are supporting Britain and France. -
Armistice Day
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. An armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany on November 11, 1918. This agreement ended the fighting on the Western Front -
Vladimir Lenin dies
After Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, died, Joseph Stalin took over for him. Joseph Stalin would be the ruler for many years. The Revolution brought great changes to Russia. This revolution introduced communism into the world -
Hitler comes into power
Hitler was very good at speaking and made many promises that seemed appealing to the German people. Germanys economic desperation allows Hitler to push his way to the top. He was able to turn the economy around and when he did this he gained the love and support of the German people. -
World War II begins
WWII began when Nazi Germany attacked Poland. Britain and France responded to the invasion by declaring war on Germany on September 3. The United States joined the war a few years later after the Japanese bombing in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The United States main allies were Russia, Great Britain, and China. -
German Invasion of Western Europe
On April 1, 1940 Adolfo Hitler takes many of the neutral countries. Some of these countries include Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. Germany also campaigned against France, but they signed an armistice signaling the surrender of France. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attack Pearl Harbor. This attack on the American base destroyed U.S. aircraft and naval vessels. 2,355 U.S. servicemen and 68 civilians were killed in this Japanese attack. Japan attacked because the United States placed an embargo of crucial materials such as steel and aviation fuel because of Japan's efforts to take over more territory. -
The U.S. Enters WWII
Although the United States wasn't originally involved in World War II they would eventually became involved. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor the United States declared war on Japan and the axis powers. The Axis powers in WWII include Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
D-Day
D-Day is the day of the Normandy landings. This was initiating the Western Allied effort to liberate Mainland Europe from Nazi Germany. He code name for the Battle of Normandy was Operation Overload. The D-Day battle lasted around 24 day. At the end of the battle the Alloes had a firm foothold in Normandy. -
The Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This bomb was the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare. 75,000 people were killed instantly and more than 100,000 people were injured. The U.S dropped the bomb to bring a speedy end to the war. The USA later dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki. -
World War II Ends
The allied forces were victorious in the Second World War. After the United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria. A second atomic bomb is dropped but this time it was on Nagasaki. Japan formally surrenders and the Second World War has ended. V-E Day stands for Victory in Europe Day. -
The Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain is a term used to describe the boundary between the Warshaw Pact countries from the NATO counties. The "Iron Curtain" is a ideological division which reperesents the way Europe was viewed after World War II. The east of Curtain were all of the countries that were influenced by the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill introduced the phrase Iron Curtain to describe the division between the eastern and western powers. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the American program put in place to aid Europe to support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. It was also there to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. The goal of the Marshall Plan was to rebuild War devasted regions, reemove trade barriers, and make Europe prosperous once again. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam war is also known as the Second Indochina War. The Cold War was fighting between USA and the USSR over world resources. USA supported south Vietnam and the USSR supported north Vietnam. The United States was afraid that if Vietnam won the war the surrounding countries in South Asia would fall under communism as well. Americans left Vietnam in 1973 but continued to support. Southern Vietnamese military collapsed and Vietnam was united. -
The Cuban Missle Crisis
The Cuban Missle Crisis was the closedpst the world has ever come to a nuclear war. The United States was ready for a nuclear attack. The soviets in Cuba were prepared to launch a nuclear attack on the United States if it were to be invaded. War was averted thanks to a series of terms and agreements between the USA and Russia. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was used to separate east and West Berlin. West Berlin was completly surrounded by east Germany and east Berlin, so all supplies had to be airlifted in. Government officials opened it in November 1989. The demolition officially began on June 13, 1990. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was placed to prevent the massive emigration and defection that had marked East Germany during the post WWII period.
