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Japan's Invasion of China
In 1931, Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria for the natural resources. During World War II, Japan once again launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937. Japanese troops took Beijing and then moved south. Shanghai and Nanjing had fallen by December of 1937. Despite this, Chinese resistance persisted throughout this war, often called the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Rape of Nanjing took place during this war. -
Germany Invades Poland
The German invasion of Poland marked the beginning of World War II. When Germany invaded Poland, the Polish army was defeated within weeks. The Germans broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a large-scale attack. (Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939.) Britain and France had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a battle in which Great Britain defended itself from disastrous air raids by the German Air Force from July to September in 1940. The victory of the Royal Air Force blocked the possibility of invasion of Great Britain by the German army and created conditions for Great Britain's survival and the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. -
Tripartite Pact
Also known as the Berlin Pact, this was an agreement between Italy (Ciano), Japan (Kurusu), and Germany (Hitler) that marked the formation of the Axis powers. The Pact stated that if any of the countries who signed were attacked, the other countries would provide assistance. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was an act proposed by President Roosevelt and passed by the United States Congress that stated that the United States would supply war materials, such as ammunition, tanks, and airplanes and other items such as food to countries fighting the aggressors. This act marked the turning point of World War II. Along with that, it was also the 1st step that the United States took that got it involved in the war. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
For the invasion of the Soviet Union, the German military had the largest invasion force in history. The governments of Hungary, Finland, and Romania declared war on the Soviet Union as well. This invasion caught Stalin off-guard, and by December, the Germans had taken Leningrad; however, the German Blitzkreig tactics did not work in Russia. Soviet counterattacks stopped German advances. -
Leningrad Blockade
In September of 1941, the Germans reached Leningrad. By November, Leningrad was completely cut off from the rest of the Soviet Union. Hitler's plan was to get Leningrad to surrender, and he was determined to starve the city’s residents (2.5 million) until they gave in. Despite the death of nearly one million people in Leningrad during the winter of 1941-1942, the residents did not surrender to the Nazis. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was an unpredicted aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii by the Japanese. This attack led to the entry of the United States into World War II and climaxed more than a decade of worsening relations between the two countries. As a result of this attack, there were more than 3,400 American causalities and approx. 100 Japanese casualties. -
Wannsee Conference
During the Wannsee Conference, 15 high-ranking officials from the Nazi Party and German government gathered in Wannsee to discuss how to implement the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." This "Final Solution" was the code name for the elimination of the European Jews. This was a turning point in Nazi policy toward the Jews. Earlier, all of the European Jews were to be deported to Madagascar. The new solution was to round up all of the Jews iand move them eastward with terrible conditions. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway began when Japan sent a large army force towards Midway Island, which was where a key American base was located. Since the United States had decoded the Japanese secret code, the Americans knew what Japan's plans were. Thus, they were ready for the attack. The American pilots then proceeded to destroy 332 Japanese planes, four aircraft carriers, and one Japanese support ship. This Allied victory was a turning point for the Allies in the Pacific War. -
D-Day
On D-Day, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to fight Nazi troops. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of the figures involved. By the end of the day, the Allies gained a foothold Europe; however, this came at a high cost. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded. D-Day allowed troops to begin the slow and difficult journey across Europe in order to defeat Hitler’s troops. -
Yalta Conference
During the Yalta Conference, the Allied leaders met in the Crimea, which is in Ukraine. The leaders planned the final defeat of Germany and how to divide Germany. They also discussed on what they should do with the countries of Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union wanted Poland to be communist. There was a secret agreement to let the Soviet Union have Manchuria after Japan was defeated. -
Iwo Jima & Okinawa
By February 1945, the United States had stopped Japanese advance in the Pacific; however, Iwo Jima and Okinawa were crucial to a complete invasion of Japan since they were a close to major military and political targets. Iwo Jima was attacked first, and it was not fully conquered until the end of March. Okinawa was more difficult to take over since it was beyond the range of American planes launched from the Philippines. Along with many casualties, Japan lost an island crucial to its defense. -
Hitler's Suicide
The end of World War II in Europe was brought about by many factors, one of them being the death of Hilter in 1945. Hitler commited suicide on April 30 and seven days later, Germany surrendered to the Allies. -
VE Day
VE Day, which is short for Victory in Europe Day, marks the day that Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the Allies. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was an Allied Conference of World War II that was held from July 17 - August 2 of 1945 in Potsdam. The topics discussed at this conferenced included defining Poland’s boundaries, determining occupation of Austria, defining the Soviet Union’s role in Eastern Europe, determining the reparations, and deciding on further prosecution of the war against Japan. In Germany, four occupational zones were set up. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
During World War II, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan that killed tens of thousands of civilians. Three days later, the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. These bombings were devastating for Japan and played a large role in Japan surrendering. -
V-J Day
On Victory Over Japan Day, it was announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies. This marked the end of World War II. -
Formation of the U.N.
Roosevelt and Churchill issued a declaration that was signed by representatives of 26 countries. It officially founded the United Nations, the purpose of which was to have an international peacekeeping organization. The United Nations was led by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. All of the countries involved decided to use all their resources to defeat the Axis Powers and agreed that one country would not form a separate peace treaty with any of the enemies. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman asked for $400 million to assist Greece and Turkey militarily and economically, and he established a doctrine that stated that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations that are under threat from authoritarian forces, specifically the Soviet Union. The Truman Doctrine brought about a significant change in U.S. foreign policy. -
Marshall Plan
Formally called the European Recovery Program, the Marshall Plan was a U.S.-sponsored program that was designed to aid the economies of 17 European countries for the purpose of creating stable conditions in which a democracy could thrive. The United States was afraid that European countries would embrace communism due to poverty and unemployment. The Marshall Plan ended up being successful. As a result of this program, the western European countries involved experienced economic growth. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance originally established by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its three main goals were to deter Soviet expansionism, forbid the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe, and encourage European political integration. -
Mao Zedong & People’s Republic of China
After naming himself head of state, the communist revolutionary Mao Zedong proclaimed China to be the People’s Republic of China. The was the climax of years of battle between communist forces and the nationalists, who had been supported by the American government. The United States did not extend formal diplomatic recognition of the communist state until 1979. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a conflict between South Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and North Korea. It began when soldiers from the North Korean Army went across the 38th parallel to the south. American troops entered the war on the side of South Korea. For American officials, it was a war against communism. The casualties kept on piling up. In July of 1953, the Korean War came to an end with North and South Korea still divided. -
Stalin's Death & Khrushchev
Joseph Stalin, who was the leader of the Soviet Union since 1924, died in Moscow in 1953. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev became the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 - 1954, and he was the premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1964. He had a policy of de-Stalinization. This policy had repercussions throughout the communist world. In terms of foreign policy, he desired “peaceful coexistence” with the capitalist West. -
Warsaw Pact
Formally called the Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, the Warsaw Pact was a treaty that established a mutual-defense organization. Its members originally included the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The treaty called for unification on military matters. It also stated that Soviet military units on the territories of the other countries that were participating would stay. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a conflict between the Viet Cong (communist North Vietnam and its southern allies) and South Vietnam with the United States. The war began after Ho Chi Minh and his communist party rose to power in North Vietnam. In 1973, President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces. In 1975, communist forces seized Saigon. This ended the Vietnam War, unifying the country as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the next year. More than 3 million people were killed in this war. -
Sputnik 1 & 2
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite, and it was launched into an elliptical orbit around the Earth by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957 with a dog aboard. These satellites allowed the Soviet Union to rush ahead of America in the Space Race and brought the Soviets into the spotlight. Sending commotion throughout the American public, these launches brought about the Space Age. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
When Fidel Castro overthrew General Fulgencio Batista, Castro took steps to reduce American influence on the island. For the next two years, the CIA tried to push Castro down from power. Finally, the CIA launched a full-scale invasion of Cuba. The invaders were 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled when Castro came to power. The invasion was not successful; the invaders were outnumbered by Castro’s troops. After less than 24 hours of fighting, the invaders surrendered. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that divided Berlin into West Berlin and East Berlin. Built by the German Democratic Republic, the official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany, but it was primarily to keep people in East Berlin. The Berlin Wall remained until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens could cross the border as they desired. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a direct, major confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that brought them close to war. It was regarding the presence of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba. These missiles could hit much of the eastern United States. President John F. Kennedy placed a blockade on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of missiles. He also warned that "offensive weapons and associated material" from the Soviets would be seized. -
Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. He become the president of the Soviet Union in 1990. He was elected to a five year term, but he resigned as president in December of 1991. During his presidency, he put forth much effort to decentralize his country's economy. This led to the downfall of communism and eventually, the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. For all of his hard work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Soviet Union Falls
A few days earlier, representatives from 11 Soviet republics had met in Alma-Ata. They announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union. Since the three Baltic republics had already declared their independence from the USSR, only Georgia remained. Largely due to radical reforms that President Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented during his years as the leader of the USSR, the Soviet Union had fallen. Gorbachev's resignation marked the end of the Soviet Union.
