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Gorbachev
He was born on Marc 2nd. He became the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March of 1985. There, he launched his dual program and introduced changes in relations. The program constructed by Gorbachev brought an end to WWII. Later, he received his very first Noble Peace Price. -
Japan's Invasion of China
Japan started invading China by entering through Manchuria. This act of Japan started the Sino-Japanese War. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany bombarded Poland using air crafts. Germany's goal was to regain the territory they lost and ultimatley, Hitler wanted to rule Poland. -
Battle of Britian
The Battle of Britain lasted 3 months and started when Germany decided to have a series of bombing raids (air conflict) against Great Britain. -
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact was signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan on September 27, 1940. The treaty stated that the countries would unite against any country who violates the sovereignty of the nations that signed. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was proposed in 1940 and later passed in 1941. During the second World War, the purpose of this Act was to provide US military aid to foreign nations. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Blitzkrieg means "lightening war." It was a military technique used during World War II by the Germans for speed and surprise. Germans advanced through the Soviet Union in June 1941 with this military tactic. -
Leningrad Blockade
Germans took over the Soviet city of Leningrad. Once the Germans invaded, conditions for this city were harsh. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes swarmed from the sky to attack the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese destroyed a lot of the American naval base. -
Wannsee Conference
The Nazi Party as well as the German goverment officials met at Wannsee to discuss the actions they would carry out towards the Jews. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway took place 6 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was one of the most conclusive battles of World War II where US defeated Japan. -
D-Day
The Allied troops landed in Normandy, France to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of France. -
Yalta Conference
This was the second war meeting between Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosvelt. At the meeting, the agreement reached was that they would demand Germany's surrender and they began to plan for the post-war world. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
It was known to the USMC as "Operation Detachment." American soldiers made their first land attack on Japan at the site of Iwo Jima or Okinawa. The Japanese soldiers were captured or killed. -
Hitler’s Suicide
Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945 by shooting himself in the head with his own pistol. -
VE Day
Great Britain and the US celebrate "Victory in Europe" Day for when the Germans laid down their arms. -
Potsdam Conference
Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Harry Truman met at Potsdam, Germany to negotiate the end terms of World War II. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
During World War II, Americans went to Japan and dropped two bombs--one at Hiroshima and the other at Nagasaki. The atomic bombs killed much of the Japanese population and caused a large destruction. -
VJ Day
On this day, Japan surrendered to the Allies. The "VJ" in VJ Day is an abbreviation for "Victory over Japan." -
Formation of the U.N.
The United Nations was established to promote international organization. It was to replace the League of Nations and prevents conflicts. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was establised by HarryTruman. It stated that the US would provide military, political, and economic help to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal forces. -
Marshall Plan
The Economic Recovery Act was renamed the Marshall Plan. It generated a resurgance of European industrialization and brought investment into Europe. -
NATO
The North American Treaty Organization was established by 13 nations. It provided collective self-defense agaisnt Soviet aggression. -
Mao Zedong & People’s Republic of China
Zedong claimed himself head of the People's Republic of China. Mao was a communist with forces that fought against the regime of Chiang Kai-Shek. -
Korean War
This war was between North and South Korea. North Korea was helped by the Soviet Union while South Korea was aided by the Americans. -
Stalin’s Death--Khrushchev
Stalin died on March 5, 1953 and 5 days later Nikita Khrushchev was named to the new office of Secretariat of the Communist Party. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was signed in Warsaw and as a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states that signed. -
Vietnam War
Another name for the Vietnam War is the second Indochina War. It was a result of the first Indochina War. The US and other nations joined to contest communist forces of Vietnam. -
Sputnik
The Sputnik was launched on Oct 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union during the Space Race against the US. -
Bay of Pigs
The invasion began when anti-Castro Cuabns landed in Southern Cuba wwith the aim to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack was a failure. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built to divide West and East Germany. The Berlin Wall as barbed wire at first and then later built into a wall. It served as an "iron curtain" diving Europe. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US and the Soviet Union ina nuclear armed conflict. The Soviet Union fired missiles on Cuba, a county very close to the US. Due to the attack, the US decided to build a naval blockade around Cuba. -
Soviet Union Falls
The Soviet flag was lowered on this day. It fell because of the large amount of reforms that rose in the leadership under Gorbachev.
