WWII and Cold War Timeline Project

  • Invasion of Poland

    Invasion of Poland
    Marked as the start of WW2, Nazi Germany invaded Poland with the hopes to capture and remove sovereignty from the country. In the end, Nazi Germany would split Poland with the Soviet Union.
  • Battle of Stalingrad

    Battle of Stalingrad
    In the Battle of Stalingrad, Nazi Germany would attempt to capture the Soviet city of Stalingrad. Being regarded as the largest and costliest urban battle in history, the Soviets would end up pushing back the German forces. This is recognized as the turning point in WW2, with the Allies starting to gain the upper hand.
  • D-Day Invasion

    D-Day Invasion
    D-Day was the name of the Allied invasion of Normandy, beginning the liberation of France. This also would lead to the Allied victory on the Eastern Front.
  • Postwar Occupation and Division of Germany

    Postwar Occupation and Division of Germany
    After the Axis defeat in WW2, the Allies fully occupied Germany. They split it into quarters, between Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and the United States.
  • Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima

    Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
    Months after Germany's surrender to the Allies, the United States -- feeling like they had no other options to stop Japan -- dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and a couple days later dropped one on Nagasaki, after which Japan surrendered.
  • Greek Civil War

    Greek Civil War
    The Greek Civil War started as a communist uprising in the Kingdom of Greece. With the support of the United States and United Kingdom, the Greek government succeeded in defeating communist forces.
  • Berlin Blockade and Airlift

    Berlin Blockade and Airlift
    The Soviet Union blocked access from Western Allies in an attempt to remove the new Deutsche Mark from West Berlin. The Allies would create the Berlin Airlift and fly supplies to the people of West Berlin. The Soviet Union would eventually remove the blockade a year later.
  • Enactment of Marshall Plan

    Enactment of Marshall Plan
    The Marshall Plan was an American initiative designed to provide foreign aid to Western Europe after WW2. The United States would end up enacting this plan, giving a total of 13.3 billion dollars in aid and economic recovery programs for Western Europe.
  • End of Chinese Communist Revolution

    End of Chinese Communist Revolution
    The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social and political revolution started by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). The CCP would win the revolution, becoming the ruling party of China. As a result, China became the largest socialist state by population in the world.
  • Korean War

    Korean War
    The Korean War was an armed conflict between North Korea and South Korea. This war is one of the many proxy wars fought between the US and USSR during the Cold War. North and South Korea would eventually call for a ceasefire, but since no peace treaty has ever been signed, technically the Korean War never ended.
  • Vietnam War

    Vietnam War
    The Vietnam War was fought between North and South Vietnam, with the involvement of the US and USSR as another proxy war in the Cold War. Eventually, the US would pull out of Vietnam, and the entire country would become a communist country.
  • End of Cuban Revolution

    End of Cuban Revolution
    The Cuban Revolution was an armed rebellion against Fulgencio Batista, who a couple years before the revolution would start a coup d'état and consolidate power. The rebellion would overthrow Batista, and Fidel Castro - the leader of the rebellion - would become the new leader of Cuba after the successful revolution.
  • Bay of Pigs Invasion

    Bay of Pigs Invasion
    The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an attempted invasion of Cuba by Cubans who opposed the rule of Fidel Castro. These Cubans were secretly financed by the United States, as they also wanted Castro out of power. The invasion failed, solidifying Fidel Castro as a national hero and continuing to divide the United States and Cuba.
  • Building Started for the Berlin Wall

    Building Started for the Berlin Wall
  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Soviet-Afghan War

    Soviet-Afghan War
  • Solidarity Movement in Poland

    Solidarity Movement in Poland
  • Tiananmen Square Massacre

    Tiananmen Square Massacre
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall

    Fall of the Berlin Wall
  • Fall of the Soviet Union

    Fall of the Soviet Union