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Mikhail S. Gorbachev
He helped bring the end of the Cold War. -
Japan’s invasion of China
Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China because they believed territotial control was an essential part of survival. -
Germany invades Poland
Began WWI. Great Britain and France promised to help Poland in case anyone invaded. When Germany invaded, these countries declared war on Germany. -
Battle of Britain
It was an air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the Inited Kingdom that lasted from July to October. -
Tripartite Pact
Pledged that the Axis powers woud “assist one another with all political, economic and military means” when any of them were attacked by “a Power at present not involved in the European War or in the Sino-Japanese Conflict”. -
Lend-Lease Act
Act under which the US provided military aid to “the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Meant "lightning war"; rapid attack through the use od armor and air power. Germans failed because they underestimated Soviet personnel reserves and industrial capacity. -
Wannsee Conference
Discussed the final solution of what to do with the Jews -
Germany takes Leningrad
Germans caught the Red Army off guard and captured the Russian heartland. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a surprise aerial attack on US territory which led to the US entering WWII. -
Battle of Midway
Ended the threat of the Japanese further invading the Pacific -
D-Day
Famous invasion in Normandy between the Allies and the Axis powers. Allied troops won and gained a foothold in Normandy. -
Yalta Conference
This was the conference between the three Aliied leaders which planned the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
The Americans first attacked Iwo Jima and barely were able to win and plant their flag. Later, they attacked Okinawa and again had a difficult time winning. -
Hitler;s Suicide
Hitler said goodbye to some people, went to his suite, and shot himself. His wife also committed suicide by drinking poision. -
VE Day
Marked the end of the war; "victory in Europe" day -
Potsdam Conference
This was an Allied conference of World War II held at Potsdam where they discussed peace settlements. -
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
US dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which killed/hurt tens of thousands of people which led to Japan surrendering. -
VJ Day
This is Victory Over Japan Day, the day that Japan surrendered which consequently ended WWII. -
Formation of the UN
The major Allied powers agreed to establish a new global organization which would help manage international affairs. This agreement was first articulated when the Atlantic Charter in August 1941 was signed. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine declared immediate aid, economic and political, to Greece and Turkey. -
Marshall Plan
US program designed to rehabilitate 17 European countries to create stable conditions -
NATO
North Atlantic Trade Organization; "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all; and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense" -
Mao Zedong & People’s Republic of China
Mao Zedong, who was the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China. -
Korean War
Conflict between North and South Korea; reached international proportions when North Korea (aided by the USSR) invaded South Korea (who were aided by the US). -
Stalin’s death; Khrushchev
Conditions improved after Stalin's death. Khrushchev had introduced reforms that other Communist party leaders did not agree with and lost power -
Vietnam War
North Vietnam wanted to unify the country under single communist rule while south Vietnam wanted to preserve the close alignment with the west. US was a principle ally -
Warsaw Pact
Treaty establishing a mutual-defense organization originally between Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was a series of Earth satellites launched by the Soviet Union which inaugurated the space age. -
Bay of Pigs
Failed invasion by 1500 Cuban exiles that was financed by the American government. -
Berlin Wall
Barrier between East Berlin and West Berlin, blocking East Germans' fleeing to West Berlin -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Closest the cold war came to turning into a nuclear conflict -
Soviet Union falls
Fell largely due to the radical reforms that Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented
