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Started Japanese aggression against China & Indochina. The invasion was Japan's way of trying to solve their economic issues through expansion. What's important about this in regards to U.S. history is America's response, this leads to embargos, which Japan saw as a threat. Remember US couldn't do much, because we were isolationists.
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Britain and France used this to try and appease Germany (Hitler), they let him keep that land as long as he promised to not take any more land. He took more land 6 months later which stopped all European appeasement. This is important to American history is because this leads to the start of WW2 (which we were involved in even while being isolationists)
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Kristallnacht, is translated to night of broken glass. This is when Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. This was a small fraction of the horrors and disrespect the Jews faced. This is important to US history because it shows how cruel Hitler's The Final Solution was and how limited the Allied powers could truly respond.(started from November 9 to November 10, 1938)
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This is important to American history, because this shows although we were "isolationists" we still took it upon ourselves to help the allies and become involved in the war. The Neutrality Acts of 1939 were basically the lend lease act, cash and carry, and the destroyers for bases deal's "packaging" (what these acts fell under). They basically showed that America was supporting the allied powers without directly being in war.
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This officially started WW2, at the time only France, Britain and Germany were fighting in WW2. Germany used blitzkrieg warfare, this was devastating to Britain and France. This is important to America, because although we "wanted to be isolationists" we still helped out the allied powers by making policies like: the lend lease act, cash and carry, and destroyer for bases deal.
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This is important to American history, because this is what made America be known as the "arsenal of democracy." America was allowed to give anything that the allied powers needed without them paying for it this time or them having to come get it. We were basically in the war, we just didn't fight. FDR justified this by saying that we gave to those who we thought were "necessary in the interest of the defense of the United States".
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The Atlantic conference is where FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter. The Atlantic Charter is basically the plan they had for during and after the war, if we (the U.S.) got involved. This is important to American history, because it shows that we were getting ready to go to war, even before Pearl Harbor.
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The Exec Order 8022 was FDR's response to the racial tensions at the time it made sure racial discrimination was illegal for war time jobs. Black men were facing Jim Crow laws and it's humiliation for the first time. African American labor union leader, Philip Randolph even threatened a march on Washington for equal access for war time jobs. This is important, because it shows America's first steps into making real progress with African Americans and equality.
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This is important to American History, because this was the breaking point for the U.S. We officially were in WW2 once this happened, like full on declared war. Japan bombed us out of nowhere, 2400 Americans were killed, 1300 wounded, 19 US ships were sunk or damaged.
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This is important to American history because it shows how we "the land of the free," were also home of the ignorant on how we treated these people. The executive order sent away all Japanese and Japanese descent to sell their property and belongings and report to be deported. We basically had the same camps the Nazi's had, we just didn't burn them alive like Hitler. This happened less than 6 months after we declared war.
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The Battle of Midway lasted 3 days. The strategy for this was Island hopping, we fought this battle to stop Japanese advancement. We won at midway, hence the name, and this put Japan on defense. This was important to US history because after we saw the tenacity of these Japanese soldiers we knew we needed the USSR to agree to help participate in a Japan invasion(s).
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Lasted from November 8, 1942 to May 13, 1943, this was the allied powers operation. This was the invasion of North Africa, it was done so oil fields were protected and the mediterranean sea was free of German control. This was important to US history, because remember Japan didn't really have oil, if they got some in Africa or had it the entre war who knows what might have happened. Most importantly, when they freed North Africa, they were stopping the spread of communism.
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The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive, this lasted from December 16 1944 to January 25, 1945. This was the starting point for the end of the Nazi's. This is important to US history, because this is what lead us to Germany's defeat. As we got close to Berlin Hitler commited suicide and we crushed what was left of the Nazis.
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Korematsu v. United States was a case with an Japanese American, Fred Korematsu, who refused to leave to be deported for the interment camps with the other japanese and those of Japanese descent. He said the internment camp violated his Constitutional rights. The supreme court found the camps constitutional and he lost the case. This is important to US history, because it shows that we were truly afraid of the spread of communism (losing the war too.) and in turn we were ignorant.
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The Yalta Conference was where the big three met to discuss post war plans. The plans discussed were involved with Europe's post war plans. This is important to US history because it shows how Churchill, FDR, and Stalin were close when it came to war plans and it also shows that they were confident that they were going to win the war.
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FDR had atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) & Nagasaki (August 9, 1945). FDR figured bombs were better than fighting on land and air warfare, because this would have costed too many American lives. This is important to US history, because this forced Japan to surrender, the Allies won and the war was over.
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The Nuremberg Trials lasted from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946. The precedent set from this trial has not brought an end to genocide to the world. The precedent set was that individuals are responsible for their own actions for future trials on war crimes.This is important to US history because this established the precedent that individuals are responsible for their own actions.
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The Truman Doctrine pledged to contain communism in Europe. This was officially started to affect Europe when the US supplied military and financial aid to Greece and Turkey to resist the communist-backed rebel forces there This is important to American history because it showed that they still were trying to contain communism after the war.
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The Marshall Plan was basically financial aid for western Europe. Basically the US offered financial aid AKA the Marshall Plan to prevent the fall of European countries to communism by giving them money to promote economic rebuilding. This is important to US history because it shows the extent that the US is still going to make sure communism doesn't spread. We really were afraid of it.
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The US recognized Israel as a homeland for the Jews after the Holocaust, along with oil interests, we were very much involved in the Middle East. We even supported them defense wise with Arab. However, the USSR was had increased influence in Arab. This is important to US history, because this support only added to the tension with USSR.
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The Berlin Airlift lasted from June 24, 1948 to May 12, 1949. The berlin airlift was when the US supplied the people of Berlin with food, water and other supplies via air drops. This is important to US history, because without this we would've lost the first cold war confrontation.
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NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.This was made in response to Cold War fears. This established a military alliance aimed at the Soviet Union. This is important to US history because it shows how concerned we were about going to war, I mean it was less a decade after we finished WW2.
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On August 29, 1949 the Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb. In return this led the United States to accelerate the development of the hydrogen bomb. This is important to US history, because this began a nuclear arms race.
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Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, Truman believed this was the USSR's doing and pleaded with UN to do something. They unanimously came to a vote to demand a ceasefire and support ‘police action’ to defend South Korea. This is important to US history, because it shows the suspicions the US had with USSR.
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order. They're basically the world's police, they just step in and intervene in other countries business sometimes. It was established as an international peace organization, and stepped in with South Korea and took "police action." This is important to US history, because we played a big role in its creation and
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This was the start of the space race. This was between the USSR and the US. As a result the US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math. This is important to US history because this lead to having the first man to land on the moon.
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This was a result of when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. This counteracted the fear that consumerism had made Americans less competitive and less likely to win the arms race. This is important to US history because it promoted science and math skills, which lead to us winning the space race.
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The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 24 1979 to prop up friendly government. We supported the Afghan resistance movement in secret, because of a containment policy. This is important to US history, because it shows we not only still had tension with USSR, but supported resistance when it came to them as well.
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This is considered the end of the cold war. It ended primarily due to the strain of arms race and Afghan war on Soviet economy, and the movement for liberation in Eastern Europe. This is important to US History because we no longer had to be at war with the USSR, we won and no longer had to live in fear.