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Second Sino-Japanese War
This war was a conflict between China and Japan in which the Japanese attacked China in order to gain control of the state. As a result, China joined the Allied powers. Japanese troops ransacked Chinese cities such as Nanking. -
Germany Invades Poland
Hitler decided to invade Poland as part of his Hunger Plan, an effort to take over Polish agricultural land in order to feed the people of Germany. As a result of the Blitzkrieg invasion, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a German offensive attack on Great Britain during World War II. Germany sent in bomber aircrafts in hopes of destroying naval bases and radar stations while dealing massive amounts of damage, which would make it easier for them to invade. However, the Royal Air Force (British defeated the Luftwaffe (German) in an air battle and prevented the invasion of Great Britain. -
Tripartite Pact
The pact created an alliance between the Axis powers of Japan, Germany, and Italy, who opposed the Allied powers in WWII. -
Lend-Lease Act
President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a system in which the President was allowed to lend aid to countries who were beneficial to the US. Through this program, the US helped Britain, the USSR, and other countries for a total of $49,100,000,000. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
In June of 1941, Hitler declared Operation Barbarossa as an attack on the Soviet Union. German troops easily gained 500 miles, but the Soviets burned their cities and infrastructure as they retreated. -
Leningrad Blockade
The Leningrad Blockade was an effort by Hitler to starve the city into surrendering by completely surrounding it and stopping the incoming aid. The city lost 1 million people but never surrendered. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The Japanese fleet and air-force, under the command of Yamamoto Isoroku, launched an attak on the naval base at Oahu sland, Hawaii. A total of 360 planes rained bombs on the island, causing damage to the US naval ships and civilians alike. This event supported the US entry in the war -
Wannsee Conference
The conference was held in Wannsee, Germany on the matter on how to deal with the Jews (how to exterminate them properly). The meeting was attended by Nazi seniors in the army. -
Battle of Midway
This battle was fought by the US and Japanese naval and air forces. The US destroyed the Japanese naval fleet, showing their dominance and turning the war around in the Pacific Theatre. -
D-Day
D-Day is attributd to the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. This day began the reconquering of land under Nazi control which ultimately put the war in the Allies' favor. -
Yalta Conference
This conference was held in Yalta, Crimea in which leaders of US, USSR, and Uk decided on the defeat and punishments of Nazi Germany. They also discussed on what actions to take upon the newly liberated Eastern European states. -
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
The island of Iwo Jima proved to be a valuable military base for the US forces in the defeat of Japan. On Feb 19, US Marines led an attack on the island and had it mostly conquered by the 23rd. After that, US B-29 bombers were able to land on the island. Okinawa was a similar island that the US forces conquered as part of their island hopping technique. -
Hitler's Suicide
Adolf Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, most likely because he knew Germany was going to lose the war. -
Victory in Europe Day
VE Day was celebrated with the surrendering of the Nazi troops to the Allied powers. This day marked the end of WWII in the Eurpoean theatre. -
Potsdam Conference
The conference occured in Potsdam, Germany after the war was won by the Allied powers. Representatives from the US, UK, and USSR were present and discussed on the steps for reconstructing Germany as well as boundaries for Poland, Soviet influence in Europe, and the occupation of Austria. -
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to scare Japan into surrendering. the nuclear bombs, Fat Man and Little Boy, were dropped which led to the surrender of Japan and the end of WWII. -
VJ Day (Victory over Japan)
On Sep 2, Japan officially surrendered to the Allied forces at Tokyo Bay on the USS Missouri. -
United Nations Established
The United Nations was established as an international organizations with countries from around the world in order to promote world peace. The organization was a successful endavor as opposed to the League of Nations. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman advocated to send monetary help to the governments of Greece and Turkey, who were in danger of being absorbed by the Communist USSR. In response to the doctrine, the US Congress allocated $400 million. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an effort in which the United States donated $17 billion in order to help Europe rebuild from the damages caused due to the war. Most of the money went to Great Britain, France, and West Germany. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an alliance for defense and military aid in case of attack. Most of the members are from Europe plus US and Canada. -
Mao Zedong and the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong was a Communist leader who became the chairperson of the Chinese Communist Party and became the chairman of the People's Republic of China, a Communist regime that took charge of the government after expelling the Nationalists. -
Korean War
The conflict was between the divided countries of North Korea and South Korea. The Communist north was aided by USSR and China while the south was aided by the United Nations and the US. Fighting ended in an armstice. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was created by the Communist East Germany in order to prevent emigration that hurt the region. The wall was eventually demolished starting on 13 June 1990. -
Stalin’s death; Khrushchev
Stalin died on 16 October 1952. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev who indroduced de-Stalinization. He backed the space program an led USSR through part of the Cold War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a millitary alliance between eight Communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The alliance had a western and an eastern block. This alliance opposed NATO. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was fought betwwen the Communist North Vietnam and the anti-Communist south. USSR helped the north side while US backed the south. North Vietnam won and as a result the whole of the state became Communist. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was a Soviet project to create capsules to launch people and possible weapons into space. Sputnik 1 was launched on Oct 7 and marked the beginning of the space race, a competiion between the US and USSR to gain a military advantage over the other country via space. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs invasion was an opposition effor to the Cuban Government, In 1961, the US financed a revolt against Fidel Castro that was put into effect by approximately 1500 Cuban exiles. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a cold staredown between the US and the USSR over Soviet missiles deployed in Cuba. After 13 days, the Soviets finally removed the missiles from Cuba. -
Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev became the President of the USSR in 1990. He was associated with signing an agreement with President Regan to demilitarize nuclear weapons and causing the breakup of the USSR into multiple nations. For his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. -
Soviet Union Falls
Soviet Union dissolved into 15 states after the Cold War. Some of hese states formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
