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Warships
in 1853, a small fleet of American warships commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry steamed into the bay at Edo -
Overthrown
1860s the ruling shogun was overthrown, and a 15-year-old emperor named Mutsuhito took the throne. -
Imperialist
In 1898, the U.S. and Spain fought a brief war. The direct cause was that the U.S. supported rebels on the Caribbean island of Cuba who wanted independence from Spain. -
The Great Depression
New York Stock Exchange crash and the failure of important European banks plunged the entire world into an economic depression. -
War
China and Japan went to war. -
China In Flames
1939, Germany and Russia attacked Poland. France and Britain declared war in return. World War II had begun -
Tripartite
Japan responded to America's actions by joining Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in the Tripartite (three-part) Pact. -
War Is Coming
In late 1941 Japanese army general Hideki Tojo became the nation's prime minister. -
Pearl Harbor Under Attack
The U.S. was now aware that Japan might strike somewhere in the Pacific, but a warning did not reach Pearl Harbor until nearly 8:00 a.m., Hawaii time.
