-
600 BCE
Democracy develops in Athens, Greece
Democracy in Athens was a significant political innovation that emerged in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens during the early 5th century BCE -
27 BCE
The Roman Senate votes to give extraordinary (dictatorial) powers to Octavian who then adopts the name Augustus, essentially ending the Roman Republic - democracy vanishes for centuries
The granting of extraordinary powers to Octavian marked a significant turning point in Roman history, leading to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Octavian, also known as Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, one of Rome's most influential leaders -
John Locke writes Two Treatises of Government outlining some liberal political ideals
Two Treatises of Government is a significant work in political philosophy written by English philosopher John Locke. -
Montesquieu writes The Spirit of the Laws, explaining the need for three branches of government
The Spirit of the Laws is a major work of political philosophy written by the French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu -
Benjamin Franklin writes to James Parker
Benjamin Franklin writes about the federal organization of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois League) -
The Continental Congress (representing the Thirteen Colonies) adopts the Declaration of Independence, starting the process of creating the US republic
The Declaration of Independence is a historical document that proclaimed the formal separation of the Thirteen American colonies from Great Britain and laid the foundation for the creation of the United States of America as a sovereign nation -
The nation-state of Canada is created through the passage of the British North America Act, providing responsible government for the former colonies
The Declaration of Independence is a historical document that proclaimed the formal separation of the Thirteen American colonies from Great Britain and laid the foundation for the creation of the United States of America as a sovereign nation -
Canada holds the first federal election to have secret ballot
Prior to 1874, voting in Canadian federal elections was conducted through an open and public process, where voters publicly declared their choices -
First Nations peoples in Canada are granted suffrage
The journey towards granting suffrage to First Nations peoples in Canada was a gradual process that occurred over several decades and varied from province to province and territory to territory -
Lenin dies, opening the door for Stalin to take power in the USSR
(leading to a ruthless dictatorship)
Lenin's death marked a significant turning point in the leadership and direction of the Soviet Union -
The Persons’ Case determines that women are in fact persons and should have full rights
The Persons' Case was a landmark legal case in Canadian history that played a crucial role in affirming the rights and status of women as "persons" under the law, thereby allowing them to hold public office in Canada -
Hitler passes the Enabling Act, moving Germany from a democracy to a dictatorship
The Enabling Act, was a pivotal piece of legislation that marked a significant turning point in Germany's political landscape -
World War II ends, which also ends American-Soviet cooperation
The cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II was primarily based on their shared goal of defeating Nazi Germany. The two countries worked together as part of the Allied forces, but this cooperation was often strained due to ideological and geopolitical differences. -
Berlin blockade and consequent airlift increases tensions
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift were significant events during the early stages of the Cold War and increased tensions between the Western Allies (United States, United Kingdom, and France) and the Soviet Union -
Truman establishes the Marshall Plan to contain communist expansion (policy of containment)
The Marshall Plan, was a significant initiative launched by the United States to provide economic aid and assistance to war-ravaged Western European countries after World War II. It was named after U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who proposed the plan in a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947 -
Creation of NATO to deter any aggression from the Soviet bloc
NATO was created in the aftermath of World War II as a collective defense alliance between Western democracies to deter any potential aggression from the Soviet Union and its allies in the Eastern Bloc -
Korean War begins after the USSR fails to show up for a veto in the UN, starting the first proxy war
The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and South Korea, backed by the United States and other United Nations (UN) member states. -
Creation of the Warsaw Pact as a response to NATO through collective security
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance established by the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries as a response to the formation of NATO by the Western democracies. The founding members of the Warsaw Pact included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania -
Khrushchev calls for peaceful co-existence
Khrushchev's call for peaceful coexistence was a significant shift in Soviet foreign policy during the Cold War. -
The Hungarian Uprising demonstrates that the Warsaw Pact is not ideologically unified, but this liberation movement is crushed by Warsaw Pact forces
The Hungarian Uprising was a spontaneous and widespread popular revolt against the communist government of Hungary, which was backed by the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall is built to prevent further Western expansion in the region
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided the city of Berlin, Germany, into East and West Berlin during the Cold War. The decision to build the wall was made by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and its Soviet backers, as a response to the ongoing exodus of East Germans to West Germany through West Berlin -
Cuban Missile Crisis almost leads to a nuclear war between the superpowers due to brinkmanship
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It arose when the Soviet Union secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, a close ally of the Soviet Union, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, in response to the deployment of U.S. Jupiter nuclear missiles in Turkey and Italy, near the Soviet Union's borders -
The Prague Spring ends when the Soviet Union invades, followed by the Brezhnev Doctrine
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and reform in Czechoslovakia that began in January 1968 under the leadership of Alexander Dubček, who became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia -
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is signed
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is an international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It is one of the most important arms control agreements in the history of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation -
Helsinki Accords provide a degree of détente during the Cold War
The Helsinki Accords, also known as the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, were a series of agreements signed by 35 countries, including the United States, Canada, the Soviet Union, and most European nations. The negotiations took place in Helsinki, Finland, and culminated in the signing of the accords on August 1, 1975 -
Vietnam War ends, demonstrating the failure of containment and the Domino Theory
he Vietnam War was a protracted conflict that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was a significant and controversial military intervention by the United States in support of South Vietnam, which was fighting against communist forces in North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front, commonly known as the Viet Cong -
The Soweto Uprisings in South Africa protest the majority tyranny laws that prevented Black students from getting an education in their preferred language under the Apartheid rules; some students are killed by police
The Soweto Uprisings were a series of protests and demonstrations in South Africa that marked a significant turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan leads to an increase of hostilities
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a significant event during the Cold War and had profound implications for the region and the broader international community. The invasion was launched by the Soviet Union, with the primary objective of propping up the communist government in Afghanistan and consolidating Soviet influence in the region -
Solidarity trade union organizes the pro-democracy movement in Poland
Solidarity, known as "Solidarność" in Polish, was a trade union and a broad-based social movement in Poland that played a pivotal role in the pro-democracy movement during the 1980s -
The Reform Party of Canada is created
One of their key platforms is the Triple E Senate -
Berlin Wall is torn down, a year later Germany is reunified
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a historic event that marked the end of the division between East and West Berlin and symbolized the eventual reunification of Germany. The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that had separated East and West Berlin since its construction in 1961 -
START is signed to reduce the number of nuclear weapons being created as a form of deterrence
The START treaty was a bilateral arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union (later succeeded by Russia) aimed at reducing the number of strategic nuclear weapons deployed by both countries -
The Warsaw Pact is dissolved, with some members seeking to join NATO
The Warsaw Pact served as a counterbalance to NATO during the Cold War, with its primary purpose being to defend the interests of the communist bloc in Europe but was dissolved. -
The Soviet Union ceases to exist, effectively ending the Cold War
The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the formal end of one of the world's superpowers and had significant implications for global geopolitics, effectively bringing an end to the Cold War -
The referendum on the Charlottetown Accord, which would include special rights for First Nations and Francophone Canadians, fails to pass
The Charlottetown Accord was a set of proposed constitutional amendments in Canada aimed at addressing various issues, including the recognition of Indigenous rights and the status of the French language in the country -
George W. Bush wins his first term as president of the United States without winning a majority of the votes due to the US electoral college system
The 2000 presidential election was a highly contested and historically significant election that highlighted some flaws in the United States' electoral system, specifically the electoral college -
The Harper Government passes Bill C-16, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act, which brings in fixed date elections to Canada’s federal electoral system
Bill C-16 was a significant piece of legislation that introduced fixed date elections to Canada's federal electoral system -
President Mugabe of Zimbabwe blames the UK for the cholera outbreak in his country, thus making the UK a scapegoat for the problems being faced in his country.
The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe in 2008 was a severe public health crisis that had devastating consequences for the country