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The Great Depression (1920s)
At the end of 1920s, an economic crisis began in the United States and spread to the rest of the world. As American banks stopped making loans aboard and demanded repayment of foreign loans, many countries could not make their loan payments. -
The Computer Revolution (1940s)
The first electronic computers were built in the 1940s. The invention gave rise to Information Age. Computer technology spread into many different fields. For example, scientists used computer to conduct research and invented new technology. Businesses became worldwide, making global communications possible when connect computers with satellites. -
Nazis Defeated (1945)
By March 1945, the war in Europe was nearing its end. All over Europe, Axis armies began to surrender. The Allies crossed the Rhine into western German and Soviet troops closed in on Berlin. American and Russian soldiers met and shook hands at the Elbe River. -
Red Scare (1940s-1950s)
A Red Scare is the promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism or radical leftism. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, many Americans feared that communists inside the United States might try to undermine the U.S. government. Senator Joseph McCarthy therefore led a hunt for suspected American communists. -
Nuclear Weapons Threaten the World (1949)
At first, the United States was the only nuclear power. By 1949, however, the Soviet Union had also developed nuclear weapons. By 1953, both sides developed hydrogen bombs which are much more destructive than atomic bomb. Both superpowers knew that the other side world itself be destroyed if it launched its weapons. This made the world’s people lived in constant fear of nuclear doom. -
A Wall Divides Berlin (1961)
Berlin was a key focus of Cold War tensions. The city was split into democratic West Berlin and communist East Berlin. As a lot of low-paid East Germans who were unhappy with communism migrated to West Berlin, East German finally built a wall in 1961 to stop the flight. The wall showed that workers had to be forcibly kept from fleeing. -
Communism Declines Around the World (1980s)
The collapse of communism in the Soviet bloc affected communist countries all over the world. In 1980s, many communist countries suffered economic declined as their command economies stagnated. For Vietnam, they began to change economically, encouraging tourism and becoming a leading exporter. North Korea, on the other hand, rejected all reforms. -
The European Union Expands
In 1993, the European Economic Community became the European Union (EU), a group of European nations that work together to promote a freer flow of capital, labor, services and goods. Today, the expanded EU has the world’s largest economy and competes with economic superpowers like the United States. -
Russia Rebuilt (2000)
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia faced hard times. Economic and financial collapse brought great hardship to many Russians. Unemployment rate was high and there was a high inflation. However, in 2000, as Vladimir Putin was elected as president, Russia’s economy was rebuilt.
