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World War 1
A war started by a web of alliances and arms races. This was the first modern war, and the belligerents felt the effects of it; a total of 40 million people were killed. The war resulted in an angry Germany and sadly set the stage for WWII. -
Russian Revolution
This was a communist revolution against Tsar Nicholas II. The Bolsheviks gained control of the government after the economy collapsed from the pressure of WWI. -
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Great Depression
This was a worldwide economic depression that led to fascism in Germany and Italy. It left people in many countries in poverty but was relieved by the policies of thew New Deal and the wartime production of World War 2. -
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World War 2
This was started because of ultranationalism in Germany, Japan, and Italy. After 6 years of brutal warfare and 2 atomic bombs, around 85 million people lay dead. This war set the stage for globalization, the Cold War, and the world we know today. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The bloodiest battle in history, the Battle of Stanlingrad claimed the lives of nearly 2 million Russian soldiers, German soldiers, and Russian civilians. The German defeat here marked a turning point in WWII, and they were forced onto the losing side. -
D-Day
The invasion of Normandy by the Allies to retake France and open up a Western front against the Nazis. It was conducted by Britain, the US, and Canada, and resulted in 450,000 deaths. -
Founding of United Nations
After World War II, the leaders of the world decided that a new union of the world should be implemented. The result of this was the United Nations, an organization with nearly every country on Earth as a member. The UN represents a peaceful solution to disputes between nations. -
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Cold War
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years. Proxy wars were fought in countries like Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This was the first and only use of nuclear weapons in a war. -
Creation of Israel
In 1947, the UN created a nation for the Jews of the world called Israel (every Arab nation voted No). This resulted in immediate conflicts between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The Israeli War for independence, the Six Day War, and two Intifadas would follow. Israel is still not recognized as a country by its neighbors, and still fights other groups. -
Partitioning of India
This was the division of India into 2 separate Hindu and Muslim states and was an idea condemned by men such as Gandhi and Nehru who said it would only lead to more trouble, but it happened anyway with the creation of Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India. This was important because of the way it impacted people because 10 million refugees either moved to India or Pakistan and at least 1 million died in migration, also it the conflict with India and Pakistan did not really end after this. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
After multiple revolutions and civil wars, Mao Zedong's communist forces managed to push Sun Yat-seng's nationalist forces to Taiwan. The People's Republic of China was established as a communist state and Mao pushed for modernization with the Great Leap Forward and the later Cultural Revolution, both of which failed miserably. -
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Green Revolution
A worldwide boom in agricultural production. This was an effect of the improved use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties. -
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Korean War
This conflict began with North Korea's (communist) invasion of South Korea and came to involve the United Nations (mostly led by the US) allying with South Korea and People's Republic of China allying with North Korea. Important because although it ended in a stalemate the division of Korea. -
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African Decolonization
European countries pulled out of Africa and gave their nations independence rather quickly, leaving power vacuums and instability in their wake. Some African countries ended up doing fine and had their differences settled quickly. Others would have instability and civil wars, and a few are still very unstable to this day. -
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Great Leap Forward in China
A rapid industrialization in China spurred by Mao Zedong's policies. He revoked private ownership which had a detrimental effect on agricultural production. China was starving and having a social crisis. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A US spy plane captured photos of Russian nuclear warheads in Cuba. This plane was captured by Cubans and the Soviet Union was made aware, raising the US defense level to DEFCON 2. A full scale invasion of Cuba was planned, but the situation deescalated when President Kennedy personally called Nikita Khrushchev. -
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Vietnam War
US troops were sent to Vietnam to support anti-communist South Vietnamese forces. China and the USSR supported communist North Vietnamese forces instead. The US eventually lost despite superior technology, and it was a crushing blow to its reputation on the world stage. -
Collapse of Soviet Union
The inflation of the Soviet economy led to many Baltic states wanting independence and fighting for it. Bipartisan Soviet leaders could not decide what to do in the situation, and Boris Yeltsin eventually came on top and disbanded the communist party, ending the USSR. -
Abolition of Apartheid
Apartheid was a segregation system in South Africa implemented by Dutch colonists. After years of opposition building up in the Western world, Apartheid was finally abolished in South Africa thanks to the help of activists such as Nelson Mandela.