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Czar Nicholas II Became the Leader of Russia.
Czar Nicholas II Became the Leader of Russia. -
Russian Marxists Split into Mensheviks & Bolsheviks
The Bolshevik-Menshevik Split -
Russo-Japanese War Began
During the subsequent Russo-Japanese War, Japan won a series of decisive victories over the Russians, who underestimated the military potential of its non-Western opponent. -
Bloody Sunday in Russia
Well on its way to losing a war against Japan in the Far East, czarist Russia is wracked with internal discontent that finally explodes into violence in St. Petersburg in what will become known as the Bloody Sunday Massacre. -
Albert Einstein Devleoped the Theory of Relativity
Albert Einstein Developed the Theory of Relativity. -
Sun Yixian Became President of China
Nearly four dozen delegates gathered in Nanjing, a city in east-central China. Representing seventeen Chinese provinces, they were supporters of the Wuhan Revolution against the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China. On December 25, Sun Yat-sen, the spearhead behind the revolution, returned to China after sixteen years of exile to join the meetings. Four days later, he was elected the provisional president of the Republic of China. -
Kuomintang was Created
After the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China, the Kuomintang was formally established. -
Trans-Siberian Railway Built
The Trans-Siberian Railway was built -
March Revolution in Russia
The First World War had cost Russia millions of lives. Those not actually fighting had to face serious food shortages. The winter of 1916-17 was very cold and fuel was in very short supply. Cold and lack of food create an environment that lead to trouble for those blamed for these problems. -
The Bolshevik Revolution
In 1917, two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting in motion political and social changes that would lead to the formation of the Soviet Union. -
Czar Nicholas II Abdicated
During the February Revolution, Czar Nicholas II, ruler of Russia since 1894, is forced to abdicate the throne by the Petrograd insurgents, and a provincial government is installed in his place. -
Russian Civil War Began
The Russian Civil War Began -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk brought about the end of the war between Russia and Germany in 1918. -
May Fourth Movement Began
When it became known in China in April 1919 that the negotiations over the Treaty of Versailles would not honor China's claims, it gave rise to a movement that might be considered even more revolutionary than the one that ended the Empire. -
Weimar Republic Established in Germany
The history of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) illuminates one of the most creative and crucial periods in the twentieth century and serves as a significant case study of the critical issues of our own time. -
The League of Nations was Created
The League of Nations was an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. -
Adolf Hitler Became the Leader of the Nazi Party.
Adolf Hitler Became the Leader of the Nazi Party. -
Washington Conference
Several significant conferences have been held in Washington D.C., United States -
Benito Mussolini Became the Leader of Italy
Benito Mussolini Became the Leader of Italy -
Russia became the USSR
On 28 December 1922, a conference of plenipotentiary delegations from the Russian SFSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR approved the Treaty of Creation of the USSR and the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR, forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. -
Vladimir Lenin became the leader of Russia
Vladimir Lenin was a Russian revolutionary leader and theorist, who presided over the first government of Soviet Russia and then that of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). -
Joseph Stalin became the Leader of the USSR
Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union’s sole leader from 1924 until his death in 1953. -
Dawes Plan Started
Germany’s annual reparation payments would be reduced -
Adolf Hitler Wrote Mein Kampf
The book, whose first volume was largely written during Adolph Hitler’s eight-month imprisonment for his leadership in the failed coup, is a rambling discourse on Hitler’s ideology and goals for the future German state. -
Jiang Became the leader of the Kuomintang
Jiang Became the leader of the Kuomintang -
Hirohito Became the Emperor of Japan
Hirohito was emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. -
Civil War in China Began
The civil war re-started soon after the war against the Japanese was over. Mao had carefully cultivated support in the areas he controlled, whereas, the Guomintang, lead by Chiang Kai-shek, had a different view on how China should be ruled. -
New Economic Policy Enforced in Russia
New Economic Policy Enforced in Russia -
Charles Lindbergh's Solo Flight Across the Atlantic
Lindbergh's hazardous lone journey started in the early morning of May 20, 1927, with little pre-flight notice. -
Five-Year Plan Began
a radical attempt to bring the Soviet Union into the industrial age -
Kellogg-Briand Pact Signed
Pact of Paris -
Great Depression Began
An immense tragedy that placed millions of Americans out of work -
Stock Market Crashed in the U.S.
Also Known As: The Great Wall Street Crash of 1929; Black Tuesday -
Japan Invaded Manchuria
Japan launched an attack on Manchuria. Within a few days Japanese armed forces had occupied several strategic points in South Manchuria. -
The Holocaust Began
The Holocaust Began. -
Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany -
The New Deal Started
The New Deal was a series of domestic programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1938. They involved laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became President of the U.S.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became President of the U.S. -
The Long March
The Long March saved Mao Zedong and the Communist Party from the attacks by the Guomingdang. -
U.S. Congress Passed the Neutrality Acts
Neutrality Act, law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Aug., 1935. It was designed to keep the United States out of a possible European war by banning shipment of war materiel to belligerents at the discretion of the President and by forbidding U.S. citizens from traveling on belligerent vessels except at their own risk. -
Italy invaded Ethiopia
Italy invades Ethiopia. -
Germany Reoccupied the Rhineland
On March 7, 1936, Hitler ordered German troops to re-enter the Rhineland, the area of Germany that borders France. -
Francisco Franco Led a Fascist Revolt in Spain
The Nationalists, now led by General Francisco Franco, and the Republican government fought for control of the country. -
Great Purge Began
The Great Purge was a campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin. It involved a large-scale purge of the Communist Party and government officials, repression of peasants and the Red Army leadership, and widespread police surveillance, suspicion of "saboteurs", imprisonment, and arbitrary executions. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
Germany and Italy had come to an informal agreement that in case of war, Italy would stand by Germany. -
Japan Invaded China
A clash occurred between Chinese and Japanese troops near Peiping in North China. -
Rape of Nanking
To break the spirit of Chinese resistance, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. Much of the city was burned, and Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians. In what became known as the "Rape of Nanking," the Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male "war prisoners," massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
Anschluss
Hitler announces an Anschluss with Austria -
Hitler Hosted Munich Conference
Hitler Hosted Munich Conference -
Adolf Hitler took the Sudetenland
Desperate to avoid war, and anxious to avoid an alliance with Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union, Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier agreed that Germany could have the Sudetenland. In return, Hitler promised not to make any further territorial demands in Europe. -
Kristallnacht Began
On November 9 to November 10, 1938, in an incident known as “Kristallnacht”, Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. -
Adolf Hitler Defied the Treaty of Versailles
Adolf Hitler Defied the Treaty of Versailles -
Nazi-Soviet Pact Signed
Representatives from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union met and signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which guaranteed that the two countries would not attack each other. -
Germany Invaded Poland (Blitzkrieg)
Germany Invaded Poland -
Manhattan Project Began
The Manhattan Project was a research and development project that produced the first atomic bombs during World War II. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. -
Sitzkrieg Began
A phony war -
Allies Evacuate Dunkirk
As part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe. -
Winston Churchill Became the Prime Minister of GB
Winston Churchill lead Great Britain for most of World War Two and Churchill’s ‘bulldog’ spirit seemed to summarize the mood of the British people even during the bad times, such as Dunkirk, and the inspirational victories, such as the Battle of Britain. -
Battle of Britain
Britain now stood alone against the power of Germany’s military forces, which had conquered most of Western Europe in less than two months -
Vichy Government Established in France
The newly formed French State maintained nominal sovereignty over the whole of French territory as defined by the Second Armistice at Compiègne. -
Tripartite Pact Signed
The Axis powers are formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan become allies with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies began a massive invasion of the Soviet Union named Operation Barbarossa -- some 4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack deployed from German-controlled Poland, Finland, and Romania. -
Hitler enacted the Final Solution
Historians have generally thought that the Final Solution unfolded like this. First, the Einsatzgruppen (special task forces) entered the Soviet Union behind the invading armed forces in late June 1941 and began shooting Jews where they were found. Roughly 500,000 Jews were killed in this way between July and December 1941. At that time, the sheer number of Jews to be killed and the effect on the police of shooting women and children caused other methods to be investigated, culminating in the es -
Atlantic Charter
The President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, representing His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, being met together, deem it right to make known certain common principles in the national policies of their respective countries on which they base their hopes for a better future for the world. -
Auschwitz Death Camp Opened
Auschwitz Death Camp Opened -
Chelmno Concentration Camp Opened
Chelmno Concentration Camp Opened -
Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. -
The U.S. Declared War on Japan
The U.S. Declared War on Japan -
Nisei were interned in Relocation Centers in the U.S.
Nisei were interned in Relocation Centers in the U.S. -
Bataan Death March
Tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard. -
Doolittle Raids Over Japan
The April 1942 air attack on Japan, launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet and led by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, was the most daring operation yet undertaken by the United States in the young Pacific War. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought in the waters southwest of the Solomon Islands and eastward from New Guinea, was the first of the Pacific War's six fights between opposing aircraft carrier forces. -
Battle of Midway
Fought over and near the tine U.S. Mid-Pacific base at Midway. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Battle of El Alamein, fought in the deserts of North Africa, is seen as one of the decisive victories of World War Two. The Battle of El Alamein was primarily fought between two of the outstanding commanders of World War Two, Montgomery, who succeeded the dismissed Auchinleck, and Rommel. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch, the Algeria-Morocco military campaign, began on November 8, 1942, and ended on November 11, 1942. -
Battle Of Guadalcanal
The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days -
Casablanca Conference
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the city of Casablanca, Morocco. -
Island Hopping Campaign
Island Hopping Campaign Starts -
Allies Landed in Sicily
The Allies begin their invasion of Axis-controlled Europe with landings on the island of Sicily, off mainland Italy. Encountering little resistance from the demoralized Sicilian troops, the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery came ashore on the southeast of the island, while the U.S. 7th Army under General George S. Patton landed on Sicily's south coast. Within three days, 150,000 Allied troops were ashore. -
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference (codenamed Eureka) was a strategy meeting held between Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill. -
Operation Overlord (D-Day)
the United States, Canada, Poland and France could liberate western Europe from German occupation -
Gen. Macarthur Returned to the Philippines (Leyte Gluf)
Gen. Macarthur Returned to the Philippines (Leyte Gluf) -
Kamikaze Pilots Appear in the Pacific
Kamikaze Pilots Appear in the Pacific -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe. -
Yalta Confrence
The Yalta Conference took place in a Russian resort town in the Crimea from February 4–11, 1945, during World War Two. At Yalta, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin made important decisions regarding the future progress of the war and the postwar world. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The capture of Iwo Jima was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa started in April 1945. The capture of Okinawa was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. -
Mussolini was Executed
On this day in 1945, "Il Duce," Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are shot by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they attempted to flee to Switzerland. -
Hitler Committed Suicide
Holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. -
Germany Surrendered
The German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France. -
V-E Day
V-E Day celebrated. -
Potsdam Conference
The Big Three—Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S. President Harry Truman—met in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to negotiate terms for the end of World War II. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. -
V-J Day
A name chosen for the day on which Japan surrendered, in effect ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
A second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan's unconditional surrender. -
Japan Surrendered
Japan Surrendered. -
Nuremberg Trials
After the war, some of those responsible for crimes committed during the Holocaust were brought to trial. Nuremberg, Germany, was chosen as a site for trials.
