-
MaoZedong heads Long March
The Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, were forced to flee. WIth 100,000 men, they began a 6,000 mile long journey. The Long March lasted almost a year and the Communists were only a step ahead of Jiang's party. Many died from hunger, cold or battle wounds. Only about 7,000 men were left when they settled in caves in northwestern China. There they gained new followers. -
Germany invades Poland. France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
After signing a nonagression pact with Stalin, Hitlker moved ahead with his plans to conquer Poland. He launched a surpirise attack on September 1st. German tanks and troops went across the Polish border and German aircraft and artillery began to bomb Warsaw, Poland's capital. France and Great Britian declared war on Germany two days later. Hitler then annexed the western half of poland. The German's used their new strategy, the blitzkreig, which involve many forces to overwhelm them. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
In the early morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American sailors in Hawaii. The US knew, due to a coded message, that the Japanese would attack. Yamamoto called for this attack. He thought Hawaii was "a dagger pointed at (Japan's) throat." Within a short time, the Japanese had sunk and damaged many ships, more than 2,300 were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded. Roosevelet declared that this was "a date which will lve in infamy." Congress than declared war on Japan. -
Germany surrenders
After the Battle of the Bulge, the war was close to an end. Many Allied soilders were approaching Berlin from the southwest and more Soviet soilders from the east. Hitler and his new wife, Eva Braun, committed suicide. Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the German military. Roosevelt died before before Hitler's suicide. Harry Truman took over and recived the news of the Nazi surrender and on May 9th, the official surrender was signed in Berlin. -
Allies use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Allies made a decision to to use a new weapon called an atomic bomb. It was developed by the top-secret Manhattan Project. When Japan dropped a bomb on New Mexico, the United States threatened back that if they didn't surrrender they would pay. There was no reply. On August 6, the United Stated dropped an atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, killing almost 80,000. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 people. Radiation from both attacks killed many more. -
United Nations formed
When Roosevelt and Churchill met on a boat, they talked about what they wanted for after the war. They talked about a successor agency to the League of Nations. That is when United Nations Charter was drafted and took effect on October 24, 1945. The UN's mission is to preserve world peace.
