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Japan Invades Manchuria
This time frame was known as Japanese aggression. Japan was trying to solve economic problems through expansion. The US was limited by isolationist policies, limited to imposing trade restrictions, such as embargoes on gas and iron. Japan thought that embargoes were a threat to their territorial aspirations. In US History we learn that Japan has aggression towards the United States, China, and Indochina and this spark of aggression is leading the world closer and closer to the begging of WWII -
Nuremberg Laws
Nuremberg Laws are anti-semitic and racial laws passed by Adolf Hitler in 1935. I learned that this law restricted the rights of Jews in Germany. It was no secret that Hitler hated Jewish people and wanted them to suffer as much as possible. -
The Munich Pact
The 1938 Munich Pact was an agreement between Britain and France that granted Adolf Hitler land, in exchange for not seeking anymore territory. Hitler broke the Pact less than six months later. This betrayal displayed by Adolph Hitler was just minor for what was yet to come. In class, this event helps us focus o what led up to WWII -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht is known as ¨night of broken glass.¨ It lasted from Nov 9 to Nov 10, 1938. Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and businesses. I learned that this attack on Jewish people killed close to 100 Jews. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany´s invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, leading to France and Britain declaring war on Germany. Germany´s utilized the strategy of lighting war-- quickly overwhelming the enemy. I learned that Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to amend the Neutrality Acts in response to German aggression. -
The Neutrality Acts of 1939
The Neutrality Acts of 1939 allowed nations at war to buy goods from the US only if they paid cash and carried the supplies on their own ships. I learned that this let the US remain neutral in the first part of the war. -
The Lend-Lease Act
Congress authorized Franklin D. Roosevelt to sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend or otherwise dispose of to any such government and defense article ¨which he thought was ¨necceasy in the interest of the defense of the United States. I learned that this act was FDR´s way of going from isolationism to international involvment. -
Executive Order 8802
A leader of an African American labor union, A. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washinton demanding equal access to wartime jobs. In response, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which prohibited ethnic and racial discrimination in the nation´s defense industry. I learned that even though this order was passed African Americans still faced some segregation in the military. -
Atlantic Charter
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter in August of 1941. It was a broad statement of US and British war aims. It endorsed self-determination and an international system of general security. It showed Franklin D. Roosevelt's commitment to opposing German and Japanese aggression. I learned that the American Navy was involved in protecting shipments of Lend-Lease goods to the Allies and lost some ships in German attacks in the Atlantic. -
The Atlantic Conference
This was an alliance between the US and Great Britain. Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevlt strengthened their alliance by signing this document. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base, as well as nearby airfields. Japan attacked in response to US embargoes and because it saw the US Pacific fleet as a threat to its growing empire. I learned that these bombings killed 2,400 Americans and wounded 1,300. In the mix of the bombings, Germany declared war on the US. -
Executive Order 9066
The Western states feared another surprise attack and showed ethnic prejudices. This urged President Roosevelt to take action against Japanese American citizens. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which ordered Americans of Japanese decent to sell their property and belongings and report for deportation to camps in the inland deserts. I learned that many FDR believed that it was in the best interest of the United States if all American Japanese were exiled from the US. -
The Battle of Midway
The United States used the strategy of island hopping. The goal was to get close enough to the Japanese home islands so they could launch a surprise attack in preparation for an invasion. The US wanted the Soviet Union to participate in any invasion of Japan. I learned that the victory at Midway stopped the Japenese from advancing and put them on the defensive. -
Operation Torch
This was the invasion of North Africa was launched to free the Meditterian Sea from German control and protect the oil fields in the Middle East. I learned that Operation Torch took some pressure off the USSR, but the Soviet´s fierce resistance to the Germans at Stalingrad turned the tide on the eastern front. -
D-Day (Invasion of Normandy)
The invasion of Normandy on D-Day finally provided the long-awaited western front. Germany was now engaged on 3 fronts and had to divert resources to a western front. I learned it divided the Soviet Union, Itlay, and France. -
The Battle of Bulge
The Battle of Bulge was the last German offensive and the beginning of the end for the Naizs. The American, British, and French marched towards Berlin from the west after the Battle of the Bulge. Soviet Union soldiers marched from the East and met at Berlin to defeat what was left of the Nazis. I learned that Hitler committed suicide as they neared Berlin. This leads to the post-war division of Berlin and Germany and Cold War tension over Soviet control of Eastern Europe. -
Korematsu v. United States
Fred Korematsu was a Japanese American who refused to leave his home per the Executive Order (9066) issued in regards to Japanese Americans and resident aliens. He took his case to the Supreme Court, arguing that internment violated his constitutional rights. Korematsu lost and the Supreme Court upheld Japanese internment as Cosntiotioal. I learned that it was labeled as Constioal because they feared another attack and thought it was in the best interest of the nation. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was between Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. They made the final plans for the debate of Europe discussion of post war European Plans. I learned throughout the war the Big Three met to plan strategy and later post-war plans. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This marked the end of the war. The USSR marched into Korea. USSR had agreed to this at the Yalta Conference. President Truman ordered an atomic bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945, and Nagaski on Aug 9, 1945, to prevent landing and fighting on the Japanese home islands. They decided to use atomic bombs so it wouldn´t result in too many American lives lost. I learned that the Japanese surrendered and no invasion was necessary. Also, the US helped rebuild Japan after the war. -
United Nations
The US played a key role in helping to organize and start the United Nations. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order. I learned that the ideas of the United Nations were originally based on ideas proposed by President Woodrow Wilson. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine pledged to contain communism in Europe and was first applied when the United States supplied military and financial aid to Greece and Turkey to resist the communist backed rebel forces there. I learned that they feared a war-torn and economically weak Western Europe would elect socialist-communist governments. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was propsoed by Sectratory of State George Marshall on April 3, 1948. This was an attempt by the United States to offer fianical aid to promote ecnonmic rebuilding and prevent the fall of European countries to communism. I learned that the Marshall Plan was one of the many economic recovery plans passed in 1948, that were designed to helped that people that needed it most. -
Israel is established
Isreal is established on May 14, 1948. The US supported and recognized the self-determination of the Jewish people. The creation of the Jewish state of Isreal. I learned that it demonstrated the impact of German war crimes on the conscience of the US and the world. -
Berlin Airlift
The first test of US policy by the Soviet Union came when the Soviets blockaded Berlin. The US won this first Cold War confrontation with the Berlin Airlift. I learned that the US supplied the people of Berlin with food, water, and other supplies via airdrops. -
US established NATO
The US established NATO on July 35, 1949. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was meant to establish a military alliance with the Soviet Union. I learned that in 1955, the Soviet Union organized the Warsaw Pact, it was a military alliance of Eastern European nations against NATO. -
Soviet Union Tests Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union tested the first atomic bomb on Aug 29, 1949. This led the United States to speed up the development of the hydrogen bomb and it started a nuclear arms race. I learned that China fell to communism under the leadership of Mao Zedong. -
Korean Conflict (War)
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. Truman´s administration believed that the Soviet Union had planned it and urged the United Nations to take action. The United Nations voted to demand a ceasefire and support ´police action´ to defend South Korea. I learned that majority of troops and financial support for the Korean War came from the United States. A peace negotiation ended with North Korea contained above the 38th parallel, a victory. A total of 36,000 American lives lost. -
Soviet Union launches Sputnik
This time period was known as the ¨Space Race.¨ The Soviet Union launched Sputnik on Oct 4, 1957, as a result, US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math skills, Americans fear of communism and competition about who would win the arms race. I learned that the arms race increased the fear that the Soviet Union would send a bomb down from space killing innocent people. In schools, kids had to learn bombing drills in case of an unexpected fatality. -
National Defense Education Act
Congress passed this Act as a result of the Soviet Union launching Sputnik. The National Defense Education Act was passed to promote science and math skills. I learned that the US wanted to shadow American's fear of communism. The US and Soviet Union were in an arms race. -
National Defense Education Act
The United States wanted to beat the Soviet Union in the arms race so the US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math skills. I learned that eventually, the US took the lead in the space race when the first man landed on the moon in 1969. -
Rise of the Berlin Wall (Construction begins...)
Construction of the Berlin Wall began on Aug 13, 1961. It became a symbol of the Cold War to separate East and West Germany and keep people of the eastern bloc from escaping in the west through Berlin in 1962. I learned that the Soviets controlled East Berlin. The US, Great Britain, and the French controlled West Berlin. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on Dec 24, 1979. The US supported the Afghan resistance because of the containment policy. I learned that the Soviets withdrew in 1989 and Afgan rebel groups evolved into the Taliban, which aided and sheltered (Osama bin Laden) -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
During this time the Cold War ends. The Cold War ended due to changes in the Soviet Union, the strain of the arms race and Afghan war on the Soviet economy, and the movement for liberation in Eastern Europe. I learned that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was considered to be the end of the Cold War also. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.