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Japan's Invasion of China
The Chinese Communitst and Nationalist Parties combined forces to defend China again the Japanese, initiating the second Sino-Japanese War. Many other nations supported the Chinese although after several years the two countries remained in a stalemate. -
Germany Invades Poland
In August of this year Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to split Poland if it was captured and so the Germans attacked the country in September without the threat of the Soviets. -
Battle of Britian Begins
The Battle of Britian was the battle in which the German air force fought the British Royal Air Force over the UK. It ended with a British win over Germany and most likely prevented a ground invasion from Germany into Britian. -
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact was signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan and formed an alliance which stated that if any of these countries were to go to war they would have the support of the other countries that signed the pact. -
Lend-Lease Act
An act that allowed the U.S. to aid any country who they believed were necessary in provided defence for the United States. This allowed the U.S. to support countries including China, Britian, and the Soviet Union without getting too involved in WWII. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Germany attempted an invasion of the Soviet Union using their military tactic of blitzkrieg or "lighting war" which had been used successfully against Poland. The invasion was unsuccessful. -
Leningrad Blockade
The Leningrad Blockade, also know as the Siege of Leningrad, was the German invasion of Leningrad in the Soviet Union which was a major industrial city for the USSR. It resulted in many deaths and lasted almost 900 days. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The Japanese navy attacked the U.S. naval base in Hawaii killing more than 2,300 Americans. This was the main incident that provoked the United States to enter WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
Fifteen Nazi leaders met in Wannsee, German to discuss the "final solution" which was the code name for the planned genocide of all of the Jews in Europe. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese attempted to attack an American air base in the Pacific Ocean. The Americans knew the Japanese were coming and were prepared due to the fact that they had gotten through the Japanese code and were victorious over the Japanese and was a turning point for the Allies. -
D-Day
The first day of the Battle of Normandy where American, British, and Canadian forces invaded the islands off the coast of France to recapture Europe from Nazi control. -
Yalta Conference
Leaders of the Allied countries meet to discuss the final strategies to end the war and discuss how Germany is to be divide once it is conquered. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
American marines attacked Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two islands off the coast of Japan in order to set a base closer to mainland Japan. The missions were successful and helped the Allies get ahead in the fight in the Pacific. -
Hitler's Suicide
Adolf Hitler takes a cyanide capsule and shoots himself in a bunker under his headquaters. Soon after, Germany surrenders. -
VE Day
"Victory in Europe Day" marks the Nazi defeat and German surrender from WWII. -
Potsdam Conference
Conference held in Germany where the leaders of the United States, Britian, and Soviet Union meet to discuss the terms of the end of the war. It lasted until August 2. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
An American bomber dropped the atomic bomb, "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima, Japan in an attempt to for Japan's surrender. -
Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki
A second atom bomb is dropped on Japan, this one was called "Fat Man" and was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender from WWII. -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day, also known as VJ Day, was when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies marking the end of the war. -
Formation of the U.N.
Twenty-six Allied countries form the United Nations in order to establish a union to establish international peace and to help settle any future conflict. Originally it was a pact against the Axis powers that stated the 26 signed countries would stick together as it came to the end of the war and peace treaties were being written. -
Truman Doctrine
Doctrine that states that the United States will provide aid to any democratic government if they are facing domestic or foreign threats. Former President Truman came up with this policy in order to help the Greek Government defeat the Greek Communist Party during the Greek Civil War. -
Marshall Plan
This was a program that lent over $13 billion overseas to help Europe' economy recover. The plan was successful at initiating the restoration of the economy. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established to protect any of twelve signing members against a Soviet threat by forming an alliance. -
Mao Zedong and People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong, the communist leader of China, declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China. This was during the climax of the fight between communist and nationalist forces in China during the Cold War. -
Korean War
The North Korean People's Army from the north invaded the Democratic People's Repubic of Korea to the south. The United States took the side of southern Korean in an attempt to prevent the spreading of communist from the north. -
Stalin's Death; Khrushchev
Joseph Stalin died of a heart attack at the age of 74 in Moscow. Krushchew became the leader of the Communist Party following Stalin's death. -
Warsaw Pact
A defence treaty signed by eight communist, European countries including the Soviet Union that stated that the signing countries would come to the defence of each other if any of them were attacked by a foreign threat. This was in response to the establishment of NATO and the United States' decision to include Western Germany in the organization. -
Vietnam War
War between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam allied with the United States. The U.S. eventually backed out of the war and Vietnam was later united under communism. -
Sputnik
The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched successfully into outerspace by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This marks the beginning of the Space Age -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion was the attept by the CIA to invade Cuba and retake control from Fidel Castro. The invasion was unsuccessful and lasted less than 24 hours before the U.S. agents surrendered. -
Berlin Wall
Construction begins on the Berlin Wall which seperates the republican West Berlin from the Soviet controlled, communist East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba and threatened the United States. The confrontation ended when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles and the U.S. agreed not to invade Cuba. -
Gorbachev
Gorbachev was elected president of the Soviet Union but faced much critizism from the citizens. Many did not agree with the reforms he was making and were not happy with his shift away from Marxist principles. He lost power with the fall of the Soviet Union in December 1991. -
Soviet Union Falls
Nearly all of the Soviet Union's republics decided to become independent states and the USSR broke up into over 15 seperate countries.
