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Japan's Invasion of China
Japan, based in Manchuria, launched a full scale invasion of China, which began the second Sino-Japanese war -
Germany Invades Poland
The result of the Non-Agression Pact with the Soviet Union, in this invation, German forces defeated the Polish within weeks. This battle eventually would lead to the declaration of war on Germany by Brittain and France. -
Battle of Britain
This battle resulted in the successful defense of Great Britain against German air raids after the fall of France. -
Tripartite pact
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign an agreement to become allies, forming the Axis powers of WWII. -
Lend-Lease Act
Allowed the U.S. to lend aid in the form of weapons and supplies to whichever country it wanted. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
German offensinve in which they attempted to invade the Soviet Union, but ultimately failed. -
Leningrad Blockade
A 900-day period during which German forces surrounded Leningrad as a part of their Blitzkrieg on the Soviet Union. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
A surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii by the Japanese which added to the tensions that led the U.S. to join WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
Instance during which a group of Nazi and German government officials met to discuss the "Final Solution of the Jewish Problem," where Jews were killed in mass shooting and conentrations camps. -
Battle of Midway
Battle between the United States and Japanese naval forces which ended with the Japanese militart brutally weakened. -
D-Day
Thousands of allied troops landed at Omaha Beach; pushed Allies towards victory. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
Series of bomb attacks by Allied Powers on Japan executed with the hopes of "bombing Japan out of the war." -
Yalta Conference
Major conference during WWII in which the three chief Allied leaders met in Crimea to plan the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany -
Hittler Commits Suicide
A couple days before the formal surrender of Germany, with defeat close in sight, Hitler is believed to have swollowed a cyanide packet and then shot himself with a pistol while hiding in a bunker. -
VE Day
Short for Victory in Europe Day, VE Day is the day that marked an official end to the Second World War when German forces laid down their arms. -
Potsdam Conference
Conference held in a suburb of Berlin, where Allies discussed possible actions towards peace, but did not actually write peace treaties. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
First use of atomic bomb by U.S. on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki -
V-J Day
The formal surrender of Japan in WWII. -
U.N. Is Formed
Formed after WWII with the goals of preserving peace and security, and Including countries throughout the world. -
Truman Doctrine
Announcement by President Harry Triman in which he declared U.S. economic and military aid to the governments of Greece and Turkey, fearing they would fall under the influence of the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
Plan enacted by George C. Marshal with the purpose of sending financial aid to European countries. -
NATO
A military security pact between nations alligned with the U.S. during the Cold War; the Soviet Union eventually founded a rival organization with the Warsaw Pact -
Mao Zedong &People’s Republic of China
Mao Zedong proclaims himself chairman of the People's Republic of China. -
Korean War
War between the Democratic People's Republic of Korean(North) and the Republic of Korea(South) which pulled in support from China for the North and the U.S. for the South. The result was the current front line/border between North and South Korea -
Death of Stalin/Khrushchev
Joseph Stalin dies in office; he is replaced by Khrishchev. -
Warsaw Pact
An agreement among Communist states during the Cold War in which the members agreed to come to the military aid of any other member nations when needed. Created in response to the U.S. NATO -
Vietnam War
This conflict was another representaion with the fight by the U.S. against communism; it was long and costly, and fought by the communist North and U.S. backed South. -
Sputnik
Artificial satilites, of which there were ten, launched by the Soviet Union that inaugurated the space age. Sputnik 1 was the first satillite launched by man. -
Bay of Pigs
Invasion of Cuba in which over a thousand U.S. trained Cubans landed and were eventually outnumbered, overtaken, and captured by the troops of Fidel Castro. -
Berlin Wall
Barrier that surrounded West Berlin and prevented access to it from East Berlin and adjacent areas of East Germany between 1961 to 1989. Considered a symbol of the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Major confrontation that brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to war over the presence of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba. -
Gorbachev Becomes President of Soviet Union
Gorbachev became president of the Soviet Union in 1990, and made great efforts to democratize the government and decentralize its economy, which eventually lead to the fall of communism in and break up of the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Union Falls
The more liberal policies of Gorbachev led to a series of revolutions in the nations they had gained control over. This, paired with frustrations over the failing economy of the Soviet Union at the time, led to the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union as a state.
