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Mai Zedong, and the People Republic of China
Meo Zedong was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1935, and was chairman of the People's Republic of China 1949-1959, and he was charimain until he died on Sept.9,1976. Communists take power in China after a nasty civil war against the natinalists which fled to Taiwan. The People Republic of China was proclaimed on October 1 1949. Mao Zendong signed a mutual assistance treaty with Joseph Stalin. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev was the son of Russian peasants in Stacropol in SW Russia. He became part of the Yound Communist League(Komsomol) in 1946. He became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist party in 1971. Then, his influecne grew and he became the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and president of the Soviet Union in 1990–91. His efforts to democratize his country’s political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism. -
Germay Invades Poland
The invasion of Poland was a foreshadow of the extensive use of the blitzkrieg military strategy used by the Germans. It started with extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and ammuniton supply, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery. Once the German forces had forced their way through any remaining resistance. Hitler instilled a strict annialation strategy killing anybody against Naz -
Battle of Britian
It was a succesful defense of Great Britain against destructive air raids conducted by Germany. It lasted July-September of 1940. -
Tripartite Pact
In November 1940, the axis powers consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan became "official" allies by signing the tripartite pact. This pact was made to aid the nations that signed the pact of they were attacked. This pact was signed to provoke the neutral U.S. by making them think twice before picking a side. the advantages were the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe,” while Japan was granted lordship over “Greater East Asia. -
Lend-Lease Act
This act was the main way U.S. could provide military aid to foreign nations. It authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense materials. By allowing the transfer of supplies without compensation to Britain, China, the Soviet Union and other countries, the act permitted the United States to support its war interests without being overextended in -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Blitzkrieg means lightining war in German. It is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in the summer as an alternative to invading Britain. Hitler thought he was would tin the war of he defeated Russia, and also he didnt want a sea attack on Britain. The attack worked at first, and the German were making unprecendented progress, but eventually lost. -
Leningrad Blockade
German forces begin their siege of Leningrad, a major industrial center and the Soviet Union's second-largest city. It was a seige over a span of 872 days where 1 million civilians, and Red army defenders passed away. In the first months, German cut off the highways and railaways to the south. Rationing became severely restricted to about 125 grams of bread, which is a thick slice. Then, came one of the most severe winter in decades, the Civilians were so determined to keep Germany away. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Suprise aerial attack conducted by the Japanese, which resulted the United States entering WWII. It was a strategic bobming aiming to destroy the oil storage facilities on the island. -
Wannsee Conference
This was a conference by Nazi Officials to discuss the final solution to the Jewish problem. SS general Reinhard Heydrich ransporting Jews from every corner Europe to concentration camps in Poland and working them to death. But the officials though it was too time consuming, so they turned to using gas to kill masses of people at one time. -
Battle of Midway
Major naval defeat of Japan. This battle occured six months after pearl harbor. This was so significant, because the U.S. armed forces were able to decipher, Japanese code. It helped plan a suprise attack on the remaining bombers that inveaded pearl harbor. This attack inflicted permanent damage on the Imperial navy, and put the allies into an offensive position in the war. The pacific ocean was officially conquered. -
D-Day
Marked the start of Battle of Normandy which resulted in the liberation of Western Europe, from Nazi control. 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily guraded coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest water to land military assaults in history and required a lot of strenous planning. -
Hitler's Suicide
Adolf Hitler consumes a cyanide capsule, then shoots himself with a pistol. He lived in a refurbished air raid bunker, because he chose to stay in Berlin for the last siege of the war. He managed to severely limted defenses of Germany from his bunker, and rarely had company. In his will, he appointed Admiral Karl Donitz as head of state and Goebbels as chancellor. Then he poisoned himself, his wife, and their dogs. And, then he shot himself with his service pistol. -
Yalta Conference
Conferecne of the three chief allied leaders, 1. Franklin Rooselvelt 2. Winston Churchill 3.Joseph Stalin. They met at Yalta in Crimea to come up with a plan for the final defeat of Germany. The decision was that Germany would be divided into occupied zones that were managed by U.S., British, French, and Soviet Union. Also, German military was going to be restricted or taken away. -
Iwo Jima/ Okinawa
It was the scene of a massive battle between Japanese and the opposing U.S. troops. When caputured after a month of fighting, Iwo Jima served as a strategic army base for the U.S. About 21,000 Japanese troops were killed, with 1000 captured. During, the battle U.S. satrted using a new bombing tectic: low-level strikes at night using napalm. The first bomibing was in tokyo, which blew up 25% of the city. -
VE Day
This is the day that marks the final surrender of the Nazis. Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day.Cities in both nations put up banners, and flags due to the happiness. -
Potsdam Conference
Conference of the Allies (Germany, U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia). in Potsdam which is located near Berlin. They were trying to discuss peace settlements, but never put any of the ideas onto paper. -
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was effort to end the war early, and also put the U.S. into a dominant military position. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, in which the explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people upon contact;more people died later of radiation exposure. Three days later,after the Japanese Emporer Hirohito did not surrender, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. -
VJ Day
Japan surrenders unconditionally to the Allies after 6 years of fighting. -
The formation of the U.N.
It is a multipurpose international organization that is worldwide in scope and membership. It is meant to maintain peace and security, also to develop friendly realtionships between nations that had mutual respect for each other. -
Truman Doctrine
Pronouncement by President Harry Truman, announcing aid to Greece, which was in danger to communist rebellions. He set aside a budget of $400,000,000 to aid these countries pressured by the soviet union. -
Marshall Plan
This is the plan for European economic recovery after the war. Thee U.S. donated around $13 billion dollars for econmic recovery. Which in modern day is equivalent to $91.64 dollars. Marshall Plan successfully sparked economic recovery, the succesfully completed their goal of restoring the confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe as a whole. The plan is named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the Western equivalent of the Warsaw Pact. It was a response to the growing influence of communism, and the approachment of the Cold War. It was primarily a security pact, stating that a military attack against any of the signatories would be considered an attack against them all. The signatories were: Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States. -
Korean War
The Korean War started when 75,000 North Korean soldiers, crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The war consisted of Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the North against pro-Western Republic of Korea in the south. This was the first military action of the cold war. According to the U.S. this war was against the international forces of Communism itself. American officials tried to make peace with North Korea, because if no the alternative was WWIII. -
Stalin's death; khrushchev
Joseph Stalin died on March 5th, 1953 due to a massive heart attack. It was a great relief to some, because his reign of terror was finally over. Nikita Khrushev rose to power, six months after the late Stalin. He worked to wipe Stalin's influence on Russia, and he criticized Stalin for arresting and deporting enemies to the Gulagh prison work camp. He approved the buliding of the Berlin Wall. Also, he was the figurehead in the Cold War. His bad relations with Mao Zedong lead to his downfall. -
Warsaw Pact
The warsaw pact is a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. The member states include: Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. The treaty is designed as if any member state is attacked the other members will aid and defend the nation, and they will unify their cotrol under the SOviet Union as their leader. This treaty was created to West Germany, and its remilitirization -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was an attempt to stop the spread of communism. It was the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The Vietnam war was severely unpopular in the U.S.A. It began due conflicts in the region dating back to the 1940's, but it escalated when Ho Chi Minh's communist party escalated to power. The domino theory promoted the resistance of North Vietnam. -
Sputnik
Series of 10 artificial satellites launched by the Soviet Union. It brought on the space age. -
Bay of Pigs
The CIA conducted a air strike against Cuba's tiny air force. Cuban exiles left from Nicaragua in a group of American B-26 bombers, painted to look like stolen Cuban planes, and conducted a strike against Cuban airfields. But the funny thing is, that Castro and his advisers knew about the raid and had moved his planes out of the blast zone. -
Berlin Wall
Communist government of the German Democratic Republic began to build a barbed wire and concrete between East and West Berlin. It was meant to keep the Western fascists from entering Eastern Germany and undermining socialist state. The wall stood from 1961-1989. The wall constantly was being made more secure, with guard towers, guard dogs, anti-vehicle degense, and a 12-foot concrete inforced wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. Pres. John F, Kennedy annouced a naval blockade around Cuba, and made it clear the U.S. aremed forces will not hesitate to use miltary force, to neutralize a national nuclear threat. Also Pres. John F. Kennedy secretly removed nuclear missiles in Turkey. -
Soviet Union Falls
Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan met in the Kazakh city of Alma-Ata and announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union. This announcement ended a long, terrifying, and bloody reign. Originally it was meant to be a true democracy, but plan changed when Joseph Stalin's totalitarian rule changed everything. Ultimately the bad economy lead to independence movements, and succession.
