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Invasion of China- Rape of Nanjing
Japanese soldiers invade Nanjing and perform mass acts of execution and rape on soldiers and citizens. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany invades Poland to claim land for itself. This is thought to be the catalyst of World War II. -
Battle of Britain
An air offensive on Britain ordered by Hitler in the hopes that it would knock Britain out of the war. -
Tripartite Pact
An agreement between Germany, Japan, and Italy to support one another if any of them were attacked. -
Lend-Lease Act
A policy used by the US to send materials, weapons, food, and oil to the Allied Powers and other countries during WWII. This was the end of the US' supposed neutrality in the war. -
German Blitzkrieg on the Soviet Union
A German offensive against the Soviet Union to seize land and hopefully end its threat to Germany. -
Leningrad Blockade
The siege of Leningrad by Germany known for its length and destruction. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japan's unprecedented attack on the United States that brought the US into WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
A meeting held between senior officers of the Nazis. It was held to establish cooperation with government leaders in the "final solution", or mass murder, of the Jewish population. -
The Battle of Midway
A decisive naval battle between Japan and the US that greatly contributed to loss of Japanese control in the Pacific. -
D-Day
The Allied Powers begin the invasion of German-occupied western Europe to break German power and gain victory over the Axis. -
Yalta Conference
The meeting of the heads of government of the US, the UK, and the Soviet Union to discuss reorganization in Europe after WWII. -
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
These two islands were crucial for any invasion of Japan, and so were fought for ny the US for 4 months. -
Hitler's Suicide
Hitler shoots himself in his bunker after the near-complete disintegration of his Third Reich. -
VE Day
Germany finally surrenders after Hitler commits suicide, ending WWII in Europe. -
Potsdam Conference
A conference held by Allied leaders to discuss peace settlements in Europe. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Two atomic bombs are dropped onto japan by the U.S. in order to defeat Japan or cause them to surrender. -
VJ Day
The day that Japan surrendered, which, in effect, ended WWII. -
Formation of the UN
The UN is officially formed after 29 nations ratify into the charter. -
Truman Doctrine
US President Harry Truman issues this doctrine as a policy for the US to oppose and stop Soviet expansion. -
Marshall Plan
An American initiative to give $17 billion to Europe as economic supprt. -
NATO
An organization that has anagreement of mutual defense between all 28 member states. -
Mao Zedong and the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong, head of the Chinese Communist party, founds the People's Republic of China which is partially modeled after Soviet and Russian ideas. -
Korean War
A war between North Korea, backed by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by the UN, sparked by Cold War tensions. -
Warsaw Pact
An agreement of defense between multiple communist states, including Hungary and Poland. -
Vietnam War
A civil war in which each side was backed by other countries: the North by China, the Soviet Union, and other communists countries an the South by the US and other anti-communist allies. -
Stalin's Death; Khrushchev
Stalin dies and Nikita Khrushchev rises to power. He begins the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. -
Sputnik
The first man-made satellite is launched into space by the Soviet Union. -
Bay of Pigs
The failed invasion of Cuba by US-financed militia forces who opposed Fidel Castro. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
A confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union about Soviet missiles being deployed from Cuba against the US. -
Berlin Wall (Destruction)
A wall that cut off West Berlin and East Berlin entirely. It was intended to protect Germany and East Berlin from West Berlin's "fascists". -
Gorbachev
Gorbachev is the last president of the Soviet Union and his policies led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Union Falls
The Soviet Union is extinguished, mainly throught the actions of Mikhail Gorbachev, and the states of the union return to their own sovereignty.
