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Mao heads long march
In 1934 communist leader of China Mao Zedong headed the long march. This was caused by the Chinese communists having to retreat from the KMT. Contrary to propaganda, Mao did not actually travel with his people, but rather used a car or plane to travel from location to location -
Germany invades Poland; France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
In 1939 Germany broke a non-agression pact with Russia by invading Poland. This showed other nations such as Great Britain and France that Germany could not be trusted, and therefore war was the only option. This eliminated Neville Chamberlin's push for appeasment. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 Japan launched a suprise arial attack on the US naval base of Hawaii, Pearl Harbor. The attack resulted in 4 US battle ships being sunk, and over 150,000 US soldiers killed. The attack prompted the US to declare war on Japan and the Axis Powers. -
United Nations Formed
Realizing the causes for both WWI and WWII being so bloody, several (prodominately European) countries formed the UN. The goal of this was for several countries to work together to strive for the peace and saftey of the world, and to avoid another World War -
Germany Surrenders
After devestating losses from the allies such as Dresden, The Battle of The Buldge and the attack on the Normandy, Germany had a turning point in this war for the worse. In addition, with Italy and Japan quickly losing power, Germany was losing much needed support from both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. -
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Allies use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Realizing the strenght and devotion of the Japanese, the United States had to turn to desperate measures to end the battle in the Pacific Theater. Instead of facing a one million man army that would fight to the last plan, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Justified as ending the war and saving lives, the bombings forced the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito to surrender via radio, resulting in tens of thousands of Japanese suicides.
