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Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev takes power and guides the Soviet Union in the direction of economic reform through Pestroika and Glastnost which mean restructuring and openess respectively. -
Japanese Invasion of China
Japan invades the eastern portion of China in order to gain access to the the rich resources. Japan was able to capture very influental Chinese cities such as Nanking and Shangai and committed various heinous crimes while there. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany ignores the warnings of the western powers and launches an invasion of Poland. This is the last straw for the allies and they soon declare war. Thi shows Germany's desire to conquer all of Europe. -
The Battle of Britain
The Germans attempted to weaken the morale of the British by attacking them with bombs constantly. This strategy was uneffective as the British were very strong and the bombings did not cause many casualties. -
Tripartite Pact
An alliance held between Germany, Italy, and Japan that ensured that should any one of them be attacked, the others would come to its aid. This was done to strike fear in the heart of the western powers. -
Lend-Lease Act
This was an act passed in the US that allowed for the Americans to aid the Allied powers by providing essential goods such as weapons, food, and radios. This meant that the Americans were no longer nuetral and were openly supportive of the Allied forces. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Germany launches a swift and brutal attack on the Soviet Union as the Nazis did not want to share power with the Soviets. The Germans initially gained the upper hand on the Soviets but the Soviets were able to peresevere until they were able to strike back at the Germans. -
Leningrad Blockade
The Germans formed a tight circle around Leningrad in order to ensure that no resources entered or left from Leningrad. The Soviets were very tenacious despite their conditions. They never surrendered despite taking heavy casualties. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the American naval base located in Peral Harbor in order to devestate the American Pacific Fleet and ensure that Japan had sole authority over the Pacific. The United States retaliated by declaring war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
A meeting in which high ranking Nazi officials decided upon the mass extermination of all Jews in Europe. this was known as the "Final Solution" and was the basis of the Holocaust. -
Battle of Midway
This is a very important battle on the Pacific Front between the Japanese and the Americans. The Americans were capable of destroying most of the Japanese naval fleet and as a result the Japanese were put onto the defensive after this battle. -
D-Day
The Aliied Powers joined together in order to launch a massive invasion on Normandy and begin to fight back the Germans on the Western front. It was deadly with thousands of casualties,but still led to an Allied victory. -
Yalta Conference
This conference took place before the surrender of Germany and discussed issues such as the division of Germany after the war and the treatment of Nazi war criminals. They also tried to decided upon the reperations of the war. This conference was between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill. -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
Iwo Jima and Okinawa were two very monumental battles that occured in the Pacific between the American forces and the Japanese. In both of these conflicts, the Americans were victorious. These islands were integral to Japan as they were located close to Japan. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler commits suicide due to the incoming Soviet Army and this solidified the Allied victory in Europe. He shot himself while hiding in his bunker and his wife Eva committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide pill. -
VE Day
This is known as the Victory in Europe Day and marks the day in which Nazi germany surrenedered to the Allies. This was the cause of great celebration throughout Europe, but the war with Japan went on. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was the meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and Truman. They mainly discussed on how to deal with the Germans following the war. They eventually decided upon dividing Germany into four spheres which would be controlled by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. -
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United Stated drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to urge the Japanese to surrender. This was done in order to avoid the casualties of an invasion. This bombing led to the mass devestation of the Japanese people and the Nagasaki bombing caused them to surrender. -
VJ Day
This marked the end of WWII with the surrender of Japan. This was a cause of great celebration and a national holiday on September 2nd. -
Formation of the UN
The United Nations formed in response to the attrocities commited during the war in order to promote peace and tranquility throughout the world. It was established through the cooperation of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. -
Truman Doctrine
Truman enacted this doctrine in order to aid countries that are in the threat of being taken over by an authorilitarian regime. This was in response to the growth of Soviet influence in eastern Europeand marks hostilities between the US and USSR. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan is enacted with promises to aid in the recovery of Europe by giving 17 billion dollars.This is done in order to act as a stimulant for the Europeon economy and to ensure that their industries recover. This plan was only applied to western Europe and not the Soviet controlled Eastern Europe. -
NATO
It is an alliance between many western powers including US, England, France, and other Western European countries that agree to defend each other in the event of an attack. This is seen as a threat to the Soviet Union and heats up tensions between the US and the USSR. -
Mao Zedong and People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong becomes the leader of China by proposing a communist state. This was very appealing to the poor peasents who felt that they were unjustly treated. He mimics the USSR heavy industrialization methods in the Great Leap Forward and leads a very rigid communist state. -
Korean War
This initially started as a Civil War between North and South Korea with North Korea wanting a communist state and South korea supporting a democracy. The US then began to support the south and the USSR began to support the north.This eventually ended in a stalemate with no great advances made by either side -
Stalin's Death/Khrushchev
Stalin dies from a massive heart attack and eventually power is passed on to Khrushchev. He loosened the rigid control of Stalin and gave the people more civil liberties. He also attempted to feed the hungry Soviets using agriculultural reform. -
Warsaw Pact
In retaliation to NATO, the Soviet Union creates the Warsaw Pact which serves as an alliance between the Soviet Union and 8 central and eastern Europeon countries. This creates tensions between the USSR and the US. -
Vietnam War
A war between the Soviet backed North-Vietnamese and the American backed South Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese were victorious and consolidated all of Vietnam under communist rule. -
Sputnik Launches
Russia hopes to pull ahead in the Space race by launching the first satellite in the world. They did so in order to showcase their technological superiority to the Americans. -
Bay of Pigs
The United States supports a group of Cubans in overthrowing the Cuban dictatorship of Castro. It was very unsuccessful due to information being leaked to the Cuban government. This served as a large embarrassment to the Americans. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall opens to signify the divide between East and West Germany after it was divided by the Soviet Union and western forces. Many people attemted to cross over the wall but were killed. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
In response to the missles that the United States placed in Turkey, the Soviet Union placed missles in Cuba. This caused great distress and the United States demanded that the Soviet Union disarm. At the end, both countries agreed to disarm their weapons in order to avoid war. -
Soviet Union Falls
The great changes made to the structure of the Soviet Union caused for it to collapse. It seperated into Russia and several periphery countries. These smaller countries soon began nationalistic efforts.
