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Ferdinand Assassination
Gavriilo Princip shoots and kills Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg. Princip was a Bosnian Serb seeking an end to Austria-Hungary’s rule in Bosnia. This event directly leads to the start of the war when Austria-ahungary declares war. -
Sinking of Lusitania
A German U-boat attacked and sank a British ocean liner (while some Americans were aboard). This event turned many countries against Germany and exemplified the purpose of fighting in this war. This was one of the main causes of the U.S joining the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram
A proposal sent by Germany to Mexico to form an alliance. The telegram was uncovered by Britain and state Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Arthur Zimmerman, revealed it was real. This event was an attempt to get Mexico to invade the U.S purposely to make them join the war. As a result, this was one of the major events that led to the U.S declaration of war. -
February Revolution
In present day St. Petersburg, civilians protested against the monarchy in Russia for food rationing and injustice. It involved violent demonstrations and riots that demanded the removal of Emperor Tsar Nicholas ll. As a result, Nicholas ll was abdicated needing the Imperial Russia. -
Bolshevik Revolution
In this event, Russian radicalists, the Bolsheviks, took control over present day St. Petersburg including the Provisional Government. They overall ended rule of the Provisional Government and established the Soviet Union. Later on, the Bolsheviks would be known as communists who would eventually have to deal with an anarchy. -
Treaty of Versailles
Agreement written by the Allies/victors of World War 1 with no German participation. This treaty split Germany and made it pay reparations for the war. This event marked the official end of World War 1 and sparked the questionable formation of the League of Nations. -
Munich Conference
A meeting held between European powers in Munich Germany to discuss the future of Sudetenland. This settlement granted Nazi Germany’s annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia. This switch in control over Sudetenland marked the beginning of Hitkers conquest for land. -
Invasion of Poland
Hitler used the blitzkrieg stradegy to heavily bomb and invade Poland in an attempt to conquer the country. Immediately following taking control of the country, Hitler set up concentration camps and any means of removing enemies of the Nazi party. This event directly led to the start of World War 2 occur in Germany on September 3. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces attacked and bombed the U.S naval site, Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu, Hawaii. They managed to destroy the naval base and kill hundreds of Americans. This event weakened America’s military confidence and formed new tension among the U.S and Japan, ultimately having the U.S declare war directly after this event. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after Pearl Harbor, U.S aircrafts attacked and defeated Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. This battle was a turning point for the Allies during World War ll because they gained new confidence in winning. Specifically the U.S gained major confidence because they eased Japanese threats and defeated the country who put them in the war. -
D-Day/Invasion of Normandy
Allied forces invade the beaches of Normandy, France in a massive and thoroughly planned attack on Axis powers. The attack was introduced and planned through Operation Overload, led by the President of the U.S, Dwight Eisenhower. This event ended the war in the European Theater and liberated Western Europe from the Nazi’s control. -
Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The U.S launched two atomic bombs on these Japanese towns in an attempt to end the war in the Pacific Theater. As a result, the bombings caused massive destruction in each city and the war in the Pacific ended. America’s decision to produce and drop the bombs is seen as a controversial topic to this day for the affects it had on Japan. -
United Nations Formation
The idea for the United Nations was first introduced by Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 1st of 1942. It included America and other countries who played part in World War ll. This event was a direct result of a World War ll and is led by United Kingdom, United States, China, Soviet Union (also the winners of WW2). -
Marshall Plan
As a result of World War ll, the United States devised a program to help rebuild the rather destroyed Western European economy. The plan also discouraged Europeans from practicing communism, a rapidly spreading system throughout Asia. Because the plan went against communism and America seemed to be trying to replicate their economy into Europe, the Socpviet Union didn’t want any part in it. -
NATO Formation
As a response to the Soviet Unions refusal to participate in the Marshall Plan, Western countries and Allies set up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although the NATO functioned in an attempt to prevent communism from spreading worldwide, it only caused more tension between Western and Eastern Europe. Because the Soviet Union backed out of the Marshall Plan, many countries surrounding it followed its lead. Western and Eastern Europe were beginning to split by communism. -
People’s Republic of China
After proclaiming himself head of state, Mao Zedong initiates the People’s Republic of China which ultimately overtakes China with communism. This greatly affected the U.S because they supported the prior leader with money and weapons. Also, the U.S was still recovering from tensions and threats against the communist Soviet Union. -
North Korea invades South Korea
Known as the first military action of the Cold War, Soviet supported and communist North Korea invades U.S supported and democratic South Korea. This event shows the United States’ fight against communism which ultimately ends in stalemate. This event also marked the beginning of the Korean War where Americans fought to keep communism from spreading. -
Warsaw Pact
In direct response to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Soviet Union and it’s allies devised a mutual agreement to defend each of their countries from ourptside forces. The ultimate goal was to spread communism throughout the world, however, eventually came to an end. As Russia’s leader Khrushchev fell to Marxism and East and West Germany reunited to join the NATO, the hopes for communism ruling the world degraded. -
Formation of the Berlin Wall
Communist East Germany announced the build for the Berlin Wall that would separate democratic West Berlin from communist East Berlin. Eastern Germany decided this as a means to separate from wrong society and maintain population. The reality of the Berlin Wall reveals the harsh conditions that people endured who lost their families and diverse lifestyle. The Wall truly marks the Cold War’s tension between free America and communist Soviet Union. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
U.S President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union leader Khrushchev, almost led the world to a nuclear war. After the Soviet Union installs missiles in Cuba, America sets a naval block threatening to use military force to protect national security. Although war came close, Krushchev offers to remove the missiles on terms if the U.S won’t invade Cuba. This event reveals the major tension and threats involved between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
