World War II & Cold War

  • Japan Invades Manchuria

    The Japanese invasion of Manchuria caused aggression against China and Indochina. This event is important to US history because the US limited embargos on Japan and started issuing trade restrictions against them.
  • Munich Pact

    The Munich Pact was a policy of appeasement that was put in place by Germany and France. Hilter broke this policy by invading
    Czechoslovakia. This event is important to US history because it led to France and Britain declaring war on Germany.
  • Kristallnacht

    Also known as the night of broken glass. Nazis vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and synagogues and killed close to 100 Jewish people.
  • Germany Invades Poland

    This invasion leads to France and Great Britain declaring war on Germany. Germany used this moment to utilize the use of Blitzkrieg.
  • Neutrality Acts of 1939

    The Neutrality Acts are also known as cash and carry. This meant nations that were participating in the war could buy goods from the US if they paid cash. They also had to use their own ships to transport their merchandise. This is where the US shifted from isolation to involvement,
  • Lend-Lease Act

    Congress forces Roosevelt to sell or dispose of the defense article and the government. Congress believed this was necessary to the interest of defense in the US.
  • Atlantic Charter and Atlantic Conference

    The Atlantic Charter was a statement of US and British war aims. It showed general security in the US and self-determination. This also showed how Roosevelt was committed to his plan of opposing Japan's and Germany's aggression.
  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    This was a surprise attack made on the US harbor base by the Japanese. They made this attack due to the embargoes the US placed. As a result, this was also when Germany declared war on the US,
  • Exec Order 8022

    This order forbids ethnic or racial discrimination against members of the US defense industry. This was also the start of African Americans in World War II.
  • Battle of Midway

    The battle of midway stopped Japan from getting ahead. It put them on the defensive. Although this happened, Japan showed that they were not backing down without a fight.
  • Exec Order 9066

    This order allowed the internment of people who reside in Japan and Americans of Japanese descent. They were forced to sell their property and prepare to be deported.
  • Operation Torch

    When North Africa was invaded and was issued to free the Mediterranean Sea of control from Germany. This was also to protect the oil fields that resided in the East.
  • Battle of the Buldge

    The battle of the bulge was the last German offense. This was also the start of the end for the Nazis. Soviets came from the east and met in Berlin to get rid of what was left of the nazis. Hitler took his own life as they came near Berlin.
  • Korematsu v. United States

    Korematsu was a Japanese American who did not leave his home per the exec order of 9066. He took his case to court and lost. The US government held the fact that the exec order od 9066 was constitutional.
  • D-Day

    The invasion of Normandy provided the western-front that was being waited on. Germany was apart of three fronts now and had to get sources from a western front.
  • Bombing of Hiroshma and Nagasaki

    President Truman made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He did this to prevent fighting on Japanese islands. This would have caused a great number of American lives lost.
  • Yalta Conference

    This was a conference between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. This is where they discussed their final plans to defeat Europe and what they will do after the war.
  • Nuremerg Trials

    Established that individuals are responsible for their own actions. The Numereg Trials caused an end to genocides that were happening all around the world.
  • Truman Doctrine

    This was a plan to keep communism in Europe. This was agreed upon when the US gave Greece and Turkey financial help to resist communist.
  • Israel is established

    The establishment of Israel was supported by the US. The US recognized the fact that the Jewish community had enough courage to establish Israel.
  • Marshall Plan

    This was offered by the US to help rebuild Europe's economy. The US provided this help so they would not fall to communist rule again.
  • Berlin Airlift

    The US dropped supplies to the people of Berlin through airlift. They were provided with supplies, food, and other things among the sorts.
  • US Establishes NATO

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance aimed at the Soviets. The Soviet Union then created the Warsaw Pact, which was aimed against NATO.
  • Soviet Union Tests Atomic Bomb

    The testing of the atomic bomb led to an Arms Race. The US began its work to create a hydrogen bomb.
  • Korean Conflict

    North Korea invaded South Korea. The Truman Organization thought that the Soviet Union played a part in this. the United Nations demanded a ceasefire to defend South Korea.
  • Soviet Union launches Sputnik

    This was the start of the Space Race. The US passed the National Defense Education Act as a result. The arms race raised fears, as the US took the lead by putting the first man on the moon.
  • National Defense Education

    This act was created after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. It promoted math and science skills and counteracted the fact that the US was less likely to win the arms race.
  • Rise of the Berlin Wall

    The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War. This was to separate East and West Germany, so the people from the East could not escape to the West for freedom.
  • Soviet Invasion of Afganistan

    The Soviet Union invaded Afganistan to prop up a friendly government. The US supported Afganistan's fight against this in secret, because of the containment policy.
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall

    This was considered to be the end of the Cold War. After this, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.