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Geneva Convention
Established basic rights of wartime prisoners. Gave protection to the wounded and sick, also protection of civilians in war zones. Helped ease a little tension in the war as it guaranteed safety for many. -
Neutrality acts
Different neutrality acts were passed from 1935-1939 to try and limit US involvement in future wars. This was supposed to help ease war tension as it would keep the US out of war but they eventually got dragged into it because Hitler was becoming too powerful. -
Nuremberg laws
Two laws to deprive Jews of their rights. Took away citizenship and forbade marriage. This caused a lot of tension with the rest of the world because Germany was treating people very unfairly and not getting punished for it. -
Japan invades China
Japan is a pretty small island so they invaded China for important resources and cheap labor. Made tensions in the war worse because it was a big act of aggression from Japan. -
Kristallnacht
Nazis vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and businesses. Killed almost 100 Jews and was very tragic. This caused some tension but not a lot because a lot of the world did not even hear about what happened that night. -
Poland ceases to exist
The Soviet Union invaded Poland and after they succeeded the foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov says it does not exist anymore. This caused a bit of tension in the war as it was an act of aggression from the Soviet Union while Hitler was also being very aggressive. -
Nonaggression pact
A pact between Nazi Germany and Soviet Union to not attack each other for 10 years. This sounded like it would ease tension in the war but eventually didn't when Hitler broke the pact. -
Great Britain, Poland, and France declare war
They had enough of what Germany was doing in Europe and wanted to end Hitlers reign before it became too powerful. Made tensions very bad as they just started a major war. -
"Cash and Carry"
This act allowed the sale of military arms to belligerents on a "cash and carry" basis. This helped ease the tension a bit but not much in the war because the US was able to get weapons to countries like Great Britain and France that were in need. -
Blitzkerig
A tactic used in WWII to create shock and disorganization with surprise, speed and power. Germany used this tactic to invade Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Created great war tension as it was a very aggressive attack and worked pretty well if used right. -
Soviet Union annexes Baltic states
They wanted more territory for military bases so they traded some of the states with Germany so that could be achieved. Caused some tension because it was a bit suspicious for the Soviets to just want to build more military bases. -
Hitler invades and splits France
Hitler caught the French off guard and quickly went in and took over with all of their power. Split France down the coast to use as defense in the war. This pushed tensions in the war very high as France was one of the major allies in the war so something had to be done to help them. -
Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
He invaded Denmark for iron ore and Norway for the free ice harbor and iron. This made tension in the war very high as he has just invaded 2 countries even though he said he would stop. -
Hitler invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg
This invasion only lasted one day. He used smart tactics to break through the french boarders and march right in to claim the territory. This made tension in the war even greater as he is still invading countries and is making a lot of other countries very angry -
Luftwaffe and RAF bombings
The German air force assaulted royal air force airfields and radar stations. Caused great tension in the war because it was an attack from Germany. -
Selective training service act
This act required all men in the US aged between 21 and 45 to register for the draft. This did not cause any tension in the war as it was just a draft and the US had not fully joined the war yet. -
Tripartite pact
agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan. It was a defense alliance to mainly stop the US from entering war. This caused tension because the allies needed the US in the war to help defeat Germany. -
Lend-Lease plan
allowed US to lend or lease war supplies to any nation that was vital to the defense of the US. This helped tension in the war a little bit as it was getting weapons to countries in need during the war. -
Hitler breaks Stalin agreement
Hitler promised Stalin peace to Russia but right after Germany took over France, Hitler turned to Russia and launched the largest surprise attack in German history. This made tension in the war a lot worse as Russia thought they were allies with Germany and then they were attacked. -
Executive order #8802
This order prohibited ethnic or racial discrimination in the nation's defense industry and also set up the fair employment practice committee. This eventually eased tensions in the war as it allowed the US to work with each other better and be more coordinated. -
US cut off trade with Japan
The US saw how aggressive Japan was being with China and didn't want any part of it so they cut off trade and other relations. This angered Japan and made tensions worse in the war. -
Atlantic Charter
This charter outlined the goals for the US and UK in the future, it was basically an alliance that defined goals for the post war world. This did not create any tension for the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attacked US naval base, killing more than 2300 Americans. Japan was being very aggressive and wanted to send a message. This made war tensions a lot worse as it was a major attack so the US had to respond. -
US declares war
The US finally declared war on Germany to help put a stop to all the chaos unfolding across Europe. This maxed tensions in the war Because now Germany was going to have to defend from the US also now. -
U-boat attacks
German U-boats attacked US merchant ships along eastern seaboard of North America. This made tension very bad as Germany is blowing up innocent US ships and killing civilians. -
Midway
US naval fleet able to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese fleet in the area that turned the tide of the war. Eased a lot of tension since US was ahead now. -
Executive order #9066
This order called for the removal of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry. It was a WWII policy with lasting consequences. This created great tension between the US and Japan in WWII because it was Japan's people in the US. -
Bataan
It was a death march where the Japanese forced 76,000 captured soldiers to march 80 miles along the Bataan peninsula. -
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Stalingrad
The Soviets successfully defended the city of Stalingrad from the Germans in WWII. This helped ease a little tension as Germany now know the Soviets were stronger than they thought. -
El Alamein
First battle in Egypt that ended in stalemate and second was decisive, end of the axis in North Africa. Made tension in the war as it was in Africa but still being attacked. -
Island hopping strategy
Used as a strategy by the US to invade Japan to put down all the threats they were receiving. Helped stop some tension in the war between US and Japan because Japan was being very aggressive so the US shut them up -
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Liberation of concentration camps
Troops from around the world helped liberate different concentration camps in Germany to save people. Made tension in the war bad as Germany was furious with what was happening. -
D-Day
Normandy landings in France where all the allied forces fought to end WWII. Helped ease tension as everyone coming together meant it would be easier to defeat Germany. -
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Bulge
Last major German offense on the western front in WWII. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the allies back. This helped ease a lot of the tension as it meant the Germans were on the verge of defeat. -
Koremmatsu vs US
This was a case against the son of Japanese immigrants, violated exclusion order and had to relocate. This caused tension between US and Japan because it was a Japanese immigrant. -
Yalta conference
Meeting between US,UK, and Soviet Union to discuss post war recognition of Germany and Europe. No more tension in the war. -
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Iwo Jima
Battle over a big conflict between United States and the empire of Japan. Eased tensions as US eventually won -
VE Day
The unconditional surrender of the Nazi army to the allied forces, finally ended the war removing all of the tension. -
Potsdam conference
Last of the WWII meetings, agreements on German economy, punishment, and land boundaries. No more tension. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima
US was choosing between 4 targets to bomb and chose Hiroshima for military importance. Japan was giving a lot of threats to the US and that caused a lot of tension in the war so they dropped an atomic bomb on them as a response. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
This bombing was only 3 days after Hiroshima, and nobody truly knows why it was bombed since the US had just sent a message about how much nuclear power they had. This also helped ease tensions in the war but was unnecessary for the most part because Japan was already on the verge of defeat. -
VJ Day
News of Germany's surrender was announced to the world and there was a Japan surrender ceremony. Made tension a lot less since the war was over.