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Mao Zedong leads Long March
The Long March began in 1933, when Jiang Jieshi's army of more than 700,000 men surrounded the Communits' stronghold in the mountains. In an escape attempt, 100,000 Communists fled, beginning their 6,000-mile-long trek which became known as the Long March. Thousands died from exposure, cold, and hunger along the journey, which lasted from 1934 to 1935. Jiang's forces chased the Communists to northwestern China, where the remaining Communist forces settled in caves. -
Germany invades Poland; France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
German invasion of Poland began on September 1, 1939 when German forces crossed the Polish border and began bombing of Warsaw, Poland's capital. On September 3, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. However, Poland fell before these nations could take action, and Hitler annexed the western half of Poland (which had a large Geran population). Germany's invasion of Poland was the first test of the blitzkrieg, or "lightning war" strategy. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan began the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Within two hours, 19 U.S. ships had been sunk or damaged by the Japanese. By the end of the attack, more than 2,300 Americans had been killed and 1,100 were wounded. The next day, Congress accepted President Roosevelt's request to declare war on Japan and its allies. -
Germany surrenders
In March 1945, after the Battle of the Bulge, three million Allied soldiers approached Berlin from the southwest, with six million Soviet troops from the east. With Berlin under fire, Hitler found shelter in an underground headquarters, where he married his longtime companion, Eva Braun, on April 29. The day after their marriage, the two committed suicide. On May 9th, Germany's surrender was official signed in Berlin. The Allies celebrated V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day. -
Allies use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
President Truman threatened the Japanese, telling them to surrender unless they wished to undergo a terrible attack from the U.S. After no reply from Japan, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city of about 350,00 people, killing between 70,000 to 80,000 people. On August 9, the U.S. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, another Japanese city of around 270,000, killing more than 70,000. These attacks finally led to Japan's surrender, ending the war. -
United Nations formed
The United States and the Soviet Union joined 48 other countries to form the United Nations (UN). This organization's goal was to maintain peace and to provide security to nations around the world. The UN was to be based in New York.
