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Colonial Disputes (1905-1914
European nations were eager to find new colonies or dependencies to strengthen economic performance. Imperial powers would clash with one another. The competitions were most intense between Britain and Germany, and France and Germany. There were local wars from empire tensions. -
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated on during his fist official trip to Sarajevo. This created tension between the Austro-Hungarian empire and the kingdom of Serbia. It became a general European war and a global struggle. -
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Japan Enters War
The Japanese government sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding the possession of German-leased territory of Jiaozhou. They also wanted German ships off Japanese and Chinese waters. Germany refused to comply.The Japanese then joined the war on the side of the Allies ( Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States). -
The Twenty-One Demands
Japan had interests to advance its own imperial interests in China. The Japanese government presented the Chinese with twenty-one secret demands. If the terms were accepted, China would have become a protectorate of Japan. The Japanese demands were mostly involved with gaining authority/control. The Chinese government accepted some of those demands and rejected the rest. -
Peace Treaties
The war caused physical damage as well as affected millions of people. It killed, disabled, orphaned, and rendered homeless many. Victorious powers assembled to arrange postwar settlement and set terms for defeated nations. Several treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty if Neuilly, and the Treaty of Sevres were established. -
Political Takeover and Nazi Aggressive Policies
After coming to power, the Nazis began to suppress Germany's Jewish population. Religious descent was used to determine who was a Jew. Discriminatory laws and directives aimed to humiliate, segregate, and impoverish Jews from the rest of society. -
Period: to
WWII
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German Invasion of Soviet Union
Hitler was focused on the Soviet Union, from which Jews, Slavs, and Bolsheviks could be expelled to created more living space for Germans.The Germany military organized the largest invasion force in human history to attack the Soviet Union. -
Pearl Harbor
The United States government froze Japanese assets in the United States and imposed a complete embargo on oil. The Japanese did not want to succumb to the United States' demands. Defense minister Tojo Hideki took the office of prime minister and planned for war against the United States and Great Britain. The Japanese aimed to destroy American naval capacity in the Pacific with an attack on Pearl Harbor. The results of the weapon attack devastated American naval power. -
Creation of the United Nations
The superpowers among the nations were responsible for creating the UN, a supranational organization committed to keeping world peace. It was finalized with representatives from China, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. It promoted friendly relations between the world's nations. -
Creation of NATO
The United States established the "North American Treaty Organization" as a military alliance against Soviet aggression. Its purpose was to maintain peace through collective defense.
