-
Japan invades Manchuria
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 started Japanese aggression against China & Indochina. Japan intended to create a Japanese sphere of economic domination, trying to solve economic problems through expansion. Japan’s invasion of Manchuria led to U.S. embargoes of oil & iron and the Japanese viewed these as threatening. -
Munich Pact
Britain and France agreed to allow Hitler to take more land, in exchange for Hitler’s agreement to seek no more territory after that concession. Hitler broke the Pact less than 6 months later by continuing to take territory, ending European policy of appeasement -
Period: to
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht means “night of broken glass¨. Before the end of the war, the response to Germany’s Final Solution by the US and other Allies was severely limited. The actions of Hitler, including the passage of the Nuremberg Laws and attacks on Jews such as Kristallnacht were reported but little action was taken to stop the Nazis. This resulted in the extermination of 6 million Jews and over 5 million others -
Neutrality Acts of 1939
Also, know as cash and carry. This Allowed nations at war to buy goods from the US if they paid cash upfront and carried the merchandise on their own ships. Designed to prevent war based on the previous experiences like WWl. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany’s invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, led to France and Britain declaring war on Germany. Germany utilized the strategy of blitzkrieg then quickly invaded France and launched devastating air raids on Britain. -
Lend-Lease Act
Congress authorizes Roosevelt to “sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend or otherwise dispose of to any such government any defense article. The Soviet Union becoming recipients of Lend-Lease materials. The US can lend/sell supplies to the allies to protect our interests. -
Atlantic Charter
The process of changing from peacetime to wartime economy in the US began even before the US at war. a broad statement of US and British war aims. It endorsed self-determination and an international system of general security. It also showed FDR’s commitment to opposing German and Japanese aggression. -
Exec Order 8802
A. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washington demanding equal access to war-time jobs. In response FDR issued Executive Order 8802, prohibiting ethnic or racial discrimination in the nation's defense industry. -
Atlantic Conference
Churchill & FDR alliance strengthened between the US & Great Britain by signing the Atlantic Charter. Yalta Conference - Churchill, FDR, Stalin - Final plans for the defeat of Europe & began a discussion of post-war European Plans. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Surprise attack launched by the Japanese against Pearl Harbor naval base, as well as nearby airfields. Japan attack in response to US embargoes and because it saw the US Pacific fleet as a threat to its growing empire. Led to US declaration of war on Japan, Germany then declared war on the U.S -
Exec Order 9066
FDR issued Executive Order 9066 which authorized the internment of Americans of Japanese descent and resident aliens from Japan. Japanese residents and Americans of Japanese descent were ordered to sell their property & belongings and report for deportation to camps in the inland deserts. -
Period: to
Battle of Midway
The U.S. strategy was island hopping. The goal was to get close enough to the Japanese home islands to launch air attacks in preparation for an invasion. Victory at Midway stopped the Japanese advance and put them on the defensive. The US was then determined to have the Soviet Union agree to participate in any invasion of Japan. -
Period: to
Operation Torch
the invasion of North Africa was launched to free the Mediterranean Sea from German control and protect the oil fields in the Middle East. Soviet’s fierce resistance to the Germans at Stalingrad turned the tide on the eastern front. -
D-Day (invasion of Normandy)
The invasion of Normandy on D-Day finally provided the long-awaited western front. Germany was now engaged on 3 fronts & had to divert resources to a western front -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive and the beginning of the end for the Nazis. American, British, and French marched towards Berlin from the west after this battle. This lead to the post-war division of Berlin and Germany and Cold War tension over Soviet control of Eastern Europe. -
Korematsu v. United States
Fred Korematsu was a Japanese American who refused to leave his home per the Exec. Order (9066) issued in regards to Japanese Americans and resident aliens. He took his case to the Supreme Court, arguing that internment violated his Constitutional rights. Korematsu lost & the Supreme Court upheld Japanese internment as Constitutional. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
President Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to prevent the necessity for landing and fighting on the Japanese home islands. Japanese surrendered unconditionally, and no invasion was necessary after the bombs were dropped. The US helped rebuild and democratize Japan after the war, creating an ally. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
President Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to prevent the necessity for landing and fighting on the Japanese home islands. Japanese surrendered unconditionally, and no invasion was necessary after the bombs were dropped. The US helped rebuild and democratize Japan after the war, creating an ally. -
United Nations is created
The US played a key role in helping to organize and start the United Nations. It was an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order. An idea based on the League of nations originally proposed by Woodrow Wilson. -
Period: to
Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials established the precedent. individuals are responsible for their own actions and for future trials on war crimes. The precedents set by the Nuremberg Trials and the conviction of Nazis has not, however, brought an end to genocide throughout the world. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine pledged to contain communism in Europe and was first applied when the United States supplied military and financial aid to Greece and Turkey. This was to resist the communist-backed rebel forces there. Because of the fear that a war-torn and economically weak Western Europe would elect socialist/ communist governments, the US offered financial aid [to promote economic rebuilding and prevent the fall of European countries to communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan, or Economic Recovery Plan of 1948, was proposed by Sec. of State George Marshall. the US offered financial aid (Marshall Plan) to promote economic rebuilding and prevent the fall of European countries to communism -
Israel is established
The US supported the self-determination of the Jewish people with the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. which demonstrates the impact of German war crimes on the conscience of the US & the world. The US played a key role in helping to organize and start the United Nations. -
Period: to
Berlin Airlift
Berlin Airlift was the US supplied the people of Berlin with food, water, and other supplies via airdrops. The first test of US policy by the Soviet Union came when the Soviets blockaded Berlin. The US won this first Cold War confrontation with the Berlin Airlift. -
US establishes NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. established a military alliance aimed at the Soviet Union. In 1955, the Soviet Union organized the Warsaw Pact. -
Soviet Union tests Atomic Bomb
this led the United States to accelerate the development of the hydrogen bomb and began a nuclear arms race. China, after a long civil war between the US-backed nationalist and communist forces, fell to communism under the leadership of Mao Tse-tung. -
Korean Conflict
n 1950, communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations voted unanimously to demand a ceasefire and support ‘police action’ to defend South Korea. The majority of troops & financial support for the Korean War came from the United States. -
Soviet Union launched Sputnik
The space race took off when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. As a result, the US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math skills. The arms race raised fears that were reflected in the building of bomb shelters as well as in the popular culture. Eventually, the US took the lead in the space race when the first man landed on the moon. -
National Defense Education Act
The space race took off when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik on Oct 4, 1957. As a result, the US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math skills. This Created a more educated workforce. -
Rise of the Berlin Wall
Germany was divided after World War II into East and West which were the Soviet zone and Allied zones. eventually, the city was physically divided by the berlin wall. This became a symbol of the Cold War to separate East & West Germany and keep people of the eastern bloc from escaping to freedom in the west through Berlin. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up a friendly government. The US supported the Afghan resistance movement. Afghan rebel groups evolved into the Taliban -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall was considered to be the end of the Cold War. The strain of the arms race and Afghan war on the Soviet economy. Movement for liberation in Eastern Europe.
