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Joseph Stalin
After Lenin dies, Joseph Stalin rises to power in the Communist Party and eventually becomes the leader of the Soviet Union. -
Period: to
World War II
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Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini rises to power as the Fascist "Il Duce" of Italy. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement between countries to not wage war over disputes. Japan, Germany, and Italy signed the pact. -
The Third Reich
The Nazi party was able to eradicate other political parties and establish the Third Reich, or "Third Empire" of Germany. -
Adolf Hitler
Hitler becomes Führer of Germany after having been Chancellor the previous year. -
Quarantine Speech
This was a speech done by FDR which called for a quarantine of the aggressor nations. "We are detemined to keep out of war, yet we cannot insure ourselves against the disastrous effects of war and the dangers of involvement." -
Munich Pact
A settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia's areas along the country's borders. It was signed to "calm Hitler down" and potentially prevent war. -
Non-Aggression Pact
Pact where Germany promised not to invade the Soviet Union. Germany eventually broke the pact when they invaded and tried to take Stalingrad. -
Blitzkrieg- Invasion of Poland
German forces invaded Poland using blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). This is considered the beginning of WWII. -
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and a member of the War Cabinet. This was the same day that Britain declared war on Germany. -
Neutrality Acts
The Neutrality Acts were a series of acts passed in the 1930s which kept the US out of conflicts in other regions of the world. The last of these acts was passed in 1939, keeping the US out of the conflict after Britain and France had declared war on Germany. -
Battle of Britain
The German Luftwaffe (Air Force) attacked the UK during the summer of 1940, beginning on July 10th. It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces. Germany is largely considered to have lost the battle. -
Selective Service Act of 1940
Required men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register with local draft boards. Eventually, all men aged 18 to 45 were made subject to military service after the US joined the war. -
Four Freedoms
FDR speech in which he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was a law that started a program for the US to supply materials to other Allied nations. -
Second Great Migration
The Second Great Migration was the migration of more than five million African Americans from the South to the North and West. It took place starting in 1941. It was of a much larger scale than the first Great Migration. -
Emperor Hirohito
This is the date on which Emperor Hirohito, the "official" ruler of Japan, was briefed about the planned Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, the US naval base in Hawaii, was unexpectedly attacked by a Japanese air fleet on December 7th, 1941. This attack created a shockwave throughout America's pride. Shortly after, the US declared war on Japan. -
War bonds
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. They were issued by the US government before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but it was after the attack that they became known as "war bonds". -
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established on January 16th, 1942 from FDR's executive order. The WPB directed the conversion of industries from peacetime work to war needs, allocated scarce materials, established priorities in the distribution of materials and services, and prohibited nonessential production. -
Japanese Internment
President Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese-Americans on the Pacific Coast in "war relocation camps" a couple of months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur was the commanding general of US forces in the Pacific Theater. He is known for his pipe and the quote "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." He was ordered by Roosevelt to relocate to Australia in the early spring of 1942. -
Rationing
US civilians rationed pretty much all goods and supplies during WWII in order to support the war effort. It was a very patriotic time. -
Chester Nimitz
Chester Nimitz was a US fleet admiral during World War II. He was able to intercept the Japanese code, shift to the offensive and defeat the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the pivotal Battle of Midway, and in the Solomon Islands Campaign. -
WAC
The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. While conservative opinion in the leadership of the Army and public opinion was initially opposed to women serving in uniform, the shortage of men necessitated it. -
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer worked on the nuclear bomb at the Los Alamos laboratory. He is known as "The Father of the Atomic Bomb". After the first bomb (codenamed Trinity) exploded he recalled a phrase from the Bhagavad Gita "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds". -
Battle of Midway
The most important naval battle in the Pacific Campaign. The United States defeated the Japanese and won the island. This is knownas the turning point in the Pacific. -
Manhattan Project
This was the project to create the first Atomic Bomb located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The project lated from 1942 to 1946. The project produced the Atomic Bombs that were dropped on Japan. The Project was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was a decisive battle on the Western front. Germany attacked the Soviet Union, breaking the Non-Agression Pact. Hitler's men were ill equipted to fight the Soviets in the winter, and many Nazi soilders died due to the cold. By Febuary, Axis troops surrenderd. -
George Patton
Patton was an expert in military tactics and used tank warfare to drive Italy and Germany out of North Africa before moving on to Europe. -
Casablanca Conference
This conference was between FDR and Winston Churchill. It outlined the next phase of World War II. The conference came to an aggreement that the Axis Powers would have to come to an unconditional surrender for the war to end. -
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter was a cultural icon representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced war supplies. Rosie the Riveter is commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women's economic power. -
Island Hopping
The strategy of taking important islands in the Pacific. The islands that were taken served as bases and stepping stones to the main Japanese islands. This was known as "Operation Cartwheel". This strategy was made possible by General MacArthur. -
Airdrops
This was the action of dropping men or supplies into a warzone from the sky. It lasted all the way to the end of the war. The most famous WWII airdrops were over Italy in which the Allies invaded Italy from the skies. -
Tehran Conference
A meeting between FDR, Stalin, and Churchill. Operation Overlord was decided to be launched in may 1944. -
D-Day (Operation Overlord)
The largest amphibious landing in history. This was a decisive Allie victory. The Allies took five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. These invasions were the first steps to closing in on Germany. -
G.I. Bill
This bill granted veterans returning from World War II benefits. The benefits included loans, tuition, low cost mortgages, and low intrest loans to start a business. -
Battle of the Bulge
Germany's final counter offensive. The Allies won the battle, gaining access of Nazi Germany. This is known as one of the greatest American battles in World War II. -
Korematsu v. United States
A US Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of the internment of Japanese Americans. The ruling was that it was constitutional. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This was a major battle in the Pacific Campaign. Iwo Jima was perhaps the bloodiest battle in the Pacific. The United States needed to take Iwo Jima to use it as a staging area for attacks on the Japanese mainland. The island had three airfields making it a priority in the Pacific. -
Battle of Okinawa
This battle was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific. The battle lasted 82 days. The United States gained the island and used it as a staging area for Japanese mainland attacks. -
Victory in Europe Day
This event marks the date when the World War II Allies formally accept the unconditional surrender of armed forces in Germany. This ended HItler's Third Reich, ending the war in Europe. -
Potsdam Conference
The goals of the conference included the establishment of post-war order, peace treaties issues, and countering the effects of the war. The conference consisted of Stalin, Churchill, and Truman. Churchill was replaced by Clement Attlee as Prime Minister of Britian during the conference. -
The Atomic Bomb
On this date the atomic bomb, codenamed little boy, exploded over Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later on August 9, 1945 a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki Japan. The bombs convinced the Japanese to surrender. -
Victory in Japan Day
A formal surrender of Japan occured on September 2, 1495, where the surrender document was signed. It was signed while on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. -
Nuremberg Trials
These were trials of major war criminals of World War II. The Tribunal was given the task of trying 23 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich. -
Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers are people who were born between 1946 and 1964. There are an estimated 79 million Americans who were born during this demographic boom in births. -
Middle Class
After World War II, the middle class flourished. Many homes, cars, and other things were bought. Most of the veterans bought homes in the surburbs. -
Levittowns
This was the date that homes went on sale in four suburban develpments in the Unites States. These were homes for WWII era veterans. The homes were cheap to buid and cheap to buy. Within the first three hours of sales, 1,400 homes had been bought.
