World War ll & Cold War Timeline

By Elijah527

  • Japanese invasion of Manchuria

    Started Japanese aggression against China & Indochina. Us response to Japanese aggression, limited by isolationist policies, was to imposing trade restrictions, such as embargoes on gas and iron.

  • Munich Pact

    Hitler broke the Munich Pact policy of appeasement made by Britain and France, when he invaded Czechoslovakia. FDR's attempts to change American policy from isolationism to international involvement led to evolving, more involved policies.

  • Kristallnacht

    Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews.

  • Neutrality Acts of 1939

    Allowed nations at war to buy goods from the US if they paid cash up front and carried the merchandise on their own ships.

  • Germany Invades Poland

    Germany's invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 led to France and Britain declaring war on Germany

  • Lend-Lease Act

    Congress authorizes Roosevelt to sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend or otherwise dispose of to any such government and defense article

  • Atlantic Charter

    August 1941- a broad statement of US and British war aims. It endorsed self determination and an international system of general security.

  • Exec Order 8022

    Prohibiting ethnic or racial discrimination in the nation's defense industry.

  • Atlantic Conference

    Churchill & FDR- alliance strengthened between US & Great Britain by signing the Atlantic charter.

  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Surprise attack launched by Japanese against pearl Harbor naval base, as well as nearby airfields. In speech to congress, and asks for and gets a declaration of war on Japan.

  • Exec Order 9066

    Executive Order 9066 which authorized the internment of Americans of Japanese descent resident aliens from Japan. Japanese Japanese residents and Americans of Japanese descent were ordered to sell their property & belongings and report for deportation to camps in the inland deserts.

  • Battle of Midway

    Victory at Midway stopped the Japanese advance and put them on the defensive.

  • Operation Torch

    the invasion of North Africa was launched to free the Mediterranean Sea from German Control and protect the oil the oil fields in the Middle East.

  • D-Day

    The invasion of Normandy on D-Day finally provided the long-awaited western front. American+British+French marched towards berlin from the west after Battle of the Bulge.

  • Korematsu v. United States

    Fred Korematsu was a Japanese American Who refused leave to leave his home per the Exec. He took his case to the supreme Court, arguing that internment violated his constitutional rights.

  • Yalta Conference

    Yalta Conference- Churchill, FDR, Stalin- Final plans for the defeat of Europe & began discussion of Post war European Plans

  • Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

    President Truman decided to Drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima (Aug, 1945) and Nagasaki (Aug 9. 1945) to prevent the necessity for landing and fighting on the Japanese home islands, which would result in too many American lives lost.

  • United Nations is created

    US played a key role in helping to organize and start the United Nations. Intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order.

  • Nuremberg Trials

    Those on trial pleaded that they " just following orders". That individuals are responsible for their own actions, for future trials in war crimes.

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Last German offensive and the beginning of the end for the Nazis. American+British+French marched towards Berlin from the west after Battle of the Bulge

  • 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 to resist the communist backed rebel forces there.

  • Marshall Plan

    Fearing that a war-torn and economically weak Western Europe would elect socialist communist governments.US offered financial aid to promote economic rebuilding and prevent the fall of European countries to communism.

  • Israel is established

    Us supported the self-determination of the Jewish people the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. US promptly recognized & supported Israel.

  • Berlin Airlift

    The US supplied the people of Berlin with food, water and other supplies via air drops.

  • US establishes NATO

    established a military alliance aimed at the Soviet Union. In 1955, the Soviet Union organized the Warsaw Pact.

  • Korean Conflict

    Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The Truman administration believed this invasion had been orchestrated by the Soviet Union and urged the United Nations to take action.

  • Soviet Union launches Sputnik

    Space race took off when the Soviet Union launched sputnik.

  • National Defense Education Act

    As a result the US Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to promote science and math skills.

  • Rise of the Berlin Wall

    Germany was divided after World War ll into East (Soviet zone) and west(Allied zones). The Soviets controlled East Berlin and the Allies [The US, Great Britain, and the French] controlled West Berlin.

  • Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

    Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on Dec 24 1979 to prop up friendly government.

  • Fall of the Berlin Wall

    Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 considered to be end of Cold War.