Major World Conflicts and Historical Turning Points

World War II: Major Combatants & Events

Sides and Leaders of WWII

• Allied Powers:
  • Countries: U.S., U.K., France, China, Soviet Union
  • Leaders: Winston Churchill (U.K.), Franklin D. Roosevelt / Harry S. Truman (U.S.), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Charles de Gaulle (France), Chiang Kai-shek (China)
• Axis Powers:
  • Countries: Germany, Japan, Italy
  • Leaders: Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), Emperor Hirohito / Hideki Tojo (Japan)

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939)

Signed in 1939 by Germany and the Soviet Union, this pact included a secret protocol that divided territories:

• Germany: Western Poland and part of Lithuania
• Soviet Union: Eastern Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and parts of Romania

Nuclear Bombings of Japan (1945)

Hiroshima was bombed by the U.S. on August 6, 1945, followed by Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Post-War Germany: FRG and GDR

• FRG (Federal Republic of Germany): The Western, free part of Germany, a capitalist democracy.
• GDR (German Democratic Republic): The Eastern part of Germany, under Soviet influence, a communist dictatorship.

American Civil War: Sides, Leaders & Generals

Key Combatants and Political Leaders

• The Union (North): Led by Abraham Lincoln
• The Confederacy (South): Led by Jefferson Davis

Prominent Military Generals

• The Union: Ulysses S. Grant
• The Confederacy: Robert E. Lee

World War I: Alliances, Combatants & Leaders

Major Combatants of WWI

• Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russian Empire
• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria

Key Leaders of WWI

• Central Powers:
  • Germany: Kaiser Wilhelm II
  • Austria-Hungary: Emperor Franz Josef
  • Ottoman Empire: Mehmed V
  • Bulgaria: Ferdinand I
• Allied Powers:
  • France: Georges Clemenceau
  • Great Britain: David Lloyd George
  • Italy: Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
  • U.S.: Woodrow Wilson

WWI Alliances: Dual and Triple

• Triple Alliance: A defensive agreement where members pledged to assist each other if attacked.
• Dual Alliance: Formed in 1879 by Germany and Austria-Hungary as a defensive pact.

The Entente Cordiale (1904)

In 1904, Britain and France resolved their colonial rivalries by signing the Entente Cordiale. Germany attempted to undermine this agreement, most notably during the First Moroccan Crisis in 1905.

Key Historical Terms and Events

Operation Barbarossa (1941)

Launched in 1941, this was the largest military offensive in history. It aimed to conquer vast areas of Soviet territory to provide "Lebensraum" (living space) for Germans. The offensive eventually stalled.

The Marshall Plan (1948)

Created by the U.S. in 1948, the Marshall Plan aimed to help rebuild Europe after WWII and prevent the spread of communism.

Causes of the Cold War

The primary causes included fundamental ideological differences between the U.S.A. (advocating freedom and capitalism) and the U.S.S.R. (advocating communism). This led to mutual distrust, an arms race (development of bombs), the division of Germany, and the formation of opposing military blocs.

Ideological Conflict: Capitalism vs. Communism

• Capitalism: Individuals and companies own property and businesses, operating as a free-market economy.
• Communism: The government owns everything, including land, factories, and businesses.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed during the Cold War, where member countries pledge mutual defense and protection.

Blitzkrieg: Germany's Military Strategy

Germany's military strategy, meaning "lightning war," involved rapid, overwhelming attacks with planes, tanks, and soldiers to surprise and quickly defeat the enemy before they could mount a defense.

Act of 1937 (Japan)

A Japanese law that granted the government increased power to prepare for war, marking a significant step towards World War II.

Munich Agreement (1938)

An agreement where the United Kingdom and France permitted Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, in an attempt to avoid war. Hitler promised no further territorial demands, a promise he subsequently broke.

Pearl Harbor Attack (1941)

Japan launched a surprise attack on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii. This attack led to the United States entering World War II the following day.