Great Britain and France declare war 1939 – In response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. This surprised the over-confident Hitler and diverted his grand plan from its intended course by opening a second war front. Hitler’s original plan was to occupy Poland, then Russia, and with Russia’s…
The Treaty of Versailles marked the end of the war between Germany and the Allies. Signed on July 28th 1919, the treaty essentially laid the blame of the war on Germany’s shoulders, and as such, consequences would have to be paid. The reparations outlined in the Treaty spelled out Germany’s punishment and were meant to…
The treaty of B-L provided the context for the Civil War. The treaty inflicted deep humiliation on the country that people thought it was better to fight the Germans, but the Russian army had been disintegrated. The allied powers intervened in the civil war on the side of the white army to renew the war…
Nationalism A. Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 i. Established a powerful Germany with industrial and military potentials that posed a threat to existing European powers. ii. French anti-German sentiment and desire for revenge over Germany’s annexation of Alsace-Lorraine. iii. France’s defeat sparked a revolution culminating in the French Third Republic. B. Russo-Japanese War 1905 i. In 1903,…
What Is It? The Great Depression of the 1930’s was single handedly the most significant event of the 20th century. The Stock Market Crash occurred on October 29th 1929; and this event brought front the previous errors of the American people during the Roaring Twenties. Black Friday precipitated the economic event of that century; however,…
The United States had rejected joining the League of Nations, leaving the growing conflicts of Anglo-American naval rivalry and worsening American-Japanese relations in the Pacific to be dealt in other ways. By 1919, the USA became alarmed at the rise of Japanese power in the Pacific. By this time, the Japanese had the 3rd largest…
Background The Six Day War ended with no peace treaty so tensions were still high between Egypt and Israel Tensions came to head in 1968 when the two sides started fighting over the Suez Canal Egypt wanted to clear of sunken ships Israel would only allow a clearing if their ships would be allowed through…
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement 1993 1974: Yasser Arafat and other moderate PLO leaders hinted that they were ready to consider a mini-state for Palestinians, majority of which lived in West Bank and Gaza 1974: Arafat’s speech to UN, said that Palestinian problem was about people who are struggling with life. Main goal was to bring sympathy…
The Isthmus of Suez, Egypt has always been a link connecting three continents; Europe, Asia and Africa. This strategic location enabled Egypt to become one of the world’s highways; the gateway to East, a statement reinforced by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The construction of the Suez Canal was a great landmark…
(April 1948–December 1951), U.S.-sponsored program designed to rehabilitate the economies of 17 western and southern European countries in order to create stable conditions in which democratic institutions could survive. On June 5, 1947, in an address at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall advanced the idea of a European self-help program to be…
Doctrine enunciated by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech to Congress on March 12, 1947, proclaiming a U.S. commitment to aid noncommunist countries to resist expansion by the Soviet Union. Truman, announcing this plan to contain communism, declared that American policy was “to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their…
The ‘Long Telegram’ was sent by George Kennan from the United States Embassy in Moscow to Washington, where it was received on February 22nd, 1946. Kennan was an American diplomat on the Soviet front, beginning his career as an observer of the aftermath of the Russian Civil War. He witnessed collectivization and the terror from…
Treaty of St. Germain Officially signed on September 10, 1919 and came into force on July 16, 1920. The treaty officially registered the breakup of the Habsburg Empire, recognizing the independence of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) and ceding eastern Galicia, Trento, southern Tirol, Trieste, and Istria.…
Why was Vietnam a so heavily divided subject amongst the American People? Vietnam was the first publically accessible war to the American public. With the invention of the television and the constant media exposure, for the first time the horrors of war was a publically accessible domain. Due to this, a ‘generation gap’ was created,…
Why would Canadian get involved in a war so far away? Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. As part of the British Empire, Canada was automatically at war (where Britain led, Canada must follow). The only thing in Canada’s power was the level with which it participated. Most Canadians felt very strongly…
Background Info Once installed as the President, Peron proceeded to put in the corporatist principles of the GOU (Groupo de Oficials Unidos). He decided that Argentina would be divided in to three functional groups; industrialist, farmers and workers. At the peak of the hierarchy would be the state. Peron made his urban workers his most…
The secretariat of the League was divided into three main departments dealing with: Economic, financial and transit questions Social and humanitarian problems (health, drug traffic, child welfare, social work, refugees, intellectual collaboration); Legal and administrative questions (registration of international treaties, protection of minorities, mandates, slavery). The League had four ways to enforce the provisions of…
The Battle of Atlantic lasted as long as WWII itself, 1939-1945, however, it was most significant from mid-1940 to the end of 1943. To survive the war against Hitler’s forces, Britain needed imports of food, fuel and raw materials from overseas. America provided Britain with the only tools needed for its success as Britain’s successful…
Vietnam Escalation The Communist activity in Vietnam was a direct challenge to the American mission to lead the free world into the next century. Dean Rusk, who had been the assistant secretary of state for Far Eastern Affairs in both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, making him one of the chief architects of the Vietnam…
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization – created on April 4 1949. It is the military alliance of Democratic states in Europe and North America. NATO founding members stated on April 4 1949 in Article 5, the parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be…