AP WORLD HISTORY

IMPORTANT DATES

Ms. SheetsAP World History

University High School

FOUNDATIONS: 8000 BCE-600 BCEArrange each event in chronological order

and if you can, assign a specific date to each.

Beginnings of early river valley civilizations

Beginnings of early agriculture

FOUNDATIONS: 8000 BCE-600 BCE

6000 BCE- Beginnings of agriculture 3000 BCE- Beginnings of early River

Valley civilizations

6000 BCE- BEGINNINGS OF EARLY AGRICULTURE

Definition:

Significance:

•Transition from nomadic life to stationary one•Hunting and gathering method replaced by farming•Agricultural development included the domestication of animals as well as the cultivation of crops

•Produced a more constant and substantial food supply could support a bigger population, so population growth•Population growth settlement in villages and development of early civilizations

3000 BCE- BEGINNINGS OF EARLY RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

Definition:

Significance:

•Mesopotamia: in between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Sumerians cuneiform, first writing system developed, ziggurats built for temples, The Epic of Gilgamesh; irrigation; Hammurabi’s code•Egypt: Nile River-prone to flooding; pharaoh or god-king; defined social classes; writing system developed with hieroglyphs•Indus River Valley: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro; unpredictable and violent flooding; structured cities; Harappan writing yet to be deciphered; conquered by Aryans•Huang He River Valley: very isolated; iron-working and flood control/irrigation projects; earliest Chinese dynasty with written records is the Shang dynasty

•First civilizations developing that led to rise of peoples, cultures, and dynasties within certain geographical areas

CLASSICAL: 600 BCE-600 CE

Arrange each event in chronological order and if you can, assign a specific date to each.

End of Han Dynasty Greek Golden Age Death of Jesus Christ/beginning of

Christianity Fall of Western Roman Empire Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tsu Alexander the Great

CLASSICAL: 600 BCE-600 CE

6th century BCE- Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tsu (Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism)

5th century BCE- Greek Golden Age 323 BCE- Alexander the Great 32 CE- Death of Jesus Christ/beginning

of Christianity 220 CE- End of Han Dynasty 476 CE- Fall of Western Roman Empire

6TH CENTURY BCE- BUDDHA, CONFUCIUS, LAO TSU Definition:

•Buddha-Indian prince Saddhartha Gautama; troubled by suffering in world so spent 6 years fasting and meditating; became Buddha or the “enlightened one”; ultimate goal of nirvana reached by following Noble Eight-fold Path; rapidly spread (Silk Roads)•Confucius-believed source of good government was in maintenance of tradition which was maintained by personal standards of virtue; patriarchy and filial piety; government stability dependent on well-educated officials; beliefs gathered into Analects•Lao Tsu-adapted traditional Chinese concepts of balance in nature (yin and yang); human understanding comes from following “The Way” (a life force in nature); political involvement and education unnecessary; natural balance resolves problemsSignificance:•Created three dominant religions/philosophies that spread rapidly around the world via trade routes (Silk Roads) and heavily influenced culture, government, traditions, and beliefs

5TH CENTURY BCE- GREEK GOLDEN AGEDefinition: •Period of great cultural and intellectual flourishing in ancient Greece•Philosophy-Sophocles, Aristotle, emphasis on power of human reason, stoicism•Science and math-Pythagoras, Euclidean geometry, studies of human anatomy and physiology by Galen, calculation of the circumference of the Earth by Eratosthenes, Ptolemy’s geocentric theorySignificance:•Intellectual advancements produced that had great effect on scholars all over the world and in later time periods•Founded basis of mathematical and scientific understanding still used today

323 BCE- ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Definition:•Son of Philip of Macedon•Invaded Greece during period of weakness after the Peloponnesian War•Conquered Greece, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Persia by death•Period of his rule called the Hellenistic Age because of Greek influence and cultural diffusion

Significance:•Spread Hellenism (Greek culture) all over Mediterranean•Conquered large areas of land for Macedonia

32 CE- DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST/BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITYDefinition: •Jesus believed to be Messiah sent by God•He and his 12 disciples traveled throughout the Roman province of Judea preaching•Believed to be a threat to Roman and Jewish authority and so put to death•Network of Roman roads facilitated spread of Christianity and allowed missionaries, traders, and other travelers to spread Jesus’s teachings

Significance:•Gained popularity because of its appeal to all social classes but especially the poor•Gave women new status because it preached genders equal in faith•Creation of religion that heavily influenced rulers, empires, peoples, wars, and still exists today

220 CE- END OF HAN DYNASTY

Definition:•Began to decline around 100 CE•Causes: heavy taxes levied on peasants, decline of interest in Confucian intellectual goals, poor harvests, population devastated due to disease, social unrest, decline in morality, weak emperors and heavy influence of army generals, unequal land distribution, trade decline, pressure from bordering nomadic tribes•Difficult to resist invasions from nomadic tribes so fell to neighboring tribesSignificance:•After nomadic tribes invaded, led to a period of disorder and political disorganization known as Era of the Warring States•Despite threats to Chinese civilization, culture remained (Confucian tradition among the elite, rise in Daoism as peasants look for comfort)

476 CE- FALL OF WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE

Definition:•Pax Romana came to an end•Causes of decline: ineffective emperors more concerned with luxury than with ruling, influence of army generals, decline of trade, increasing taxes, decreased money flow into the empire because conquests ceased, population decline as result of disease, poor harvests, unequal land distribution, dependence on slave labor, non-Romans in Roman army; large empire difficult to control, nomadic invasions•Huns began to migrate southwest, putting pressure on bordering nomadic tribes, Rome too weak and disorganized to resistSignificance:•Led to new rule and influence in area of Roman empire•Eastern portion of Roman empire flourished while West declined

POST-CLASSICAL PERIOD: 600 CE- 1450 CE

Arrange each event in chronological order and if you can, assign a specific date to each.

First Crusade Battle of Manzikert End of Abbasids Founding of Islam End of Zheng He’s voyages Great Schism

POST-CLASSICAL PERIOD: 600 CE- 1450 CE

622 CE- Founding of Islam 1054 CE- Great Schism 1071 CE- Battle of Manzikert 1095 CE- First Crusade 1258 CE- End of Abbasids 1433 CE- End of Zheng He’s voyages

622 CE- FOUNDING OF ISLAM

Definition:•Began with Muhammed, a merchant•610 CE: receives 1st revelations from the angel Gabriel in Mecca•Wife urged him to share revelations, so Muhammed preached about his revelations from Allah Qu’aran •629 CE: Muhammed and his followers (umma) journeyed to Mecca to visit the Ka’aba, now a shrine created the hajj, one of the five pillars•Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, hajj•Muhammed died without appointing a successorSignificance:•Created another major religion that would influence the globe•Spread of Islam united regions and people; created trade connections•Succession debate created Sunni and Shia split-major rift between Islamic factions

1054 CE- GREAT SCHISMDefinition:•Precipitated by differences such as whether to use unleavened bread in the Eucharist and celibacy for priests•Mutual excommunication by leaders on both sides in 1054

Significance:•Divided church into Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church (Byzantine Church)

1071 CE- BATTLE OF MANZIKERT

Definition:•Byzantine Empire versus Seljuk Turks•Byzantines defeated

Significance:•Significantly weakens Byzantine Empire and limited their military strength, contributing to their decline centuries later

1095 CE- FIRST CRUSADE

Definition:

Significance:•Early example of Western dominance and need for conquest•Opened Western world to new contacts (Byzantine Empire)•Trade between East and West increased•Introduced West to sugarcane, spices, and luxury goods such as porcelain, glassware, and carpets•First in line of seven (or eight) Crusades

•Ordered by Pope Urban II•Aid to Byzantine emperor to repel the Seljuk Turks as well as a European quest to retake Jerusalem•Provided way for younger sons to prove their excellence and have an adventure while having their sins forgiven

1258 CE- END OF ABBASIDS

Definition: •Vast empire increasingly difficult to govern•Failed to address the problem of succession within the Islamic world•High taxes made leaders less and less popular•Finances drained from leaders indulging in extravagance•Independent kingdoms arose within the empire-Persian sultans allied with Sekjuk Turks took over Baghdad•Final end when Mongoal invaders executed Abbasid caliph Significance:•Shift of power within region•Seljuk takeover of Jerusalem prompted the Crusades

1433 CE- END OF ZHENG HE’S VOYAGES

Definition:

Significance: •China cancels expeditions in 1433 for variety of reasons •Too expensive, jealous of Zheng He’s influence at court•Role of Neo-Confucians•Characteristic of xenophobia and marks turn towards isolationism

•Muslim eunuch from W. China, admiral in Ming Dynasty’s navy• Leads thirty-year expeditions and expansion into Indian Ocean• Huge amount of ships• Might have gone as far as Atlantic

EARLY MODERN PERIOD: 1450 CE- 1750 CE

Thirty Years War Battle of Lepanto Martin Luther’s 95 Theses End of Byzantine Empire Beginning of Tokugawa Shogunate Columbus reaches

Hispaniola/Reconquista of Spain

EARLY MODERN PERIOD: 1450 CE- 1750 CE

1453- End of Byzantine Empire 1492- Columbus reaches

Hispaniola/Reconquista of Spain 1517- Martin Luther’s 95 Theses 1571- Battle of Lepanto 1600- Beginning of Tokugawa Shogunate 1618-1648- Thirty Years War

1453- END OF BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Definition:•Ottomans capture Constantinople•Decline caused by weak rulers, drained finances, nomadic invasions•Ottoman leader Mehmed II new ruler

Significance:•End of centuries of strong Byzantine rule and transition to new powers•Transition to Islam Hagia Sophia converted into mosque

1492- COLUMBUS REACHES HISPANIOLA/RECONQUISTA OF SPAINDefinition:

•Columbus: sponsored by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain; landed in Hispaniola in the New World but thought it was India; tried to convert natives to Christianity•Reconquista: reconquest of former Spanish territory from the Muslims with the fall of Granada

Significance:•Opens Europe to the New World and begins the period of Western colonization and dominance

1517- MARTIN LUTHER’S 95 THESES

Definition:•German priest and former monk nailed list of grievances with the Catholic Church to door of church in Wittenberg•Didn’t like indulgences, Bible only in Latin•Belief that salvation obtained only through faith in Jesus Christ and not dependent on following church practices and traditions•Excommunicated for his ideas•Spread widely as a result of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing pressSignificance:•Began the Protestant Reformation which appealed to many as they resented the authority of the pope•Increased European questioning of the Church and the pope•Strengthened monarchial power as papal power decreased•Created new Protestant churches (Anglican, Calvinism)

1571- BATTLE OF LEPANTO

Definition:•Between Ottomans and the Spanish•Spanish victory•First defeat of strong Ottoman navy

Significance:•Seen as battle between Christianity and Islam; victory viewed as divine blessing of Spanish

1600- BEGINNING OF TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE

Definition:•Tokugawa Ieyase wins the contest for succession after Hideyoshi’s death in Japan and emperor appoints him shogun•Did not continue Hideyoshi’s military campaigns outside of Japan, but instead focused on consolidating power at home•Reorganized remaining daimyos •Most of land in central Honshu was now under the control of the Tokugawa family rather than under daimyo controlSignificance:•Put an end to the civil wars and brought political unity and centralization to Japan

1618-1648- THIRTY YEARS WARDefinition:•Principally fought in Central Europe, involving most of the countries of Europe• Initially religion was a motivation for war as Protestant and Catholic states fought even though they all were inside the Holy Roman Empire• Developed into a more general conflict involving most of the great powers of Europe and war became less specifically religious and more a continuation of the Bourbon–Habsburg rivalry for European political pre-eminenceSignificance:•Devastation of entire regions due to war•Famine and disease significantly decreased the population of the German states•Bohemia, the Low Countries, Italy, and most of the combatant powers were bankrupted•Continuation of previous and led to further tensions in Europe

MODERN PERIOD: 1750 CE-1900 CEArrange each event in chronological order and

if you can, assign a specific date to each.

• Seven Years War•Unification of Germany•Sepoy Rebellion•European revolutions/Karl Marx writes The Communist Manifesto•First Opium War•Haitian Revolution•French Revolution•American Revolution/Adam Smith writes Wealth of Nations

•Boer War•Commodore Matthew Perry opens Japan•Spanish American War•Independence across Latin America•Congress of Vienna•Berlin Conference•Emancipation of Serfs Act/unification of Italy

MODERN PERIOD: 1750 CE-1900 CE

• 1756-1763- Seven Years War•1776- American Revolution/Adam Smith writes Wealth of Nations•1789- French Revolution•1804- Haitian Revolution•1815- Congress of Vienna•1820s- Independence across Latin America•1839- First Opium War•1848- European revolutions/Karl Marx writes The Communist Manifesto

•1853- Commodore Matthew Perry opens Japan•1857- Sepoy Rebellion•1861- Emancipation of Serfs Act/unification of Italy•1871- Unification of Germany•1884- Berlin Conference•1898- Spanish American War•1899- Boer War

1756-1763- SEVEN YEARS WAR

Definition:•British vs. the French in the New World as well as in Europe-involved Native Americans and colonial militias•Fought for right to expand their territory in the Americas•Entangling European alliances meant involvement of multiple nations-India, Prussia•British recruited the colonies with reimbursement for expenses 24,000 colonists joined with British army•Ended with Treaty of Paris-expelled the French and gave Canada to BritainSignificance:•First “global” war•British victory drove French influence out of New World and decreased their influence in the colonies•Shared sense of victory between colonists and British but also brought new tensions (quartering, trade with French)

1776- AMERICAN REVOLUTION/ADAM SMITH WRITES WEALTH OF NATIONSDefinition:

•Causes: virtual vs. actual representation (“Taxation without representation!”); Currency Act; Sugar Act; Stamp Act; Quartering Act; Declaratory Act; Townshend Act; writs of assistance; Tea Act; Coercive Act; Intolerable Acts•Colonial resistance: Sons of Liberty; Stamp Act Congress; Circular Letter; Sam Adams and John Dickinson; Boston Massacre; Committee of Correspondence•First Continental Congress: Declaration of Rights and Grievances; Suffolk Resolves; petition to George II•Second Continental Congress: Olive Branch Petition; Lexington and Concord; Common Sense; Declaration of Independence•War: General George Washington; Battle of Saratoga; Valley Forge; Battle of Saratoga (French); Battle of Yorktown and British surrender•Treaty of Paris-recognized American independence and surrendered territory• Wealth of Nations: 1) Capitol, 2) Export more than you import, 3) Draw resources from coloniesSignificance:•Led to American independence and crafting of a new government structure•Mercantilism

1789- FRENCH REVOLUTION

Definition:•In 1789, Estates General had not been called by a French monarch in 175 years but Louis XVI forced to call for an Estates-General meeting about tax reform•Loses control to bourgeoisie members who insist on one vote per representative rather than one vote per estate•New National Assembly issues Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression)Significance:•Marks end to French traditional monarchical power and now king’s power is limited by the power of a strong parliament•New individual freedoms granted in DOROMAC and constitution

1804- HAITIAN REVOLUTIONDefinition:•Rebellion against France for independence• Haiti was originally Saint-Domingue, a French Caribbean island colony for sugar plantations• Mixed society: slave workers on sugar plantations, freed blacks, and French colonists• During the French Revolution, tensions increased in Saint-Domingue between white inhabitants and free blacks• In 1791, Haitian slaves capitalize upon social tensions and decide to rebel against French control, led by Toussaint L’OvertureSignificance:•Haiti declares its independence•First incident in world where black slaves successfully rebelled against their enslavers

1815- CONGRESS OF VIENNA

Definition:•Meeting of European leaders after defeat of Napoleon•Goal: return Europe to its pre-Napoleonic state•Restore legitimate monarchs to throne and create a balance of power prevent France or any other country from dominating the continent again

Significance:•Brought balance back to Europe as spirit of conservatism kept Europe largely at peace until the end of the nineteenth century

1820S- INDEPENDENCE ACROSS LATIN AMERICADefinition:

Significance:

•Mexico: Father Miguel de Hidalgo called for mestizos and Indians to support a rebellion but Creoles abandoned; rejoined cause under Augustine de Iturbide; declared independence from Spain 1821 and became a republic in 1824•Gran Colombia: Creole Simon Bolivar believed freedom from Spanish rule would ensure Latin American prosperity; liberated Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela and united them into Gran Colombia but regional differences caused them to separate•Brazil: French invaded Portugal 1807 and royal family fled to Brazil; Portuguese king returned after defeat of Napolean and left son Don Pedro as regent; Pedro declared independence in 1822 after realizing Brazil would lose representation in Portuguese parliament

•Movements for independence separated Latin America from European colonization and influence

1839- FIRST OPIUM WARDefinition:•British were frustrated by having to pay large amounts of silver for Chinese goods so they traded Indian opium to the Chinese•Leads to addiction in China and loss of Chinese silver•Qing emperor issued edicts: 1) forbid European opium trade; 2) opium is to be confiscated and destroyed•1839: First Opium War between Chinese and British Chinese were defeated•Treaty of Nanking (1842): Hong Kong is a British colony dedicated to European trade•Extraterritoriality rightsSignificance:•Opens China up to spheres of influence(Europeans forcing the Chinese to open trade and diplomatic exchanges and extend right of extraterritoriality)•Reveals the West’s power over Qing

1848- EUROPEN REVOLUTIONS/KARL MARX WRITES THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

Definition:

Significance:

•Liberal revolutions of 1848: sought protection for rights of propertied classes•Marxism based on class struggle-proletariat vs. bourgeoisie but would be solved with a proletariat revolution•Would ensure social and political freedom no need for the state communism and a classless society

•Brought end to monarchy in France but largely failed to bring permanent reform•Marxist ideas formed basis of Communism and socialism in many countries

1853- COMMODORE MATTHEW PERRY OPENS JAPAN

Definition:•American Commodore who arrived in Edo Bay and threatened bombardment if Americans were not allowed to trade there•Japanese give in and open two ports for Americans•British, Dutch, and Russians soon gain similar ports•Shogun troops and shogunate feel helpless in face of West

Significance: •Ends Japanese isolation which had been in place since the Tokugawa Shogunate•Shows Western attitude of dominance

1857- SEPOY REBELLION

Definition: •Revolt by Indian sepoys in the British army (run by British East Indian Trading Company)•Indian Muslim and Hindu soldiers upset by new rifles that require them to use their teeth to tear open cartridges (animal fat was used to lubricate cartridges and Hindu and Muslim Indians do not want to ingest this)•Revolt ends with British victory•British East India Company is criticized by British government for mishandling rebellion

Significance:•Weakens British relationships with sepoys and led to dissolution of the British East India Company by creating British Raj

1861- EMANCIPATION OF SERFS ACT/UNIFICATION OF ITALY

Definition:•Serfdom eradicated by Alexander II who does so entirely to try to industrialize Russia and move peasants into the roles of proletariat•23 million serfs made legally free of their landlords• Ex-serfs allowed to own property, marry by choice, trade freely, sue in courts, vote in local elections• Serfs were saddled with redemption payments: serfs had to buy land assigned to them from previous owners’ estates prohibited peasants from being able to move to citiesSignificance:•Emancipation of serfs aided in changing Russia from a predominantly agricultural to a slightly more industrialized society with a labor force•Did not lead to increased agricultural productivity because peasants were highly unskilled and used outdated agricultural method•Attempt by Russia to industrialize that is not successful in eliminating Russia’s dependence on agricultural labor

1871- UNIFICATION OF GERMANY

Definition:•Nationalist stirrings brought unification of various political units

Significance:•Unified a previously divided region

1884- BERLIN CONFERENCE

Definition:•Organized by Otto van Bismarck•Partitioned Africa into colonies controlled by Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, and Spain; Liberia and Ethiopia are not colonized• No African representatives present• Divisions made without concerns for traditional ethnic or cultural groups

Significance:•Indicates fervor with which European nations pursued colonization for industrial purposes•Shows Western disregard for non-Western concerns and preferences

1898- SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

Definition:•Cubans rebelled against Spanish rule US businessmen grew concerned about their Cuban investments in sugar and tobacco•USS Maine sent to Havana but explodes in Havana harbor•Yellow journalism leads Americans to feel that Spain was responsible for explosion of ship (Remember the Maine; to Hell with Spain!)•US went to war against Spain US victory resulted in Spanish cession of Puerto Rico and Guam to the US and the US purchase of the PhilippinesSignificance:•Allowed for direct US involvement in Caribbean •Cuba became independent republic, subject to manipulation by the US

1899- BOER WAR

Definition:•After the Great Trek where Boers retreated from British along coastlines, Boers established two republics (Orange Free State and Transvaal) in the interior•Diamonds were found in the Orange Free State and gold was discovered in Transvaal republic• Boer War (1899-1902) occurred when the Boers declared war on the British for invading their republics and interfering with Boer interests British were victorious•British unite republics into Union of South Africa

Significance:•Reveals the lengths to which whites will go to control South African territory to control land and resources•Example of British industrialized power overcoming rural Boers

GLOBAL/CONTEMPORARY PERIOD: 1900 CE- PRESENTArrange each event in chronological order

and if you can, assign a specific date to each.•World War II

•Cuban Revolution•Russian Revolution•Mexican Revolution•Iranian Revolution•Chinese Revolution (to overthrow Qing)•Korean War•Treaty of Versailles•Pearl Harbor•Creation of Israel•Russo-Japanese War•German invasion of Poland

•World War I•Indian independence•Japanese invasion of Manchuria•Fall of Berlin Wall/Tiananmen Square•Global Great Depression•9/11•Chinese Communist Revolution•Fall of USSR•Cuban Missile Crisis•Suez Canal Crisis/de-Stalinization

GLOBAL/CONTEMPORARY PERIOD: 1900 CE- PRESENT

•1905- Russo-Japanese War•1910-1920- Mexican Revolution•1911- Chinese Revolution (to overthrow Qing)•1914-1918- World War I•1917- Russian Revolution•1919- Treaty of Versailles•1929- Global Great Depression•1931-Japanese invasion of Manchuria•1939- German invasion of Poland•1941- Pearl Harbor

•1939-1945- World War II•1947- Indian independence•1948- Creation of Israel•1949- Chinese Communist Revolution•1950-1953- Korean War•1956- Suez Canal Crisis/de-Stalinization•1959- Cuban Revolution•1961- Cuban Missile Crisis•1979- Iranian Revolution•1989- Fall of Berlin Wall/Tiananmen Square•1991- Fall of USSR•2001- 9/11

1905- RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

Definition:•Nationalism and a mutual desire to control Korea led to a conflict of interests between Russia and Japan•Led to the Russo-Japanese War Japanese victory

Significance:•Caused economic and political weakening of Russia led to Russian Revolution and overthrow of tsar

1910-1920- MEXICAN REVOLUTION

Definition:•1876, Porfirio Diaz was elected president of Mexico•Encouraged foreign investment, industries, and exports, which did not benefit the working class-opponents arrested or exiled•Middle class began movement for election reform-joined by workers and peasants

Significance:•Resulted in new constitution that guaranteed land reform, limited foreign investments, restricted church ownership of property, and reformed education

1911- CHINESE REVOLUTION (TO OVERTHROW QING)

Definition:•Western educated reformers wanted to model China’s government along Western lines•Sun Yat-sen: reforms to benefit peasants and workers•Wanted China free of foreign imperialists

Significance:•Successfully overthrew Qing dynasty and brought end to centuries of dynastic rule

1914-1918- WORLD WAR IDefinition:•MAIN causes (Militarism; Alliances; Imperialism; Nationalism)•Militarism: new industrialized artillery and naval forces•Alliances: emergence of new Germany disrupts power balance alliances created, Triple Alliance [Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy] and Triple Entente [Britain, Russia, France]•Imperialism: imperialist competition for new markets and new resources increased rivalries between alliances•Nationalism: Balkan independence from Ottomans; new Germany and Italy; Balkan Wars for independence from Ottomans leave Serbia as they felt they should have received more territory•Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist Austria vows to attack Serbia to punish them, Russia protects Serbia, alliances activate and war begins•Submarine warfare and Zimmerman Telegram US involvement

Significance:•A major war begins that was fought over developments that have primarily occurred in the 19th century (nationalism; imperialism, etc)

1917- RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Definition:•February and October Revolutions•Causes: Russian decline as a world power, peasant dissatisfaction, political repression, and human and financial costs of World War I•February overthrew and executed tsar Nicholas II and family•October brought rise of Bolsheviks and Vladimir Lenin to powerSignificance:•Brought end to tsarist rule in Russia•Made possible Communist rule in Soviet Russia with eventual introduction of Marxism-Leninism

1919- TREATY OF VERSAILLES

Definition: •Ended World War I•Goal: cripple Germany economically so it could never again rise to power and threaten to invade other European states•Major players disagreed about how to deal with Germany•Article 231: Clause included that placed total blame for war upon Germany• Limit army to 100,000 soldiers•Alsace and Lorraine returned to France•Pay $33 billion in reparations to Entente members• Lost all colonies

Significance:•Creates conditions in Germany post-WWI that will facilitate the rise of Hitler and create WWII

1929- GLOBAL GREAT DEPRESSIONDefinition:

Significance: •INTERNATIONAL collapse that affected the whole world•Unemployment in Europe•Western luxury purchases collapsed which hurt Japanese and Chinese economies•FDR offered the “New Deal” which created government growth and a good spending cycle•creates economic instability in Europe which leads to fascism Hitler, Franco, Mussolini

•WWI devastated European economies•Germany unable to make reparations payments Britain and France unable to repay war debts to US•Employment in key sectors (coal, iron, textiles) began to decline due to less demand postwar•October 1929: The New York Stock Market crashed- Investors were building up high debt because of easy credit•When stock market crashed, people pulled their money banks collapsed•Exacerbated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s•Most governments tried to cut spending and many raised tariffs this actually worsened the Depression

1931-JAPANESE INVASION OF MANCHURIA

Definition:•Goal: to create a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and the Japanese•Also wanted Manchuria’s resources such as coal and iron deposits

Significance:•One of the propelling forces of World War IIJapanese presence in Manchuria led to Japanese invasion of China in 1937, which signaled the beginning of World War II in Asia

1939- GERMAN INVASION OF POLAND

Definition:•Adolf Hitler invaded Poland September 1939, breaking Germany’s nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union•Continuation of other European conquests, including annexation of Czechoslovakia and Sudatenland

Significance:•Marked the beginning of World War II in Europe

1941- PEARL HARBOR

Definition:•Japanese retaliation at US embargo imposed on them•Bombing of US fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

Significance:•Impetus that led to US involvement in World War II•Brought greater industrial power to war

1939-1945- WORLD WAR IIDefinition:•Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan vs. Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, and Soviet Union (Eventually United States)•Two theaters: Pacific and European•1941 tide turned for Allied with Hitler’s unsuccessful winter invasion of Russia and US entry into the war•Soviet push from eastern front allowed for Axis weakening•Holocaust: systematic slaughter of over 6 million Jews, gypsies, slavs, political witnesses, and others by Hitler•D-Day: invasion of Normandy, France by Allied forces•Use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki•Allied victorySignificance:•Led to new political reorganization in Asia (Korea)•Soviet occupation in Europe•Creation of United Nations

1947- INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

Definition:•Leader of independence movement: Mohatama Ghandi, who believed in passive resistance to accomplish his goals•1935 increased suffrage and turned provincial governments over to Indian leaders•Delayed by Muslim insistence on a separate Muslim state

Significance:•Along with Indian independence came the creation of Pakistan separation into East and West civil war creation of Bangladesh more war Israel WAR

1948- CREATION OF ISRAEL

Definition:•After creation of India and Pakistan, high immigration of Jews to Palestine•1948 United Nations partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab countries Israel•Arab protest (expulsion from their home)

Significance:

•Volatile, controversial, and violent topic still very relevant today

1949- CHINESE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION

Definition:•Sun Yat-sen and followers reorganized into Guomindang or Nationalist Party•1921 Chinese Communist Party formed-Mao Zedong•1927 civil war between Nationalists and Communists-lasted until 1949•Mao Zedong’s communist land reforms gained support of peasants so Chiang Kai-sek and Nationalists fled to TaiwanSignificance:•Creation of People’s Republic of China and instated Communist rule in China for years to come

1950-1953- KOREAN WAR

Definition:

Significance:

•After World War II, Korea divided into Communist North and American-controlled South•North invaded South and Security Council sent in peacekeeping force•American and other United Nations forces fought to stop Communist aggression against South Korea

•Example of containment•Negotiated settlement that divided Korea along the 38th parallel, which still exists today•Cost over 57,000 American lives

1956- SUEZ CANAL CRISIS/DE-STALINIZATION

Definition:

Significance:

•Led by Nikita Khrushchev• Easing up on Stalin’s policies and the creation of a more tolerant political climate in the USSR• Little concrete institutional reform occurred, but regime becomes slightly less extreme and strict

•Reveals a movement away from the strict politics of Stalinist Russia•Transition to a more tolerant and modern nation

1959- CUBAN REVOLUTIONDefinition:•Cuba was dependent on American imports and the export of sugar• Disparity between middle classes and lowest classes grows•Rural areas lag behind• 1952-1959: Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba as military dictator• Little actual reform and opposition movements rise Fidel Castro (young lawyer) and Ernesto “Che” Guevara (militant Argentinian revolutionary) joined in Mexico to create a small military force to overthrow Batista (pledge real democracy, justice, social prosperity, freedom)•“26th of July Movement” drove Batista from power while rebels take Havana, and Castro has support of students, labor organizations, rural workersSignificance:•Revolution is successful and Batista is overthrown; Castro installed as dictator •Castro creates a socialist Cuba

1961- CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

Definition:•Soviet construction of nuclear missiles in Cuba•Cause of great tension between President Kennedy and Soviet leader Kruschev

Significance:

•Amplified Cold War tensions•Example of brinkmanship-high tensions on brink of battle, but no actual fighting

1979- IRANIAN REVOLUTION

Definition:•US-backed government of Reza Shah Pahlavi overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists•Middle classes opposed to shah’s authoritarian and repressive regime•Religious leaders opposed lack of fundamentalism

Significance:•Ayatollah Khomeini introduced new strict anti-Western culture and fundamentalist practices

1989- FALL OF BERLIN WALL/TIANANMEN SQUARE

Definition:•Berlin Wall: constructed by Soviets in 1961, dividing German city of Berlin into East and West controlled by Soviet Union and the US/Britain•Finally destroyed by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev•Tiananmen Square: Communist China did not permit democratic reform, as shown in government’s suppression of students demonstrating for democracy in TiananmenSignificance:

•Marks beginning of end of Soviet Union•Shows strict Communist regime in place in China

1991- FALL OF USSR

Definition:•1988 Poland instituted a noncommunist government•1989 Berlin Wall dismantled•1990 Germany reunified•1989 Czechoslovakia ended its communist government Czech Republic and Slovakia•Summer of 1991 Baltic republics declared independence-Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and central Asia•December 1991 Soviet Union dissolved and replaced with Commonwealth of Independent States•Communist Party terminated and Boris Yeltsin elected presidentSignificance:•End of Communist Russia and superpower that was the Soviet Union

2001- 9/11

Definition:•Terrorist attacks on United States by radical Islamic fundamentalist group•Destroyed Twin Towers and World Trade Center

Significance:•Led to increased concern in America about terrorism and domestic security •Increased support for more US involvement in the Middle East•Caused widespread fear and suspicion of Islam and terrorist attacks