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Causes of WWI Militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism (MAIN) world-wars-global-overview
Militarism Building up armies and weapons world-wars-global-overview
Alliance system Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia) versus Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) world-wars-global-overview
Assassination at Sarajevo June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed, setting off the war world-wars-global-overview
July Crisis Weeks of diplomacy and ultimatums that led to war in 1914 world-wars-global-overview
Schlieffen Plan German plan to defeat France quickly before turning to Russia world-wars-global-overview
Western Front Line of trenches across France and Belgium world-wars-global-overview
Eastern Front Fighting between Germany/Austria and Russia world-wars-global-overview
Battle of the Marne (1914) Allied victory that stopped the German advance on Paris world-wars-global-overview
Battle of Verdun (1916) Long, costly battle between France and Germany world-wars-global-overview
Battle of the Somme (1916) British offensive with enormous casualties world-wars-global-overview
Gallipoli (1915) Failed Allied attack on the Ottoman Empire's coast world-wars-global-overview
Machine gun Weapon that made attacks deadly for soldiers crossing open ground world-wars-global-overview
Poison gas Chemical weapon first widely used in WWI; later banned world-wars-global-overview
Tank Armored vehicle first used by Britain in 1916 world-wars-global-overview
Airplane in WWI Used first for scouting, then for fighting world-wars-global-overview
U-boat German submarine world-wars-global-overview
Russian Revolution (1917) Russia's tsar fell, and the Bolsheviks under Lenin took power world-wars-global-overview
Vladimir Lenin Bolshevik leader who founded the Soviet state world-wars-global-overview
Nicholas II Last tsar of Russia world-wars-global-overview
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) Russia left the war and gave up land world-wars-global-overview
Armistice Day November 11, 1918, when fighting stopped on the Western Front world-wars-global-overview
Treaty of Versailles (1919) Peace treaty that blamed Germany and made it pay reparations world-wars-global-overview
Reparations Payments for war damages world-wars-global-overview
War guilt clause Treaty article that made Germany accept blame for the war world-wars-global-overview
League of Nations Organization to keep peace, set up in 1920 world-wars-global-overview
Collapse of empires The Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, German and Russian empires ended after WWI world-wars-global-overview
Great Depression Worldwide economic crisis in the 1930s that helped extremists rise world-wars-global-overview
Fascism Government by a dictator with strong nationalism and no free opposition world-wars-global-overview
Benito Mussolini Fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 world-wars-global-overview
Nazi Party German party led by Adolf Hitler world-wars-global-overview
Hitler's rise (1933) Hitler became chancellor of Germany in January 1933 world-wars-global-overview
Appeasement Giving in to demands to avoid war, as at Munich in 1938 world-wars-global-overview
Munich Agreement (1938) Britain and France let Germany take part of Czechoslovakia world-wars-global-overview
Invasion of Poland (Sept. 1, 1939) Start of World War II in Europe world-wars-global-overview
Blitzkrieg German 'lightning war' using tanks, planes and fast movement world-wars-global-overview
Fall of France (1940) Germany took France in six weeks world-wars-global-overview
Dunkirk (1940) Evacuation of over 300,000 Allied troops from France world-wars-global-overview
Battle of Britain (1940) Royal Air Force defeated German air attacks world-wars-global-overview
The Blitz German bombing of British cities in 1940-41 world-wars-global-overview
Operation Barbarossa (1941) Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union world-wars-global-overview
Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43) Soviet victory that turned the tide on the Eastern Front world-wars-global-overview
El Alamein (1942) British victory in Egypt against German-Italian forces world-wars-global-overview
Pearl Harbor Japan's attack on the US on December 7, 1941 world-wars-global-overview
Japanese expansion Japan invaded China in the 1930s and spread across Asia in 1941-42 world-wars-global-overview
Nanjing (Nanking) 1937 Japan captured the Chinese capital after a hard battle; many civilians suffered world-wars-global-overview
Battle of Midway (1942) US Navy victory that weakened Japan's carriers world-wars-global-overview
Holocaust Nazi murder of six million Jews and millions of others world-wars-global-overview
Resistance movements Secret groups that opposed Nazi occupation world-wars-global-overview
Kindertransport Rescue program that took thousands of Jewish children from Germany to Britain world-wars-global-overview
Righteous Among the Nations Honor for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews world-wars-global-overview
Raoul Wallenberg Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews world-wars-global-overview
Oskar Schindler German businessman who saved over a thousand Jewish workers world-wars-global-overview
D-Day (June 6, 1944) Allied invasion of Normandy world-wars-global-overview
Liberation of Paris (Aug. 1944) Allied forces freed the French capital world-wars-global-overview
Yalta Conference Allied leaders planned the post-war world world-wars-global-overview
Potsdam Conference (1945) Allied leaders met in Germany after Germany's surrender world-wars-global-overview
V-E Day May 8, 1945, victory in Europe world-wars-global-overview
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic bombs dropped in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender world-wars-global-overview
V-J Day Japan's surrender announced August 15, 1945; signed September 2 world-wars-global-overview
Total deaths WWII killed an estimated 70 to 85 million people world-wars-global-overview
Nuremberg Trials International court trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes world-wars-global-overview
United Nations Founded in 1945 to maintain peace world-wars-global-overview
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) UN statement of basic rights for all people world-wars-global-overview
Decolonization After WWII, many colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence world-wars-global-overview
Cold War begins The US and USSR became rivals after the war world-wars-global-overview
Marshall Plan US aid to rebuild Western Europe world-wars-global-overview
Allied Powers Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the US and China world-wars-global-overview
Axis Powers Germany, Italy and Japan world-wars-global-overview
Division of Germany After WWII, Germany was divided into East and West world-wars-global-overview
Occupation of Japan US-led occupation, 1945-1952, helped Japan write a new constitution world-wars-global-overview
Chinese Civil War Fighting between Nationalists and Communists, resumed after WWII; Communists won in 1949 world-wars-global-overview
Indian Army in WWII Over 2.5 million Indian volunteers served world-wars-global-overview
Navajo Code Talkers Used their language to send secret Pacific messages world-wars-global-overview
Anne Frank's diary Diary of a Jewish girl hiding in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944 world-wars-global-overview