HTST Yalta

1914: World War I begins

Marks the start of the global conflict involving major powers.

U.S. enters WWI; Bolshevik Revolution creates Soviet Union

The U.S. joins the Allies in World War I; the Bolshevik Revolution leads to the formation of the Soviet Union.

1918: WWI ends; Wilson issues Fourteen Points

Germany surrenders, and President Wilson proposes the Fourteen Points to promote peace and self-determination.

Treaty of Versailles signed

Officially ends World War I and imposes harsh reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

1920: U.S. Senate rejects Versailles Treaty

The U.S. declines to join the League of Nations, reflecting isolationist sentiment.

1922: Stalin becomes head of the Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin consolidates power, beginning a period of totalitarian rule and centralization in the Soviet Union.

1928: Stalin launches the First Five-Year Plan

Marks the start of rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization in the Soviet Union.

1932: FDR elected U.S. president

Franklin D. Roosevelt begins the New Deal era, implementing reforms to combat the Great Depression.

1933: Hitler becomes German chancellor

Adolf Hitler rises to power, establishing the Nazi regime and setting the stage for World War II.

1938: Munich Agreement—Britain and France appease Hitler; Sudetenland ceded

Britain and France pursue appeasement, allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in hopes of preventing war.

Aug 1939: Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (Molotov–Ribbentrop)

Secret agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland; USSR occupies east Poland; WWII begins; Polish government-in-exile forms

Germany’s invasion of Poland triggers World War II; the USSR occupies eastern Poland, and the Polish government-in-exile is established.

940: Germany invades Denmark, Norway, and France; Churchill becomes PM; USSR occupies Baltic States; Battle of Britain begins

France falls to Germany; Britain, under Winston Churchill, stands alone against the Axis during the Battle of Britain.

1941: Germany invades USSR; U.S. passes Lend-Lease Act; Japan attacks Pearl Harbor; U.S. enters war

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Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, the U.S. supports Allies through Lend-Lease, and after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. officially joins WWII.

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1942: Battle of Midway (U.S. victory); British win at El Alamein; Allied landings in North Africa

Key turning points as the Allies gain momentum in both the Pacific and North African theaters.

Jan 1943: Allies declare goal of unconditional surrender

The Allies agree that only total Axis defeat will end the war.

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Feb 1943: German defeat at Stalingrad

Major Soviet victory marking a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front.

Apr 1943: Katyn Massacre revealed; Stalin cuts ties with Polish government-in-exile

Discovery of the Katyn Massacre leads Stalin to sever relations with the Polish government-in-exile.

Jul 1943: Allies invade Italy; Mussolini falls; German defeat at Kursk

Italy collapses under Allied invasion; Germany suffers massive losses at Kursk, weakening the Axis in Europe.

Nov 1943: Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) meet at Tehran

First major Allied summit where plans for D-Day and postwar Europe are discussed.

Jun 1944: D-Day invasion (Normandy); Rome liberated; Soviets enter eastern Poland

The Western Front opens as the Allies liberate Western Europe and the Soviets advance from the East.

Jul 1944: Lublin Committee (Polish Communists) recognised by Stalin

The Soviet-backed Polish government is established, signaling Soviet influence in postwar Poland.

Aug 1944: Warsaw Uprising; Paris liberated

Resistance movements intensify; the Allies liberate Paris while the Warsaw Uprising challenges Nazi control.

Oct 1944: Warsaw Uprising crushed; U.S. wins Battle of Leyte Gulf

Soviet forces allow the Warsaw Uprising to fail; the U.S. secures a decisive naval victory over Japan.

Nov 1944: Roosevelt wins fourth term

Franklin D. Roosevelt is re-elected, ensuring continuity of U.S. wartime leadership.

Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge fails

Germany’s last major offensive in the West is repelled, marking the beginning of the end for the Nazis.

Jan 1945: Soviets capture Warsaw, prepare to attack Berlin

The Red Army advances toward Berlin, signaling the final phase of the war in Europe.

Feb 1945: Big Three meet again at Yalta

Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin plan the postwar order and the creation of the United Nations.

Jan 1945: Soviets capture Warsaw, prepare to attack Berlin

The Red Army advances toward Berlin, signaling the final phase of the war in Europe.