AICE International History Timeline Review

A Wealth of Nations Published (1776)

Adam Smith’s foundational work on capitalism and political economy; inspired global economic liberalism.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

U.S. bought 828,000 square miles from France; doubled the nation's size and encouraged westward expansion.

End of Napoleonic Wars (June 22, 1814)

Napoleon abdicated and was exiled; shifted European power dynamics and led to peace treaties.

Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815)

Final defeat of Napoleon by Allied forces; confirmed end of his reign.

Treaty of Paris (November 20, 1815)

Officially ended the Napoleonic Wars; established post-Napoleonic order.

Adams-Onís Treaty (February 22, 1819)

U.S. gained Florida and Spain renounced claims to Oregon; clarified U.S.–Spanish borders.

Monroe Doctrine Presented (December 2, 1823)

U.S. warned European powers against colonizing the Western Hemisphere.

Republic of Texas Founded (March 2, 1836)

Texas declared independence from Mexico; later joined the U.S.

Treaty of London (April 19, 1839)

Guaranteed Belgian neutrality; violated by Germany in 1914, prompting British entry into WWI.

First Opium War Begins (September 4, 1839)

China’s attempt to stop British opium trade led to war and Western intervention.

Treaty of Nanjing (August 29, 1842)

Ended First Opium War; China ceded Hong Kong and opened ports to Britain.

Manifest Destiny Promoted (August 1845)

U.S. belief in inevitable westward expansion; justified annexations.

Texas Annexation (December 27, 1845)

Texas became the 28th U.S. state; heightened tensions with Mexico.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848)

Ended U.S.–Mexico War; U.S. gained vast territory in the Southwest.

Preble Sailors Retrieved (April 18, 1849)

American sailors rescued in Japan; early sign of growing U.S. interest in Asia.

Donation Land Claim Act (September 22, 1850)

Granted land to settlers in Oregon; encouraged westward migration.

Taiping Rebellion Begins (December 1850)

Massive civil war in China; weakened Qing dynasty and killed millions.

Commodore Perry Arrives in Japan (July 8, 1853)

Forced Japan to open to trade; ended centuries of isolation.

Gadsden Purchase (December 30, 1853)

U.S. bought land from Mexico for railroad building; completed continental expansion.

Treaty of Kanagawa (March 31, 1854)

Opened Japanese ports to U.S. ships; first formal Japan–U.S. agreement.

Second Opium War Begins (October 8, 1856)

Britain and France attacked China again; forced further concessions.

Harris Treaty (July 29, 1858)

U.S.–Japan agreement securing trade rights and legal privileges in Japan.

Origin of Species Published (November 24, 1859)

Darwin’s evolution theory influenced science and imperial ideologies.

Italian Unification Completed (March 17, 1861)

Italian states unified under one kingdom; nationalism gained strength.

Homestead Act Passed (May 20, 1862)

Gave land to settlers in the West; boosted U.S. internal colonization.

Taiping Rebellion Ends (August 1864)

Qing victory but at great cost; exposed dynasty's fragility.

Alaska Purchase (October 18, 1867)

U.S. bought Alaska from Russia; expanded influence in the Pacific.

Meiji Restoration (January 3, 1868)

Ended shogunate; began Japan’s modernization and imperial rise.

Ten Years’ War Begins (October 10, 1868)

Cuban rebellion against Spain; early move toward Cuban independence.

Suez Canal Opens (November 17, 1869)

Cut travel between Europe and Asia; increased imperial competition.

Franco-Prussian War Begins (July 19, 1870)

Prussia defeated France; led to German unification.

German Unification Completed (January 18, 1871)

Germany formed under Prussian leadership; shifted European power balance.

Three Emperors' League Formed (January 1, 1873)

Alliance between Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary to isolate France.

Long Depression Begins (September 18, 1873)

Economic crisis spurred colonial expansion for new markets.

Treaty of San Stefano (March 3, 1878)

Russia’s peace deal with Ottomans after Balkan war; upset Britain and Austria.

Congress of Berlin / Treaty of Berlin (July 1878)

Revised San Stefano terms; weakened Russian influence in Balkans.

Anglo-Zulu War (January 11 – July 4, 1879)

British invaded Zulu Kingdom; annexed the territory after victory.

Dual Alliance Formed (October 7, 1879)

Germany and Austria-Hungary allied against Russian aggression.

First Boer War (December 16, 1880 – March 23, 1881)

Boer resistance restored limited independence from Britain.

Triple Alliance Signed (May 20, 1882)

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy pledged mutual military support.

British Occupation of Egypt (July 13, 1882)

Britain took control of Egypt and the Suez Canal; strategic imperial move.

Berlin Conference Begins (November 15, 1884)

European powers set rules for colonizing Africa.

Berlin Conference Ends (February 26, 1885)

Divided Africa among powers without African input.

Reinsurance Treaty Signed (June 18, 1887)

Germany and Russia agreed to remain neutral if attacked.

Wilhelm II Becomes Kaiser (June 15, 1888)

Marked Germany’s shift to aggressive foreign policy (Weltpolitik).

Naval Defence Act Passed (May 31, 1889)

Britain committed to maintaining navy as strong as next two combined.

Reinsurance Treaty Not Renewed (1890)

Bismarck’s dismissal led to worsening German–Russian relations.

Weltpolitik Adopted (1891)

Wilhelm II’s policy of global German imperial expansion.

Franco-Russian Alliance Formed (January 4, 1894)

Response to German isolation; set basis for WWI alliances.

First Sino-Japanese War Begins (July 25, 1894)

Japan fought China over Korea; confirmed Japan’s rising power.

Revive China Society Founded (November 24, 1894)

Sun Yat-sen's group aimed at ending Qing rule.

Treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17, 1895)

China ceded Taiwan and Korea to Japan after defeat.

Triple Intervention (April 23, 1895)

Russia, France, Germany forced Japan to return Liaodong Peninsula to China.

Jameson Raid Begins (December 29, 1895)

Failed British attack on Transvaal; worsened Anglo-Boer tensions.

Jameson Raid Ends (January 2, 1896)

Boers captured Jameson; increased German–Boer friendship.

Kruger Telegram Sent (January 3, 1896)

Germany congratulated Boer resistance; angered Britain.

Long Depression Ends (March 1896)

Global economic slowdown concluded; imperial rivalries intensified.

King Leopold's Congo Letter (June 16, 1897)

Justified brutal Belgian rule in the Congo as civilizing mission.

“Place in the Sun” Speech (December 6, 1897)

Germany demanded overseas empire equal to other powers.

Destruction of USS Maine (February 15, 1898)

Sparked U.S.–Spain war; blamed on Spanish aggression.

German Naval Law Enacted (March 26, 1898)

Began naval arms race with Britain.

Pavlov Agreement (March 27, 1898)

Russia gained Port Arthur lease; increased tension with Japan.

Spanish-American War Begins (April 21, 1898)

U.S. fought Spain; gained Pacific and Caribbean colonies.

Hawaiian Annexation (July 7, 1898)

U.S. formally annexed Hawaii; key naval and trade hub.

Fashoda Incident (September 18, 1898)

France and Britain nearly clashed in Sudan; resolved peacefully.

Treaty of Paris Ends Spanish-American War (December 10, 1898)

Spain ceded Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to U.S.

Queen Victoria Dies (January 22, 1901)

End of Victorian era; height of British global power.

Open Door Policy Announced (September 6, 1899)

U.S. promoted equal trade rights in China.

Second Boer War Begins (October 11, 1899)

Britain fought Boer republics; resulted in British victory.

Boxer Rebellion Begins (November 2, 1899)

Anti-foreigner uprising in China; suppressed by foreign powers.

Russian Occupation of Manchuria (November 1900)

Russia consolidated control after Boxer Rebellion.

Boxer Protocol Signed (September 7, 1901)

China paid indemnities; foreign troops stationed to protect interests.

Anglo-Japanese Alliance Formed (January 30, 1902)

Britain and Japan agreed to defend each other’s interests in East Asia; first equal treaty between a Western and Asian power.

Spooner Act Passed (June 28, 1902)

Authorized U.S. acquisition of Panama Canal rights from France; led to U.S. building and controlling the canal.

Platt Amendment Enacted (May 22, 1903)

U.S. restricted Cuba’s sovereignty and reserved the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.

German-Herero Conflict Begins (January 12, 1904)

Germany suppressed Herero uprising in Southwest Africa; resulted in genocide.

Russo-Japanese War Begins (February 8, 1904)

Conflict over Manchuria and Korea; Japan’s victory shocked the world.

Entente Cordiale Signed (April 8, 1904)

Resolved colonial tensions between Britain and France; precursor to the Triple Entente.

Roosevelt Corollary Announced (December 6, 1904)

U.S. added intervention rights in Latin America to enforce Monroe Doctrine.

First Moroccan Crisis Begins (March 31, 1905)

Germany challenged French influence in Morocco; worsened European tensions.

Tongmenghui Founded (August 20, 1905)

Sun Yat-sen formed Revolutionary Alliance; major step toward Chinese revolution.

Treaty of Portsmouth Signed (September 5, 1905)

Ended Russo-Japanese War; mediated by Theodore Roosevelt.

Algeciras Conference Begins (January 16, 1906)

Called to resolve Moroccan Crisis; limited Germany’s influence.

Algeciras Conference Ends (April 7, 1906)

Upheld French interests in Morocco; Germany diplomatically isolated.

Anglo-Russian Entente & Triple Entente Formed (August 31, 1907)

Settled imperial disputes and completed alliance among Britain, France, and Russia.

Puyi Becomes Emperor of China (November 14, 1908)

Last emperor, crowned as a child; Qing dynasty near collapse.

Death of Empress Cixi (November 15, 1908)

End of conservative rule; Qing leadership weakened.

King Edward VII Dies (May 6, 1910)

King George V ascended, continuing British global presence.

Second Moroccan Crisis Begins (July 1, 1911)

Germany sent gunboat to Agadir; increased tensions with France and Britain.

Xinhai Revolution Begins (October 10, 1911)

Overthrew Qing dynasty; led to the Republic of China.

Pu Yi Abdicates (February 12, 1912)

End of Qing rule and imperial system in China.

Sun Yat-sen Resigns (February 13, 1912)

Stepped aside for Yuan ShiKai to unify China under a republic.

Yuan ShiKai Becomes President (February 14–March 10, 1912)

Assumed leadership of the Republic of China.

Kuomintang (KMT) Established (August 25, 1912)

Sun Yat-sen founded Nationalist Party to unify and modernize China.

Song Jiaoren Assassinated (March 22, 1913)

KMT leader killed; hopes for democratic government dimmed.

KMT Declared Illegal (November 4, 1913)

Yuan ShiKai expelled Nationalists from parliament, consolidating power.

WWI Begins (July 28, 1914)

Sparked by assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; alliances triggered global conflict.

Japan’s Twenty-One Demands (January 18, 1915)

Japan tried to expand control over China during WWI; China was pressured into partial acceptance.

New Culture Movement Begins (September 15, 1915)

Intellectual shift toward democracy and science in China; led by Chen Duxiu.

Yuan ShiKai Declares Himself Emperor (December 12, 1915)

Widely opposed, leading to uprisings and political backlash.