History 110B Final CSUF Hall

What was the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

What was the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

remembered largely as a front for the Japanese control of occupied countries during World War II, in which puppet governments manipulated local populations and economies for the benefit of Imperial Japan.

What happened at Midway and why was it important?

The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre. Fought just a month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, Midway was the turning point of the Pacific Campaign.

What happened at Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa and how did it affect American decisions about the end of the War?

The battles of Iwo Jima, along with other similar battles like that on Saipan, influenced the US decision to drop the atomic bombs because they convinced the Americans that an invasion of the Japanese home islands would be horrifically costly in terms of human life. In part because of these battles, the US decided that using the bombs would save huge numbers of lives by ending the war without an invasion.

What was Operation Barbarossa?

Operation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war.

What happened at Stalingrad?

The first reason is that the Battle of Stalingrad marked the end of Germany's advances into eastern Europe and Russia. The second reason is that this battle was the first major German loss during World War II. After the Germans lost in Stalingrad, they did not advance any farther into eastern Europe or Russia.

What was the Holocaust?

the mass murder of some 6 million European Jews (as well as millions of others, including Gypsies and homosexuals) by the German Nazi regime during the Second World War. To the anti-Semitic Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Jews were an inferior race, an alien threat to German racial purity and community.

What were the Nuremberg Laws?

Two distinct laws passed in Nazi Germany in September 1935 are known collectively as the Nuremberg Laws: the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. These laws embodied many of the racial theories underpinning Nazi ideology. They would provide the legal framework for the systematic persecution of Jews in Germany.Reich Citizenship Law- Only Germans can be citizens
Law for the protection of German blood and german honor- Banned marriage between jews and germans

What was Kristallnacht?

Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms, the night of November 9-10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms. The violence continued during the day of November 10, and in some places acts of violence continued for several more days.

What were Einsatzgruppen?

Einsatzgruppen, (German: "deployment groups") units of the Nazi security forces composed of members of the SS, the Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo; "Security Police"), and the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo; "Order Police") that acted as mobile killing units during the German invasions of Poland (1939) and the Soviet Union (1941).

What happened at the Wannsee Conference?

Wannsee Conference, meeting of Nazi officials on January 20, 1942, in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to plan the "final solution" (Endlösung) to the so-called "Jewish question" (Judenfrage).

What was the Normandy Invasion? When was D-Day?

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day)

What was the Battle of the Bulge?

the significance of the Battle of the Bulge was that Germany's defeat and the end of the war in Europe came sooner, and at a lower cost in Allied lives than it would have otherwise. The Battle of the Bulge, or Ardennes Offensive was the last major Nazi offensive in World War II. It started on December 16, 1944

What happened at Remagen?

The Battle of Remagen during the Allied invasion of Germany resulted in the unexpected capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine and shortened World War II in Europe. ... The Germans had wired the bridge with about 2,800 kilograms (6,200 lb) of demolition charges. Allied victory.

How costly was the Soviet victory at Berlin?

Soviet forces sustained 81,116 dead for the entire operation, which included the battles of Seelow Heights and the Halbe; another 280,251 were reported wounded or sick during the operational period. The operation also cost the Soviets about 1,997 tanks and SPGs.

What was the Potsdam Declaration?

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II.

What was Strategic Bombing? How effective was it?

Strategic bombing, approach to aerial bombardment designed to destroy a country's ability to wage war by demoralizing civilians and targeting features of an enemy's infrastructure—such as factories, railways, and refineries—that are essential for the production and supply of war materials.

What happened at Dresden? Why was it controversial?

British and US forces bombed the city of Dresden. There was no military or strategic significance and that's why it's controversial.

Where was the first Atomic Bomb dropped? When was it dropped? Where was the second one dropped?

Hiroshima- Aug. 6, 1945
Nagasaki- Aug. 9, 1945

What was the Final Solution?

The "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" was the official code name for the murder of all Jews within reach, which was not restricted to the European continent. Henrich Himmler

What happened at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor?

Treblinka was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. ... More Jews were killed at Treblinka than at any other Nazi extermination camp apart from Auschwitz.

Who were the Comfort Women?

Comfort women were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied territories before and during World War II

What happened at the Yalta Conference?

The conference at Yalta held in the Crimea on February 4-11, 1945 brought together the Big Three Allied leaders. During this conference, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt discussed Europe's postwar reorganization. The main purpose of Yalta was the re-establishment of the nations conquered and destroyed by Germany.

What happened at the Potsdam Conference?

Potsdam Conference. Held near Berlin, the Potsdam Conference (July 17-August 2, 1945) was the last of the World War II meetings held by the "Big Three" heads of state. ... The leaders arrived at various agreements on the German economy, punishment for war criminals, land boundaries and reparations

What events and circumstances led up to the Cold War?

Stalin's Speech February, 1946
Soviets not following through with promises at the Potsdam and Yalta conferences

What was the "Long Telegram" and who wrote it?

George Kennan wrote the long telegram from moscow to the secretary of state suggesting
Containment which was a United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad. A component of the Cold War, this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to enlarge its communist sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, and Vietnam.

Who gave the "Iron Curtain" speech, and what was it about? What WAS the Iron Curtain?

Winston Churchill, It refers to the fact that Eastern Europe was more or less controlled by the Soviet Union. The Iron Curtain was a barrier that divided capitalist and communist nations.

What was the Iran Crisis?

Students from Tehran University held the American embassy hostage response to the deposed shah being allowed into the US for medical treatment

What was the Marshall Plan?

The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative passed in 1948 to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $12 billion (nearly $100 billion in 2018 US dollars) in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II.

What were the crises in Greece and Turkey about?

At the conclusion of World War II, Turkey was pressured by the Soviet government to allow Russian shipping to flow freely through the Turkish Straits, which connected the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. As the Turkish government would not submit to the Soviet Union's requests, tensions arose in the region, leading to a show of naval force on the side of the Soviets.
Greece fell into a civil war after the British stopped helping them, they turned to the US for help in late 1946

What was the Truman Doctrine?

With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.

From the perspective of the United States and western nations, what was the Cold War about?

Preventing the expansion of communism

From the Soviet perspective, what didn't the U.S. and westerns nations appreciate about Soviet actions in Europe?

The Soviets did not get involved in the Greek civil war, not involved in communist parties.
permitted freedoms in Satellite states that the people in the USSR didn't have

What was the Berlin Blockade? Whose idea was it? What did it lead to? What were the consequences?

Soviets blocking all roads, rail, and water ways between Berlin and Western Germany. American and British airlift supplies to West Berlin. After blockade is lifted by soviets, the US, the UK, and the French zones of occupation coalesced to form the Federal Republic of Germany

What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

What happened in Korea in 1950?

Communist government formed in North Korea, non communist in the south. NK invades SK, North and South separated att the 38th parallel

Who was Kim Il Sung? Who was Syngman Rhee?

Kim Il Sung was the first leader of North Korea which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.
Rhee adopted a strongly anti-communist and pro-American stance, and led South Korea through the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. ... Rhee's popularity declined after the Korean War, and he resigned in April 1960 during the April Revolution following popular protests against the disputed March 1960 presidential election

What role did Stalin play in the end of the Korean war?

He died and the USSR designated a peace treaty with Korea

Who was Nikita Khruschev? What were his plans for his nation's relationship with the West?

Led the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
Wanted a good relationship with the west, but was a tried and true communist

What was the Secret Speech?

Khrushchev's speech denouncing Joesph Stalin

What and when and was the Hungarian Uprising? What does it tell us about the limits of Soviet reform?

Hungarian Revolution, popular uprising in Hungary in 1956, following a speech by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in which he attacked the period of Joseph Stalin's rule. ... On November 4 the Soviet Union invaded Hungary to stop the revolution, and Imre Nagy was executed for treason in 1958.

What was the U-2 Incident and why was it important?

confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that began with the shooting down of a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union and that caused the collapse of a summit conference in Paris between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

What was the Berlin Wall? When was it put up? What did it symbolize?

The wall was a wall that split Berlin by communist and democratic governments
August 13, 1961
The wall symbolized the lack of freedom under communism. It symbolized the Cold War and divide between the communist Soviet bloc and the western democratic, capitalist bloc.

What was the Great Leap Forward? How effective was it?

The Great Leap Forward was a push by Mao Zedong to change China from a predominantly agrarian (farming) society to a modern, industrial society—in just five years. It was an impossible goal, of course, but Mao had the power to force the world's largest society to try. The results, unfortunately, were catastrophic.

What was the Cultural Revolution? Whose idea was it? What was it intended to do? What were its results?

a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976. ... The movement was launched in May 1966, after Mao alleged that bourgeois elements had infiltrated the government and society at large, aiming to restore capitalism.
Mao Zedong
to preserve Chinese Communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Mao Zedong Thought (known outside China simply as Maoism) as the dominant ideology within the Party
changed the cultural life in the country more than any other event since the assumption of power by the Communist Party.

Who was Charles de Gaulle?

President of France 1959-1969; sought to keep France separate from US and Soviet Union

Who was Ho Chi Minh?

Ho Chi Minh was the founder and first leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. He led the movement for Vietnamese independence and unity through struggles with France and the United States. He also served as president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 until his death in 1969

What happened at Dien Bien Phu?

Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the decisive engagement in the First Indochina War(1946-54). It consisted of a struggle between French and Viet Minh(Vietnamese Communist and nationalist) forces for control of a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The Viet Minh victory in this battle effectively ended the eight-year-old war

How did the U.S. get involved in the war in Vietnam?

In 1959, North Vietnam dramatically increased its military assistance to the Viet Cong, which then began attacking South Vietnamese military units. In the American domino theory they feared that if communism took hold in Vietnam, it would spread to other countries nearby.

What was the domino theory?

Domino theory, also called Domino Effect, theory in U.S. foreign policy after World War II stating that the "fall" of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the fall of noncommunist governments in neighbouring states.

Who was Ngo Dinh Diem? What happened to him?

The president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam war until he is assassinated by a group of soldiers from his own regime

What was the National Liberation Front? (Viet Cong)

Vietnamese political organization formed on December 20, 1960, to effect the overthrow of the South Vietnamese government and the reunification of North and South Vietnam. Also the Viet Cong

What role did President Eisenhower play in the war? Kennedy? Johnson? Nixon?

Eisenhower- In 1954, Eisenhower decided against authorizing an air strike to rescue French troops from defeat at Dien Bien Phu, avoiding a war in Indochina, though his support for the anti-communist government in South Vietnam would sow the seeds of future U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.

Kennedy- Kennedy announces intent to increase aid to South Vietnam. In a public exchange of letters with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, President John F. Kennedy formally announces that the United States will increase aid to South Vietnam, which would include the expansion of the U.S. troop commitment.

Johnson- Despite Johnson's success in promoting his domestic reform policies, his presidency was also defined by the failure of his policies toward Vietnam. ... As part of this effort, Johnson steadily escalated U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Nixon- Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S.involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops."

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in 1964, was a major turning point in United States military involvement in Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. North Vietnamese warships purportedly attacked United States warships, the U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. C.

What was "escalation" about in Vietnam?

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave the President a "blank check" to wage the war in Vietnam as he saw fit. After Lyndon Johnson was elected President in his own right that November, he chose escalate the conflict.

What was "Rolling Thunder?

Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the United States (U.S.) 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965- Nov 1, 1968

What was the Tet Offensive? What were its consequences?

The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong (rebel forces sponsored by North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese forces, on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. It was considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War.
American and South Vietnamese forces lost over 3,000 men during the offensive. Estimates for communist losses ran as high as 40,000. While the communists did not succeed militarily, the impact of the Tet Offensive on public opinion in the United States was significant.

What was the "secret" bombing of Cambodia? What were its consequences?

In March 1969, President Richard Nixon authorized secret bombing raids in Cambodia, a move that escalated opposition to the Vietnam War in Ohio and across the United States. Nixon believed North Vietnam was transporting troops and supplies through neighboring Cambodia into South Vietnam
most experts estimate that 100,000 Cambodians lost their lives, with an additional two million people becoming homeless. Enhancing the destruction, in April 1970, President Nixon ordered United States troops to occupy parts of Cambodia.

Who were the Khmer Rouge?

The Khmer Rouge was a brutal regime that ruled Cambodia, under the leadership of Marxist dictator Pol Pot, from 1975 to 1979. Pol Pot's attempts to create a Cambodian "master race" through social engineering ultimately led to the deaths of more than 2 million people in the Southeast Asian country. Those killed were either executed as enemies of the regime, or died from starvation, disease or overwork

Who was Mohandas Gandhi?

Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 to January 30, 1948) was the leader of India's non-violent independence movement against British rule and in South Africa who advocated for the civil rights of Indians.

Who was Jawaharlal Nehru?

first prime minister of independent India (1947-64), who established parliamentary government and became noted for his neutralist (nonaligned) policies in foreign affairs.

Who was Indira Gandhi?

The only daughter of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi was destined for politics. First appointed prime minister in 1966, she garnered widespread public support for agricultural improvements that led to India's self-sufficiency in food grain production as well as for her success in the Pakistan war, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. After serving three terms, Gandhi was voted out of office for her increasingly authoritarian policies, including a 21-month state of emergency in which Indians' constitutional rights were restricted. In 1980, however, she was reelected to a fourth term. Following a deadly confrontation at the Sikh's holiest temple in Punjab four years later, Gandhi was assassinated by two of her bodyguards on October 31, 1984

Who is Fidel Castro?

a Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008.

What happened at the Bay of Pigs?

Fifty years ago, shortly before midnight on 16 April 1961, a group of some 1,500 Cuban exiles trained and financed by the CIA launched an ill-fated invasion of Cuba from the sea in the Bay of Pigs. The plan was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his revolution.

What was the Missile Crisis?

The Cuban Missile Crises. ... Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev saw an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the Soviet Union and Fidel Castro's Cuba and make good its promise to defend Cuba from the United States. In May 1960, Khrushchev began to ship ballistic missiles to Cuba and technicians to operate them.

When and how was the state of Israel created?

May 14, 1948
David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day.

Who was Gamal Nasser? What was the Suez Crisis about?

Egyptian army officer, prime minister (1954-56), and then president (1956-70) of Egypt who became a controversial leader of the Arab world, creating the short-lived United Arab Republic
Suez Crisis, (1956), international crisis in the Middle East, precipitated on July 26, 1956, when the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the SuezCanal. The canal had been owned by the Suez Canal Company, which was controlled by French and British interests

What was the Six Day War? The Yom Kippur War?

The Six-Day War was a brief but bloody conflict fought in June 1967 between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Following years of diplomatic friction and skirmishes between Israel and its neighbors, Israel Defense Forces launched preemptive air strikes that crippled the air forces of Egypt and its allies.
Yom Kippur War- On October 6, 1973, hoping to win back territory lost to Israel during the third Arab-Israeli war, in 1967, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar

What were the Camp David Accords?

On September 17, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and US President Jimmy Carter signed the Camp David Accords in Washington. The Details of the Camp David Accords: Called for a formal peace treaty to be signed between Israel and Egypt, within three months.

Who was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi? Why did the United States support him

The Shah of Iran. Overthrown by the Iranian revolutionaries. Because the previous shah had been a supporter of the nazis and he wanted to modernize and democratize Iran

Who was Ayatollah Khomeini?

Following the revolution, Khomeini became the country's Supreme Leader, a position created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic as the highest-ranking political and religious authority of the nation, which he held until his death. He was succeeded by Ali Khamenei on 4 June 1989.

What happened during the Iranian Revolution? What was the Hostage Crisis?

popular uprising in Iran in 1978-79 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an Islamic republic.
Iran hostage crisis, in U.S. history, events following the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on Nov. 4, 1979. The overthrow of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi of Iran by an Islamic revolutionary government earlier in the year had led to a steady deterioration in Iran-U.S. relations

What was Prague Spring?

Soviets concerned about the Czech after they want reform to republic; Cracked down on Czech reinstated communism. Soviets didn't actually do the work; got other countries involved in Warsaw pact

What was Détente?

The term is often used in reference to the general easing of the geo-political tensions between the Soviet Union and the US which began in 1969, as a foreign policy of US presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford called detente; a "thawing out" or "un-freezing" at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War

Who were the Mujahideen?

"Holy Warriors" US supported this group of warlords who set up an anti soviet government in Afghanistan

What were the consequences of the Russian-Afghan War?

Soviet failure to quell the Afghan mujahideen insurgency Geneva Accord (1988) Withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan Continuation of the Afghan Civil War without Soviet troops

What happened as a consequence of the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon?

The US pulls out of the area and sent the message that if you hit the US hard enough they'd eventually back off

Who was Mikhail Gorbachev? How did his actions affect the Cold War?

Led Soviet reform; led to the US and Soviets speaking and eventually led to the ending of the Cold War

What does Perestroika mean? How about Glasnost?

Perestroika- Restructuring
Glasnost- Openness

What were the consequences of the U.S./Soviet Summits at Geneva, Rejkjavik, Washington and Moscow?

Meetings that ended up with a series of agreements that decreased nuclear warheads and de-aimed them so we weren't on the verge of nuclear warfare

What led to the end of the Cold War? What were the consequences?

The Cold War ended because of economic troubles in the Soviet Union, political changes by Mikhail Gorbachev, and the costly arms race. This led to the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of communism in Eastern Europe. The United States became the strongest global power, but new challenges like regional conflicts and terrorism emerged, changing world politics.

When did the Berlin Wall come down?

November 1991

Who was Deng Xiaoping? What happened at Tiananmen Square?

was a Chinese politician who was the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 until his retirement in 1989
In what became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with assault rifles and tanks fired at the demonstrators trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to thousands

What were the causes of the first Gulf War?

US supported Hussein against Iran, Hussein invaded Kuwait; Bush Sr. told him to stop and get out; Hussein thinks he's bluffing and doesn't leave, US declares war

What was the "Powell Doctrine"?

- Criteria of whether or not Us should get involved in a war
- Determine whether or not involvement was in best interest
- Build a Coalition to help out
- Go in with overwhelming force
- Have an Exit Strategy

What were the consequences of the first Gulf War?

US had to stay in the Gulf; Bush wussed out on Hussein and he stayed in power in Iraq because of failed war

What happened in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s?

Created at the end of WW1; broke up the countries and Serbia wanted more land; Ask the US for help in coming to solution; US stays out until conflict final goes on to long; US enters ends the conflict

What are the Dayton Accords?

Peace Stability agreements set up by Clinton between Yugoslavian countries

What is al-Qaeda? Who are the Taliban?

Al-Qaeda formed from the ashes of the Mujahideen, started by Osama Bin Laden, They were created to fight global holy wars for the Islamic state using terror methods
The Taliban are a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement and military organization in Afghanistan currently waging war (an insurgency, or jihad) within that country

Who was Osama bin Laden?

Osama bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1957. ... After the Soviet withdrawal, bin Laden formed the al-Qaeda network which carried out global strikes against Western interests, culminating in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

What have been the consequences of the recent war in Iraq? What about Afghanistan?

Military Consequences. The US death toll in Iraq is climbing, the level of desertion is rising, and crippling illnesses like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder afflict soldiers.
The costs now are still significantly lower than during the high point of the war in Afghanistan. From 2010 to 2012, when the U.S. had as many as 100,000 soldiers in the country, the price for American taxpayers surpassed $100 billion each year. There are currently around 16,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

What was the so-called "Arab Spring" about? What were its consequences?

was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across the Middle East in late 2010. It began in response to oppressive regimes and a low standard of living, beginning with protests in Tunisia
The impact of the Arab Spring concerns protests or by the way attempts to organize growing protest movements that were inspired by or similar to the Arab Spring in theArab-majority states of North Africa and the Middle East, according to commentators, organisers, and critics.

What is Brexit?

A portmanteau of the words "Britain" and "exit," Brexit is shorthand for Britain's split from the European Union, changing its relationship to the bloc on trade, security and migration.
Britain has been debating the pros and cons of membership in a European community of nations almost from the moment the idea was broached. It held its first referendum on membership in what was then called the European Economic Community in 1975, less than three years after it joined, when 67 percent of voters supported staying in the bloc.

What is global warming about? What are its consequences?

In a 2008 NASA article on usage, Erik M. Conway defined global warming as "the increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse gases", while climate change was "a long-term change in the Earth's climate, or of a region on Earth".
Global warming is projected to have a number of effects on the oceans. Ongoingeffects include rising sea levels due to thermal expansion and melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and warming of the ocean surface, leading to increased temperature stratification.

What happened at Dunkirk?

At Dunkirk, during World War II, Allied forces got trapped by the German army. In 1940, the Germans pushed the British and French troops to the northern coast of France. They were stuck with their backs to the sea at Dunkirk. In a desperate rescue operation, civilian boats, along with military ships, evacuated over 300,000 soldiers to safety in Britain. It was a crucial moment, allowing the Allies to fight another day.

What was the Battle of Britain?

The Battle of Britain was a key air battle in World War II in 1940. It pitted the Royal Air Force against the German Luftwaffe. The RAF defended Britain from German air attacks, preventing a German invasion.

Where and when was the Pearl Harbor attack? What were its consequences?

The Pearl Harbor attack happened on December 7, 1941, in Hawaii. It prompted the United States to enter World War II. The surprise attack caused extensive damage to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and led to the deaths of over 2,400 Americans.

Who were Kamikazes?

Kamikazes were Japanese suicide pilots in World War II who flew planes into enemy ships.

What were the North Africa landings?

The North Africa landings were Allied attacks in 1942 during World War II. They aimed to gain control of North Africa and open a new front against Axis forces.

When did Allied troops move into Sicily and Italy?

Allied troops moved into Sicily in July 1943 and then into Italy in September of the same year.

What happened to Mussolini?

Mussolini was removed from power in July 1943, arrested, and later rescued by German forces. He led a puppet government but was eventually captured and executed by Italian partisans in April 1945.