What was the Cold War?

Tension between East and West grew after the war. Soviet forces suppressed attempts by Czechoslovakia and Hungary to obtain independence. However, the conflict between East and West...

How was Europe divided after World War II?

Immediately after the end of the war, the occupying forces divided Europe along the lines they had previously agreed. The three zones of Germany that were occupied by the United States...

What happened in Germany in the immediate postwar years?

When the Nazis collapsed, the Allies, and particularly the Americans, found themselves in control of millions of people 1 with no income and no work. Bombing and fighting had destroyed...

How did Mao Zedong gain power in China?

When the Japanese occupied much of China during World War II, the Nationalists allied themselves with the newly emerging Communists and fought back. However, after the defeat of the...

What led to the collapse of Britain's former economic power?

Although the US government committed itself to supplying Britain and the other Allies with weapons and other materials, US law insisted these goods had to be paid for. By 1940 it was...

How was the United Nations set up?

During World War II the Allied nations sometimes referred to themselves as the 'United Nations'. In 1942 they agreed that they would not make any separate peace agreements with Germany. Twenty-seven...

What was the Yalta conference?

When it became clear that Germany was going to lose the war, the Allied leaders met at Yalta to decide on the shape of Europe in the postwar years. Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt...

What was the Blitz?

When the Germans realized that the British defences were too strong for their aircraft, they tried to destroy British industry. They hoped to damage the morale of the British population...

How did Britain get drawn into the Second World War?

Following the invasion of Poland, as with World War I some international alliances were activated. As a result Britain and France declared war on Germany. When the Germans attacked...

Who were the Nazis?

Germany suffered great economic hardship and political unrest during the 1920s, partly as a result of the harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty. The Nazis (National Socialist Party)...

What led to the Great War?

Continual trouble in the Balkans led to the formation of several complicated military alliances throughout Europe.The continent was eventually split into two groups. Britain, France...

What was the Boxer Rebellion?

Towards the end of the 1800s, the Chinese Empire was weak and dominated by foreign powers. Powerful trading groups from Britain, Germany, Russia, Japan and Italy controlled large parts...

How did railways open up the Great Plains of the USA?

After the Civil War, the American government encouraged people to settle in the largely empty land of the Great Plains. The American Indians had already been driven out. The distances...

Which inventions changed the world?

The invention of practical steam engines was the most significant advance in the 1700s, providing power for the Industrial Revolution. The first steam engines were massive stationary...

What was the Industrial Revolution?

Back in the early 1700s, Britain was still a largely agricultural nation.The few manufactured goods were made in small workshops or at home. As a result of Britain's world trading,...

Why did Britannia rule the waves?

As an island nation, Britain depended entirely on developing a huge fleet to protect its trading links with the rest of the world.The trading ships which arrived first in port were...

What was the Reign of Terror?

The French Revolution was opposed by neighbouring countries who feared that unrest would spread across Europe. A Committee of Public Safety was set up in France to defend the revolution...

How did Britain originally gain control of Hong Kong?

For centuries China was a closed country, and foreigners were not encouraged to explore it. European traders smuggled huge amounts of opium into China so that peopi became addicted...

Did Japan plan an empire?

Japan had been closed to foreigners for hundreds of years, but in the 1500s Portuguese traders began to arrive, followed by Spanish missionaries. These traders introduced both Christianity...

Who established colonies in the East?

The Dutch and the French formed their own East India companies. Like Britain's East India Company these trading organizations became immensely rich. The Dutch were very successful in...

What was the Boer War?

The Boer War took place in southern Africa as a result of a complicated political situation. The Boers were settlers of Dutch origin who resented British rule of their region. They...

Why did Europeans colonize Africa?

The central regions of Africa were not properly explored until the middle of the 1800s. As the continent was explored, it was colonized by European countries seeking territories to...

What first led to a revolt against British rule?

After defeating the French in North America, the British needed to occupy their newly acquired lands and garrison them with soldiers. They needed to raise money to pay for this, and...

Why was the slave trade established?

There was huge demand for sugar in Europe when tea and coffee became fashionable drinks. Sugar cane grew well in the West Indies, where huge plantations were established. To provide...