Events - Browse By Category - Government

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Emergence of Mycenaean civilization on Greek mainland
-1600
Government, Greece
Ahmose (Dynasty 18) reunites Egypt, which enters period of prosperity
-1550
Government, Egypt
When Tutmosis II dies, his wife Hatshepsut rules as pharaoh
-1479
Government, Egypt
Tuthmosis III (Dynasty 18) rules alone after his mother Hatshepsut dies
-1458
Government, Egypt
Kingdom of Mitanni has its greatest extent
-1400
Government, Mesopotamia
Tutankhamun (Dynasty 18) dies aged 17 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings
-1327
Government, Egypt
Zhou house moves from Xi'an in Wei valley eastward to Luoyang
-771
Government, China
Tiglath-pileser III sets up a unified state in Assyria
-745
Government, Mesopotamia
Assyrian capital moves to Nineveh
-705
Government, Mesopotamia
Nabopolassar founds Neo-Babylonian dynasty
-626
Government, Mesopotamia
Assyrian empire collapses
-612
Government, Mesopotamia
Solon becomes chief ruler, inaugurating great age of Athenian civilization
-594
Government, Greece
Pisistratus becomes tyrant of Athens
-560
Government, Greece
Cleisthenes' archonship
-525
Government, Greece
Tarquin, the Etruscan and the last king of Rome, is overthrown
-510
Government, Roman Republic
Cleisthenes introduces an early form of democracy in Athens
-507
Government, Greece
Creation of tribune office and assembly of people
-494
Government, Roman Republic
Xerxes I invades Greece and is identified in Book of Esther as "Ahasuerus"
-480
Government, Iran
Formation of Delian League
-478
Government, Greece
Ostracism of Themistocles--becomes a governor for Artaxerxes I in Asia Minor
-471
Government, Greece
Completed Long Walls built from Athens to Piraeus
-457
Government, Greece
Delian League treasure moved to Athens
-454
Government, Greece
First Roman law code
-450
Government, Roman Republic
Death of Pericles
-429
Government, Greece
Beginning of Second Athenian Confederation
-378
Government, Greece
Consulate constitution allows plebeians to be consuls
-366
Government, Roman Republic
Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic state in the Mideast, lasts until 63 BC
-312
Government, Middle East
Ptolemy I becomes "pharaoh" of Egypt
-305
Government, Middle East
Greece falls to Rome after Sparta's call for help
-148
Government, Roman Republic
Mob against reforms kills Gaius Gracchus (like his brother 8 years earlier)
-140
Government, Roman Republic
Murder of tribune Tiberius Graccus
-133
Government, Roman Republic
Sulla resigns his dictatorship
-79
Government, Roman Republic
Consulship of Pompey and Crassus
-70
Government, Roman Republic
Pompey the Great defeats pirates in eastern Mediterranean
-67
Government, Roman Republic
Silla founds the first Korean kingdom
-57
Government, Korea
Caesar's reforms include modern calendar
-45
Government, Roman Republic
Antony arrests Cassius and Brutus who flee to the east
-44
Government, Roman Republic
Caesar murdered in Senate of Roman Republic on March 15
-44
Government, Roman Republic
Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian rule
-43
Government, Roman Republic
Cicero's murder follows reconciliation of Mark Anthony and Octavian
-43
Government, Roman Republic
Herod becomes king of Judea
-37
Government, Roman Republic
Tiberius, the adopted son of Augustus, becomes the next emperor
14
Government, Roman Empire
Claudius becomes emperor in 41, following Tiberius and Caligula (Gaius)
41
Government, Roman Empire
Four emperors rule Rome in one year after Nero kills himself following a revolt
68
Government, Roman Empire
Emperor Vespasian begins construction of the Colosseum
69
Government, Roman Empire
Alexander Severus' assassination was a part of the Crisis of the Third Century
235
Government, Roman Empire
Rome celebrates 1000 years with spectacular games but future is not bright
248
Government, Roman Empire
Constans is murdered by his own generals
350
Government, Roman Empire
Valentinian I is considered the last great western emperors
364
Government, Roman Empire
Rise of the Bei Wei
386
Government, China
After death of Theodosius, Roman Empire splits--never to be united again
395
Government, Roman Empire
Valentinian III's reign is marked by dismemberment of Western Empire
424
Government, Roman Empire
Theodosius II rebuilds walls & appoints commission for Codex Theodosianus
429
Government, Roman Empire
Marcian becomes emperor of Eastern Roman Empire
450
Government, Roman Empire
Libius Severus becomes emperor of Western Roman Empire
461
Government, Roman Empire
Romulus Augustulus is the last Western Roman Emperor
475
Government, Roman Empire
Rioting and burning of buildings in Constantinople follows chariot racing
532
Government, Turkey
The Merovingian kingdom declines after the death of Dagobert
639
Government, Europe
Lombard king Rothari, elected in 636, throws off Byzantine control
643
Government, Italy
Kotoku revolutionizes laws and administration in Japan with Taika Reforms
645
Government, Japan
Earliest Indonesian kingdom emerges (Buddhist, Sumatra-based Sri-Vijaya empire)
650
Government, Indonesia
Silla conquers Koguryo and unifies Korea after forming an alliance with China
676
Government, Korea
Emperor Leontius sent to monastery after Arabs win Carthage
698
Government, Byzantine Empire
North-South States Period begins in Korea
698
Government, Korea
Constantine V becomes Byzantine emperor
741
Government, Byzantine Empire
Pope Stephen II confirms Peppin the Short king of Franks after opposing Lombards
754
Government, Europe
Abd ar-Rahman I proclaims himself Umayyad emir of Cordoba
756
Government, Spain
Peppin the Short dies and Frankish kingdom split between Charles and Carloman
768
Government, Europe
Pope Leo III proclaims Charlemagne emperor December 25 at St. Peter's Basilica
800
Government, Europe
Alfred becomes King of Wessex and fights waves of Danish Vikings
871
Government, England (<1707)
Charles the Bald recognizes hereditary fiefdoms & decentralizes Holy Roman Empire
877
Government, Europe
King Henry I of Franconia unites the German duchies
919
Government, Germany
Henry I the Fowler establishes Ottonian Dynasty & is first king of East Francia
919
Government, Germany
King Aethelstan the Glorious unites the heptarchy of the Anglo-Saxon nations
927
Government, England (<1707)
Wenceslaus killed (refuses to give up Christianity & break alliance with Germany)
935
Government, Czech Republic
Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor and protector of Papal States
962
Government, Europe
Al-Mansur seizes power from caliphs in Al-Andalus
976
Government, Spain
The crowning of Hugh Capet as king of France begins the Capetian royal dynasty
987
Government, France
Canute the Great becomes King of England after the death of Edmund Ironside
1016
Government, England (<1707)
Upon his death, Ferdinand's kingdoms divided by his three sons
1065
Government, Spain
Croatia and Hungary form union of two kingdoms united under Hungarian king
1102
Government, Europe
Dai Vet adopts the Mandate of Heaven for the Southern Kingdoms
1127
Government, Vietnam
Empress Matilda's bid to be crowned opposed by London crowds
1141
Government, England (<1707)
Becket appointed by Henry II as Archbishop of Canterbury and conflict begins
1162
Government, England (<1707)
Henry II issues Assize of Clarendon which becomes foundation of criminal law
1166
Government, England (<1707)
Four knights of Henry II murder Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
1170
Government, England (<1707)
End of Fatimid Dynasty--Shirkuh captures Egypt and Saladin becomes governor
1171
Government, Islamic Empire
Henry of Hohenstaufen marries Constance of Sicily as Germans rule Sicily
1186
Government, Europe
Henry VI marries Constance of Sicily, heiress to the Sicilian throne
1186
Government, Italy
The Duke of Austria holds Richard the Lionheart for ransom
1192
Government, Austria
Temujin becomes Genghis Khan (universal ruler) after uniting Mongolian tribes
1206
Government, Mongolia
Innocent III declares crusade against John (Lackland), King of England
1213
Government, England (<1707)
King John, son of Henry II, is forced to submit to Magna Carta at Runnymede
1215
Government, England (<1707)
King Andrew II of Hungary signs Golden Bull to protect the rights of the nobility
1222
Government, Hungary
Alfonso X takes the throne of Castile-Leon with Jews, Christians, and Muslims
1252
Government, Spain
Kublai Khan was Great Khan from 1260 to 1294
1260
Government, Mongolia
Battle of Evesham--end of 2nd Barons' War & power King Henry III
1265
Government, England (<1707)
Rudolf crowned in Aachen Cathedral as king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor
1273
Government, Europe
Philip IV beats Flemish, has Clement V elected, & destroys Jews & Knights Templars
1305
Government, France
Barons execute Piers Gaveston, who had moved into Edward II's household in 1300
1312
Government, England (<1707)
Edward III transforms England into a formidable military power
1327
Government, England (<1707)
Charles IV of Luxemburg proposes new procedures to elect Holy Roman Emperors
1356
Government, Europe
Peasant Zhu Yuanzhang unites China and founds Ming dynasty
1368
Government, China
Tamerlane establishes Samarkand as the capital of his empire
1370
Government, Mongolia
Richard II, a boy of 14, persuades the leaders of the Peasants' Revolt to disperse
1381
Government, England (<1707)
Jagiello of Lithuania, last European pagan ruler, crowned king of Poland
1386
Government, Europe
Joseon dynasty founded in Korea
1392
Government, Korea
Margaret of Denmark unites three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden & Norway
1397
Government, Europe
Richard II abdicates the throne to Henry of Bolingbroke, who becomes Henry IV
1399
Government, England (<1707)
Itzcoatl founds Aztec Empire after capturing the city-state of Azcapotzalco
1428
Government, Mexico
After his father's death, Lorenzo de' Medici takes control--Golden Age of Florence
1469
Government, Italy
Death of Lorenzo "the Magnificent" and fading of Italian Renaissance
1492
Government, Italy
Maximilian I extends the influence of the Habsburg Empire in every direction
1493
Government, Germany
Beginning of Safavid Dynasty in Persia as Shi'ite Muslim Ismail I takes control
1501
Government, Iran
Francis I initiates French Renaissance
1515
Government, France
Charles of Habsburg succeeds to Spanish throne after death of Ferdinand II
1516
Government, Europe
Sweden celebrates the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523
1523
Government, Sweden
Hapsburgs 'rule' Hungary after 1526
1526
Government, Hungary
In defiance of Pope, Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn
1533
Government, England (<1707)
Anne Boleyn executed on trumped up charges 3 years after marriage to Henry VIII
1536
Government, England (<1707)
Pizarro is murdered at his palace in Lima--a revenge killing by Spanish soldiers
1541
Government, Peru
Portugal establishes royal government in Brazil
1548
Government, Brazil
Ferdinand I becomes emperor when his brother Charles V abdicates
1556
Government, Germany
Charles V resigns as king of Spain in favor of his son, Philip, and retires
1556
Government, Europe
13-year old Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar becomes Mughal emperor
1556
Government, India
French King Henry II dies from injuries in a tournament in Paris
1559
Government, France
Philip II establishes royal capital in Madrid
1561
Government, Europe
David Rizzio struck down before Mary, Queen of Scots in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh
1566
Government, Scotland
7 northern provinces of Netherlands sign Union of Utrecht declaring independence
1579
Government, Netherlands
Ivan the Terrible, 1st Russian tsar, dies after bringing a brutal order to Russia
1584
Government, Russia
William the Silent is assassinated in Delft after Philip II offers large reward
1584
Government, Netherlands
Mary, Queen of Scots, executed by Elizabeth I for high treason
1587
Government, England (<1707)
After a period of civil war, Abbas I the Great (Safavid dynasty) becomes Shah
1588
Government, Iran
Death of Philip II, Spanish Emperor and champion of Counter-Reformation
1598
Government, Europe
Elizabeth addresses Parliament for the last time with "Golden Speech"
1601
Government, England (<1707)
Tokugawa Ieyasu founds the Tokugawa shogunate and unifies Japan
1603
Government, Japan
Discovery of plot to blow up members of Parliament and King James I
1605
Government, England (<1707)
A fanatical Catholic kills Henry IV while he is being driven through Paris
1610
Government, France
Vienna becomes permanent capital of Holy Roman Empire
1617
Government, Europe
Tokugawa Iemitsu shogunate forbids all contact with the outside world
1635
Government, Japan
Louis XIV (1643-1715) establishes himself as absolute monarch
1643
Government, France
Putney Debates take place after parliamentary victory in the First Civil War
1647
Government, England (<1707)
King Charles I is beheaded, and English monarchy becomes a republic
1649
Government, England (<1707)
Kristina of Sweden becomes a Catholic, abdicates, and moves to Rome
1654
Government, Sweden
Aurangzeb succeeds his father after brothers fight for Mughal throne
1658
Government, India
Parliament invites Charles II to return to England and restore his crown
1660
Government, England (<1707)
All German lands become concentrated in one ruler, Leopold I
1665
Government, Austria
Dutch William III becomes king of England in Glorious Revolution
1672
Government, Netherlands
Court of the Sun King established at the Palace of Versailles
1682
Government, France
French hegemony was at its height in 1683
1683
Government, Europe
The 'Toleration Act" of 1689 solved some religious problems of the 17th century
1689
Government, British Isles
Elector Frederick III announces he would be Frederick I King of Prussia
1701
Government, Germany
Frederick William I becomes King of Prussia
1713
Government, Germany
The Hanoverian Succession of 1714 as the Anglican Ascendency
1714
Government, British Isles
Charles XII dies in battle at age 36 at Poltava ending the Swedish Empire
1718
Government, Sweden
An Omani tribe begins ruling Oman
1741
Government, Oman
Robert Walpole, the first prime minister, resigns
1742
Government, United Kingdom
Benjamin Franklin proposes a confederation of Britain's American colonies
1754
Government, United States
Catherine becomes empress of Russia after seizing power from her husband
1762
Government, Russia
American colonists react to Stamp Act: "No taxation without representation"
1765
Government, United States
Nepal declares itself a kingdom in 1768
1768
Government, Nepal
Struensee, the king's physician, becomes dictator in Denmark
1770
Government, Denmark
American colonists respond to increase in taxes with Boston Tea Party
1773
Government, United States
American Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia
1776
Government, United States
Rio de la Plata, with capital in Buenos Aires, becomes fourth viceroyalty
1776
Government, Argentina
Joseph II gains complete control on death of his mother, Empress Maria Theresa
1780
Government, Austria
The Constitution of the United States is signed in Philadelphia
1787
Government, United States
George Washington becomes first president of the United States
1789
Government, United States
Alexander Hamilton becomes first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
1789
Government, United States
French Assembly passes the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
1791
Government, France
Gustav III, King of Sweden, promotes Enlightenment until assassinated
1792
Government, Sweden
In January, King Louis XVI executed by guillotine
1793
Government, France
Thomas Jefferson resigns as Secretary of State
1793
Government, United States
In October, Queen Marie Antoinette executed by guillotine
1793
Government, France
In September, Robespierre's Jacobins begin Reign of Terror
1793
Government, France
In June, French declare Montagnard Constitution the legal framework for Republic
1793
Government, France
In April, Robespierre's Jacobins take control as the Committee of Public Safety
1793
Government, France
Robespierre is executed by guillotine
1794
Government, France
Warren Hasting, the first governor-general of India, is impeached and acquitted
1795
Government, United Kingdom
George Washington gives his Farewell Address
1796
Government, United States
John Adams becomes second president of the United States
1797
Government, United States
Napoleon claims himself emperor after coup d'état
1799
Government, France
Toussaint L'Ouverture writes new constitution for Saint-Domingue (Haiti)
1801
Government, Haiti
Tsar Paul I, son of Catherine the Great, is assassinated
1801
Government, Russia
Thomas Jefferson becomes the third president of the United States
1801
Government, United States
Robert Emmet is hanged for treason and becomes a hero for Irish nationalism
1803
Government, Ireland
Napoleon's coronation ceremony portrays him as a superhuman figure
1804
Government, France
The Code Napoleon establishes clear laws in France and later in all of Europe
1804
Government, France
Louis, Napoleon's younger brother, become king of Batavian Republic
1806
Government, Netherlands
Napoleon dissolves the Holy Roman Empire
1806
Government, Europe
Prince Joao of Portugal flees to Brazil as Napoleon invades
1807
Government, Brazil
Napoleon imprisons Spanish king--beginning of independence for Latin America
1808
Government, Spain
Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, becomes king of Spain
1808
Government, Europe
James Madison becomes the fourth president of the United States
1809
Government, United States
Mehmet Ali begins dynasty in Egypt after slaughtering Mamluk rulers
1811
Government, Egypt
Talleyrand presides over French foreign policy from 1814 to 1835
1814
Government, France
Metternich leads Austrian delegation at the Congress of Vienna
1814
Government, Austria
In February, Napoleon escapes from Elba and governs France for 100 more days
1815
Government, France
James Monroe becomes the fifth president of the United States
1817
Government, United States
John Quincy Adams supports Andrew Jackson in his invasion of Spanish Florida
1818
Government, United States
Peterloo Massacre climaxes 4 years of high unemployment & low wages in England
1819
Government, United Kingdom
Missouri Compromise delays civil war as Missouri joins U.S. as slave state
1820
Government, United States
Napoleon dies on the island of St. Helena
1821
Government, France
Monroe Doctrine warns European nations not to extend powers into Americas
1823
Government, United States
John Quincy Adams becomes the sixth president of the United States
1825
Government, United States
Cherokee Nation adopts written constitution but no help against Indian Removal
1827
Government, United States
Andrew Jackson, "Old Hickory," becomes the seventh president of the United States
1829
Government, United States
First professional police force created by Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel
1829
Government, United Kingdom
King Charles X, an ultra-royalist, is forced to abdicate by rioters in Paris
1830
Government, France
Formation of the kingdom of Belgium
1830
Government, Belgium
British Parliament passes the Reform Act of 1832
1832
Government, United Kingdom
Whig Party forms in opposition to policies of Andrew Jackson
1834
Government, United States
Martin Van Buren becomes the eighth president of the United States
1837
Government, United States
18-year old Victoria accedes to throne after death of King William IV, her uncle
1837
Government, United Kingdom
Chartism calls for greater representation in democratic government
1838
Government, United Kingdom
The British laboring poor in the People's Charter movement petitions for reform
1838
Government, United Kingdom
Hong Kong becomes a possession of Great Britain
1841
Government, Hong Kong
Texas becomes the twenty-eighth state
1846
Government, United States
British Corn Laws abolished by Parliament
1846
Government, United Kingdom
Liberia becomes an independent state
1847
Government, Liberia
In March, Milan rebels against Austria & wins, but Radetzky strikes back in July
1848
Government, Europe
In March, rioting in Vienna--Metternich is dismissed and Sophie of Bavaria emerges
1848
Government, Europe
In February, rebels take streets of Paris and Louis-Phillippe abdicates
1848
Government, France
Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto
1848
Government, United Kingdom
Denmark signs Constitution, ending absolute monarchy which had begun in 1660
1849
Government, Denmark
Louis Napoleon stages coup dissolving the assembly
1851
Government, France
Constitution of 1857 creates Second Federal Republic of Mexico
1857
Government, Mexico
French intervene and establish Second Mexican Empire
1861
Government, Mexico
United Italy calls its first parliament
1861
Government, Italy
Typhoid fever kills Prince Albert--Queen Victoria begins 40 years of mourning
1861
Government, United Kingdom
Beginning of "Self-Strengthening" movement in China (1862-1875)
1862
Government, China
First International founded in London--25 elected members including Karl Marx
1864
Government, United Kingdom
On April 14, President Lincoln assassinated
1865
Government, United States
Emperor Maximilian is executed in Mexico after Napoleon III withdraws troops
1867
Government, Mexico
Karl Marx publishes Das Kapital--labor is exploited in capitalism
1867
Government, Germany
Argentina makes progress as Sarmiento becomes president
1868
Government, Argentina
William I of Prussia becomes German emperor with Bismarck his chancellor
1871
Government, Germany
French government destroys the 2-month old Commune of Paris
1871
Government, France
Ulysses S. Grant wins reelection and links the Industrial Revolution to peace
1873
Government, United States
Dowager Empress Cixi blocks reforms over the next 10 years
1875
Government, China
Formation of Kingdom of Bulgaria
1878
Government, Bulgaria
Alexander II the "Great Liberator" is assassinated by the People's Will
1881
Government, Russia
President Garfield, waiting for a train, is assassinated by a fanatic
1881
Government, United States
Kaiser Frederick hates war but dies of cancer 99 days after enthronement
1888
Government, Germany
Sun Yat-sen forms Revive China Society
1894
Government, China
Queen Victoria celebrates Diamond Jubilee
1897
Government, United Kingdom
Fashoda Incident--colonial rivalry between France and England in Sudan
1898
Government, Global
Guangxu launches Hundred Days of Reform
1898
Government, China
President William McKinley initiates the Open Door Policy in China
1898
Government, United States
Local Government (Ireland) Act passed power from landlords to elected councils
1898
Government, Ireland
Theodore Roosevelt is a very active president in peace and war
1901
Government, United States
President McKinley assassinated by an anarchist
1901
Government, United States
Queen Victoria dies at the age of eighty-one--end of the Victorian era
1901
Government, United Kingdom
Soldiers massacre about 1,000 workers at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
1905
Government, Russia
Lloyd George asks Parliament to pass "People's Budget"
1909
Government, United Kingdom
Soldiers replace Abdul Hamid with his brother, Mehmed, puppet of Young Turks
1909
Government, Turkey
President Diaz is overthrown--beginning of Mexican revolution
1910
Government, Mexico
Pu Yi is the last emperor of the Qing dynasty
1912
Government, China
Bolsheviks become separate party
1912
Government, Russia
Sun Yat-sen inaugurated president of Provisional Republic of China
1912
Government, China
Sun Yat-sen forced into exile & succeeded by Yuan Shikai
1912
Government, China
President Woodrow Wilson asks, "Is it in the interest of mankind?"
1915
Government, United States
Rasputin, personal counselor of the Russian Imperial Family, is murdered
1916
Government, Russia
Mexican Revolution ends with new constitution
1917
Government, Mexico
Balfour Declaration--Britain supports home (not explicitly a state) for Jews
1917
Government, United Kingdom
In April, Lenin arrives at St. Petersburg to lead Russian Revolution
1917
Government, Russia
In November, Bolshevik Revolution begins in St. Petersburg
1917
Government, Russia
In July, Lenin orders the execution of the Tsar Nicholas II and his family
1918
Government, Russia
In November, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates
1918
Government, Germany
Spartacus Week--Freikorps soldiers in Berlin defeat Bolshevik-inspired revolt
1919
Government, Germany
18th Amendment to American Constitution--Prohibition era begins and lasts 13 years
1920
Government, United States
Gandhi leads Satyagraha campaigns (civil disobedience) in India
1920
Government, India
Treaty of Trianon establishes Hungary's current borders
1920
Government, Hungary
Founding of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
1921
Government, China
Mussolini comes to power with fascist propaganda--the "March on Rome"
1922
Government, Middle East
Britain ends protectorate over Egypt and Sultan Fuad I becomes King of Egypt
1922
Government, Egypt
Soviet Union (USSR)--Russians recreate old tsarist Empire minus Poland & Finland
1922
Government, Russia
Ibn Saud captures Mecca--foundation for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia formed in 1932
1924
Government, Saudi Arabia
Stalin rises to power
1924
Government, Russia
Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
1925
Government, Germany
Sun Yat-sen dies and Chiang K'ai-shek rises to power
1925
Government, China
Chiang K'ai-shek establishes Nationalist government in Nanjing
1927
Government, China
Gandhi's Salt March defies British Raj that forces Indians to buy government salt
1930
Government, India
Siam becomes constitutional monarchy and changes name to Thailand
1932
Government, Thailand
President Roosevelt launches New Deal
1933
Government, United States
Roosevelt's inaugural address: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
1933
Government, United States
In February, burning of Reichstag in Berlin helps Nazis spread fear of communists
1933
Government, Germany
In January, Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany with weak democracy & economy
1933
Government, Germany
Hitler takes control after murder of rivals (June) & death of Hindenburg (August)
1934
Government, Germany
Stalin begins trials & purges with convictions based on confessions under pressure
1936
Government, Russia
Stalin executes 8 Red Army personnel & later kills or sends to labor camps 30,000
1937
Government, Russia
Mexico nationalizes oil
1938
Government, Mexico
In May, Churchill becomes Prime Minister of National Government
1940
Government, United Kingdom
Trotsky is assassinated near Mexico City by one of Stalin's agents
1940
Government, Mexico
Iceland forms foundation of republic
1944
Government, Iceland
In July, Churchill was voted out as Prime Minister in Labour landslide
1945
Government, United Kingdom
On April 12, Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies
1945
Government, United States
Korea separated into North and South at 38th parallel in 1945
1945
Government, Korea
Indonesia's Declaration of Independence
1945
Government, Indonesia
Eva Peron meets Juan Peron in Buenos Aires
1945
Government, Argentina
Juan Peron, accompanied by his popular wife Evita, becomes president of Argentina
1946
Government, Argentina
End of the British Raj--but new country divided by Hindu Congress & Muslim League
1947
Government, India
Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by Hindu fanatic
1948
Government, India
Republic of South Korea created in 1948
1948
Government, Korea
President Sukarno is first president of Indonesia
1949
Government, Indonesia
Taiwan becomes Republic of China after Nationalists lose war with Communists
1949
Government, Taiwan
Maoist revolution creates People's Republic of China, second communist state
1949
Government, China
Land reform extends nationwide in rural China
1950
Government, China
Senator McCarthy launches crusade to rid United States of communists
1950
Government, United States
Eva Peron dies as does support for her husband's presidency in Argentina
1952
Government, Argentina
Nasser leads Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) in Egyptian coup
1952
Government, Egypt
People's Republic of China starts 5-year economic plan with Soviet advice & money
1953
Government, China
Millions of Russians mourn Stalin's death--his infallibility myth unveiled later
1953
Government, Russia
McCarthy is condemned by U.S. Senate as vicious bully and liar
1954
Government, United States
Khrushchev denounces Stalin as guilty of crimes against Russians
1956
Government, Russia
China completes economic transition to socialism
1956
Government, China
Mao Zedong introduces Hundred Flowers campaign
1956
Government, China
Nikita Khrushchev declares to Western ambassadors, "We will bury you."
1956
Government, Russia
Mao Zedong announces "Great Leap Forward" to industrialize China
1958
Government, China
Crown Prince Akihito and Michiko marry before television audience of 15 million
1959
Government, Japan
Soviet-Chinese alliance dissolves
1960
Government, Russia
Ruby shoots Oswald in Dallas in front of a television audience of millions
1963
Government, United States
The Universal House of Justice is elected for the first time
1963
Government, Global
On November 22, John F. Kennedy assassinated
1963
Government, United States
Organization of African Unity founded
1963
Government, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prime Minister Sato begins 8-year term of office
1964
Government, Japan
President Johnson sets course toward Great Society in State of the Union address
1965
Government, United States
White-minority Rhodesia's declaration of independence provokes British sanctions
1965
Government, Global
Mao launches Cultural Revolution pitting the zealous youth against bourgeois ideas
1966
Government, China
In June, Senator Robert Kennedy is assassinated by a Palestinian-born immigrant
1968
Government, United States
France paralyzed for 2 weeks by rioting students and striking workers
1968
Government, France
Suharto becomes president
1968
Government, Indonesia
Eastern Pakistan breaks with Western Pakistan to become Bangladesh
1971
Government, Bangladesh
George Wallace continues his political career after bullet left him paralyzed
1972
Government, United States
Arrests follow Watergate break-in--Liddy, Hunt and others are involved in spying
1972
Government, United States
Augusto Pinochet becomes dictator in coup supported by United States
1973
Government, Chile
Nixon forced to resign over Watergate and Gerald Ford succeeds him
1974
Government, United States
Authoritarian government in Portugal overturned by left-wing Carnation Revolution
1974
Government, Portugal
Ethiopian monarchy abolished
1974
Government, Ethiopia
Spain moves toward democracy as King Juan Carlos I succeeds Franco
1975
Government, Spain
Cultural Revolution ends with arrest of 4 Mao supporters (Gang of 4)
1976
Government, China
Mao Zedong dies after naming Hua Guofeng his successor
1976
Government, China
Menachem Begin becomes Prime Minister in 1977
1977
Government, Israel
Deng Xiaoping has political comeback & supports free speech at Democracy Wall
1978
Government, China
Margaret Thatcher is first woman elected Prime Minister of United Kingdom
1979
Government, United Kingdom
Education is very important in South Korea
1980
Government, Korea
Chinese government authorizes decollectivization of agriculture
1980
Government, China
Helmut Kohl oversees end of Cold War and reunification of Germany
1982
Government, Germany
Mikhail Gorbachev takes power and starts reforms
1985
Government, Russia
In December, 1986, student demonstrations support democracy
1986
Government, China
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme is killed by unknown assassin
1986
Government, Sweden
Gorbachev, introducing perestroika & glasnost, battles for Communist Party
1987
Government, Russia
South Korea hosts 1988 Summer Olympics
1988
Government, Korea
Playwright and dissident Vaclav Havel elected by Czech Parliament first president
1989
Government, Czech Republic
Berlin Wall falls--after reforms of Gorbachev, East Germany collapses
1989
Government, Russia
Tiananmen Square massacre dims hope of demonstrators for democracy in China
1989
Government, China
North Korea and South Korea join the United Nations
1991
Government, Korea
Deng Xiaoping travels on Southern Tour to get support for reforms
1992
Government, China
Yitzhak Rabin becomes Prime Minister in 1974 and 1992
1992
Government, Israel
Zhu Rongji becomes economic czar & applies breaks to overheated economy
1993
Government, China
Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime Minister in 1984 and 1995, receives Nobel Peace Prize
1994
Government, Israel
Suharto resigns
1998
Government, Indonesia
Mexico ends PRI's one-party rule
2000
Government, Mexico
Millennium Development Goals adopted by member states of United Nations
2000
Government, Global
Bhutan holds its first general election
2008
Government, Bhutan
The beginning of "Arab Spring"--Tunisian government falls
2011
Government, Tunisia
Kim Jong Un takes over after death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong II
2011
Government, Korea
In Deraa, Syria, hundreds of thousands are taking to the streets and protesting
2011
Government, Syria
The U.S. government shut down
2013
Government, United States
Snowden leaks--most important leak of classified intelligence ever
2013
Government, United States
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is deposed by military coup
2013
Government, Egypt
Demonstrations in Ukraine after President Yanukovych rejects agreement with EU
2013
Government, Ukraine
Thailand becomes a constitutional monarchy under military junta
2014
Government, Thailand
Sustainable Development Goals set by United Nations General Assembly
2015
Government, Global