Various Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Various Assignments - Essay Example The Balkans’ invasion was meant to open up borders to facilitate the Axis’s invasion of the Soviet Union. However, resistance from two main ethnic groups in the Balkans and ethnic conflicts in the Balkans complicated the Axis’s efforts and these incidents culminated to hold the Axis at bay until the Red Army arrived holding the Axis back until Germany finally surrendered (Bishop, 2008). Pearl Harbor The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor secured a major advantage for the Axis during World War II. The surprise attack achieved its intended purpose: to destabilise the Allies’ Pacific Fleet and to give Japan the time and space it needed to invade South-East Asia. Although the Allies would ultimately defeat Japan and the Axis, the Axis were able to take advantage of the damages to the Pacific Fleet and did indeed invade South-East Asia (Fuller, 1993). Battle of the Coral Sea The Allies gained a significant advantage in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War d uring the Battle of the Coral Sea against the Axis. During the Battler of the Coral Sea, both the Axis and the Allies would sustain significant damages. However, the damages sustained by the Axis were far greater than the Allies and as a result severely limited their participation in the Pacific Theater against the Allies (Henry, 2003). Battle of the Midway The Battle of Midway provided the Allies with its most important advantage during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater against the Axis. Japan sustained major damages to its navy from which it did not fully recover during the Battle of Midway. From this point on, Japan remained on the defensive rather than on the offensive. Thus the Battle of Midway was a turning point for the Axis during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater (Isom, 2007). Part 2: Fidel Castro: Annotated Timeline 1959: Through a guerrilla war, Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s military dictator Batista and was sworn in as Cuba’s Prime Minis ter (History Television, 2012). 1960: Castro immediately set the stage for the creation of a communist state, the first in the Western Hemisphere. In setting the stage for establishing a communist state, Castro nationalised businesses owned by the US which included oil refineries, casinos and factories. This lead to the US terminating diplomatic relations with Cuba and implementing trade sanctions (History Television, 2012). 1961: Castro made a public announcement that he was a Marxist-Leninist. This announcement coincided with Cuba’s increasing economic and military dependence on the Soviet Union (History Channel, 2012). October 1962: The US learned that Cuba was in possession of nuclear weapons and this led to a confrontation which was ultimately resolved by an agreement between the Soviet Union and the US. This was an agreement that Castro did not consent to. December 1962: Castro freed Cuban exiles who having been trained and supported by the CIA landed near the Bay of Pi gs with the intention of ousting Castro. The exiles were unsuccessful and were captured by Castro’s army. Castro released the exiles for â€Å"medical supplies and baby food worth about US$ 52 million† (History Channel, 2012). 1965: Castro merged his revolutionary parties with Cuba’s Communist Party and appointed himself the amalgamated party’