Timeline (The Era of Relative Peace)

The following is the timeline of events that lead to World War III and it's following aftermath.

Point of Divergence (POD): 1988

 * August: Mikhail Gorbachev is arrested in coup d'état by hardliners of the communist regime. The hardliners stated that he is too soft on the state of affairs of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact Countries. The new hardline leader abolishes Gorbachev's polices of glasnost and perestroika and retains the authoritarian polices of the USSR. Gorbachev is imprisoned in the Lubyanka.
 * September: Following the riots among communist Eastern European countries in regards to the seizure of Gorbachev, the USSR deploys several troops en masse along the Iron Curtain to quell the riots. NATO and the west condemn this action and places numerous economic sanctions of the Soviet Union.
 * October: Just two months after the seizure of Gorbachev, the Soviet economy horribly drops. The Soviets demand that NATO and the West remove the sanction and give economic aid to the Iron Curtain. The West refuses; as one of the biggest tensions of the Cold War begins.The Soviet Union threatens invasion but the West still did not give in to their threats. The United Nations calls for a series of peace conferences in order to cool down the situation.
 * November-December: After the a series of peace conferences, it finally breaks down after the West refuses to give economic aid to the Soviet Union as the USSR would not withdraw much of their troops from the Iron Curtain. The Soviets are furious at decision and secretly plan to attack Western Europe six months from this date.

January to May 1989 (Pre-World War III)

 * January-April: NATO recon planes report massive Soviet troop movements along Eastern Europe. NATO steadily prepares for an invasion, but little do they know that the Soviets are better prepared than them.
 * April 15: Chinese students gather around Tiananmen Sqaure, Beijing after the death of Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformer who was deposed after losing a power struggle with hardliners over the direction of political and economic reforms.Tiananmen Square protests.jpg
 * April 22: Hu Yaobang's funeral is held.
 * April 27: Student demonstrations increase after two weeks.
 * May 20: Premier Li Peng declared Martial Law around Beijing.
 * June 3: In East Berlin, East Germany, Soviet soldiers are mobilized for the upcoming invasion of Western Europe. NATO and U.S. troops in Berlin are placed on high alert.
 * June 4: The People's Liberation Army brutally suppresses the student protests in the square. The international community condemnations and economic embargoes are enacted upon China.

June 4th, 1989 - World War III begins

 * Just as the world condemned the Chinese government's action on the Tiananmen Square protests, the Soviets invade West Germany. NATO and U.S. troops defend and put what they can of the city, but the Soviets were numerically superior. Slowly by slowly, West Berlin started falling to the Russians.

June 1989-August 1989

 * June 5: West Berlin falls to the Soviets and the East Germans. The Soviets begin their march into West Germany and Western Europe.
 * June 6: On the 45th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, majority of West Germany has fallen to the Soviets.
 * June 7: All of Germany falls within Soviet control.
 * June 11: The Soviet Union advances to Europe.
 * June 12: After seizing Germany, the Soviets invade Denmark.
 * June 20: Denmark falls to the Soviets after heavy weeks of fighting. Sweden and Switzerland declare neutrality although Soviet planes occasionally breach Swedish airspace.
 * June 21: The USSR launches attacks on Norway and Finland.
 * June 22: Finish forces struggle to push back Soviet Forces.Finland-winter-warrior-special-weapons.jpg
 * July 4: On the 113th Independence Day of the United States, the Finish government surrenders to the USSR after the Soviets capture Helsinki. Finland is occupied but scattered Finish soldiers (with Norwegian and CIA aid), continue to mount guerilla attacks on the Soviet Forces.Norwegian Leopard 1A1N tanks in Finnmark.jpg
 * July 13: Soviets invade northern Norway and sabotage AA-defenses there.
 * July 14: Iceland quickly falls to the Soviets due to the lack of a standing military.
 * July 16: Soviet invasion of Norway is stalled due to the guerrilla tactics of the Norwegian military. King Olav V decides to remain in the country to support the troops fighting in the front lines.
 * July 17: Major cities in Western Europe are bombed by Soviet TU-95 bombers. Targets include Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Plymouth.
 * July 18: The United Kingdom deploys majority of its troops to Belgium, Netherlands, and France.
 * July 20: The U.S. 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy starts engaging the Soviet Navy in the Mediterranean.
 * July 23: U.S., British, and Spanish ships form a blockade of the Straits of Gibraltar.
 * July 27: Soviet TU-95 bombers attack Royal Air Force bases in the United Kingdom.
 * July 28: U.S. Air Force planes based in Italy and the United Kingdom engage the TU-95 bombers for the first time. Kill counts are high. The Soviets begin to face a challenge.
 * August 1: Soviet forces land on northern Italy.
 * August 5: NATO forces counterattack the Soviets in Northern Italy.
 * August 10: The U.S. 6th Fleet, along with a contingent of British, French, and Italian naval reinforcements, suffer a heavy setback after majority of its ships are sunk and destroyed by the Soviet Navy in the First Battle of the Mediterranean. The U.S. losses one aircraft carrier, two destroyers, 1 frigate; Britain losses one carrier, one destroyer, and one corvette. The French Aircraft carrier, the Foch, is heavily damaged. Italy loses two frigates: one sunk and the other capsized. The remaining damaged ships retreat to Gibraltar.
 * August 15: Following the victory in the Mediterranean, Soviet forces land in Malta, Corsica, Sardinia, and the coast of Southern France. Soviet troops in Northern Italy-France border reinforce the amphibious landing.
 * August 16: Cannes and Marseille fall to the Soviets.
 * August 17: Major French cities are bombed by Soviet bombers.
 * August 18: U.S. President George H.W. Bush orders massive deployments of U.S. troops to Western Europe.

September-December 1989

 * November 9: Soviets begin their invasion of Alaska, British Columbia, and the West Coast of the United States.


 * December 1: In the Philippines, The Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos led by Colonel Gregorio Honasan, General Edgardo Abenina, and retired General Jose Ma. Zumel; stage a coup d'etat against the government of Corazon Aquino.
 * December 7: With aid from United States forces stationed in the country, the forces loyal to the Philippine government crush the coup.

1991

 * January 1: World War III formally ends with the signing of a peace treaty in Geneva, Switzerland.
 * February 17: Kurdish fighters begin to reap for independence. The Iraqi Civil War begins. The West sends covert aid to the Kurdish rebels.

1992

 * April 18: Kurdistan becomes an independent state.

1993

 * January 1: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolves as the Russian Federation declares independence.
 * March: Saddam Hussein is captured by Kurdish forces. A month later, Saddam is sent to The Hague, Netherlands for crimes against humanity.

1994

 * The Red Army Faction is integrated with ex-Soviet generals and ultranationalist former Soviet Army soldiers.

1995

 * The trials for war criminals of World War III begin in The Hague, Netherlands.

1997

 * Hong Kong is returned to the Chinese Federated Union.

1999

 * December 31: The sovereignty of the Panama Canal is returned to Panama.

2000: The arrival of the New Millennium
The new millennium begins with much celebration and festivities as humanity looks forward to a better future - a future without war and conflicts. Several mistakes have been learned from the Third World War, which only broke out 11 years prior.
 * January 1: The last U.S. troops leave Panama. In Asia, Macau is returned to the Chinese Federated Union.
 * November 7: United States Presidential Election of 2000.

2001

 * September 11: The Red Army Faction conducts terrorist attacks in numerous cities in the United States and Western Europe.
 * October 7: The War on Terror begins.

2004

 * May 10: The US and NATO intervenes in Afghanistan's Civil War.
 * November: United States Presidential Election of 2008.
 * December 26th: A 9.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off of the coast of Sumatra on December 26 causing massive tsunamis to destroy areas in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, Madagascar and Yemen.

2005

 * August: Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in the southern United States.

2008

 * November: United States Presidential Election of 2008.

2011

 * March 11: A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the east of Japan, killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories.
 * September 11: The world commemorates the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacls.

2012

 * February 6: A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hits near the central Philippines off the coast of Negros Island causing at least 51 deaths and injuring 112 others.
 * November: United States Presidential Election of 2012.
 * December 21: The Mesoamerican Long Count ends. Several Mayans flock to Temples around Mexico and Central America. Meanwhile, in some parts of the world, doomsday preppers and looter cause riots thinking the Mayan Long Count would bring the "end of the world." Police and authorities are deployed to cities and towns where these doomsday preppers are causing trouble.

2013

 * October 15:  A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the island of Bohol with a depth of 20.0 km (12.4 mi). It was centered about 20 miles below the town of Sagbayan. Several historical churches were destroyed or badly damaged. As of October 15, it was reported that the death toll was at least 93, including people in Cebu.
 * October 16: Death toll rises to 144 with 291 injured.

2014

 * June 4: The world commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Sqaure massacre and the beginning of World War III.

2015

 * April 25: An earthquake hits Nepal.

2016

 * January 1st: Happy New Year 2016! Around the word, there are numerous celebrations, parties, and fireworks to celebrate the new year. The world now enters deeper into the 2010s decade.