施里芬計劃 Schlieffen Plan (1905年)
這是德國在第一次世界大戰中擬定的一項作戰計劃，由上將施里芬策劃，該項計劃建議在東線攻擊俄國之前，應迅速進攻法國，可惜計劃失敗，德軍遭到比利時軍隊頑強的抵抗。
This was a plan drawn up by General von Schlieffen for Germany during the First World War. It suggested a rapid attack on France before striking Russia on the Eastern Front. However, the plan failed and German forces met fierce Belgian resistance.
第一次世界大戰爆發 The outbreak of the First World War (1914年)
奧地利皇儲斐迪南大公(Archduke Ferdinand)在訪問波斯尼亞時遇刺身亡，奧匈聲言是塞爾維亞的陰謀，雙方關係變得緊張。衝突中，塞爾維亞得到俄國的支持，而奧匈亦取得德國的「空頭支票」(The blank cheque)，得到她的無條件的協助，奧匈遂向塞爾維亞發出最後通牒。由於塞爾維亞拒絕接受其中一項要求，奧匈於是向塞爾維亞宣戰，事件最終演變成世界大戰。
The Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated during his visit to Bosnia. Austria-Hungary claimed that the assassination was a plot, her relations with Serbia then became tense. Serbia gained support from Russia, whereas Austria-Hungary also got 'the blank cheque' from Germany, which provided her with unconditional support. Thus, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. Due to Serbia's rejection to accept one of the clauses, Austria-Hungary declared war to Serbia. The incident then turned to a world war.
第一次世界大戰結束 The end of the First World War (1917年)
美軍於1917年加入第一次世界大戰，為疲竭的協約國注入新能量。德軍在缺乏兵員和物資補給的情況下，士氣十分低落，加上以同盟國逐一被打敗，終迫使德國求和，於1918年11 月向協約國投降，大戰結束。
The US joined the First World War in 1917, injecting a new force to the Allies which was exhausted. Under the conditions of running short of men and supplies, German's morale began to decline. The Central Powers were defeated one by one by the Allies, therefore, Germany had no choice but to ask for peace. She surrendered to the Allies in November 1918, leading to the end of the First World War.
巴黎和會 Paris Peace Conference (1919年)
1919年1月，第一次世界大戰戰勝國的代表在巴黎附近的凡爾賽舉行會議，這會議名為「巴黎和平會議」(Paris Peace Conference)，會上簽訂《凡爾賽和約》(Treaty of Versailles)。德國在和約中受到嚴厲懲罰，包括承擔所有戰爭罪責、賠款及幾乎被完全解除武裝等。
In January 1919, delegates from the victorious countries met at Versailles near Paris. This meeting was called the Paris Peace Conference, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Germany was severely punished in the Treaty, which imposed her the war guilt clause, required her for reparations and almost complete disarmament.
國際聯盟成立 Establishment of the League of Nations (1919年)
國際聯盟於1919年的《凡爾賽和約》中獲得通過而成立，其總部設於瑞士的日內瓦，是維持世界和平與安全的一個永久性國際組織。國際聯盟擁有一個由24個成員國組成的全體大會，各成員國都會派代表出席，並各自擁有一票的表決權。全體大會每年召開一次，商討成員國提出的任何問題、制定預算、接納新成員和選舉理事會的非常任理事國。
The League of Nations was established when its proposal was adopted in the Versailles Settlement in 1919. Its headquarters is in Geneva. It is an international organization which aims at maintaining ever-lasting world peace and security. The League had an Assembly which consisted of 24 original member states. Every member sent representatives and was entitled one vote. The Assembly met at least once a year, to discuss any matter raised by a member, fix the league's budget, admit new members and elect non-permanent members of the Council.
經濟大衰退 The Great Depression (1929-34年)
1929年，美國的股票市場於一夜之間價格暴跌，引發「經濟大衰退」，並迅速蔓延至歐洲，尤其是德國。這次事件令到不少工、商業家破產，銀行倒閉，以及失業率上升。
In 1929, the American stock market collapsed overnight, sparking off the depression. It quickly spread to Europe, and attacked Germany harder than any other European country. As a result, many businessmen went bankrupt. There were also serious bank failures and high unemployment rates.
阿比西尼亞危機 Abyssinian Crisis (1935-36年)
意大利侵略東非的阿比西尼亞(埃塞俄比亞)，阿比西尼亞求助於國際聯盟，國
際聯盟隨即向意大利施行經濟制裁，但這並未令意大利撤離阿比西尼亞，德美等國亦繼續與意大利進行貿易，最終意大利於1936年佔據整個阿比西尼亞。並於1937年退出國聯。
Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in Africa. Abyssinia sought help from the League of Nations, which condemned Italy's action and imposed economic sanctions. However, the sanctions failed to force Italy out of Abyssinia. Germany and the United States continued to trade with Italy, which then conquered the whole of Abyssinia in 1936 and withdrew from the league in 1937.
捷克問題 Issue of Czechoslovakia (1938-39年)
德國在1938年吞併奧地利後，接著的目標是吞併捷克的蘇台德區，德國控制蘇台德區的300萬德國人，佔領捷克超過5分之1的領土，重工業及煤礦。由於英法兩國採取綏靖政策，即滿足侵略者的要求來安撫侵略者，這助長了希特拉的野心，於1939年吞併捷克全境。
After its occupation of Austria in 1938, Germany pursued to occupy the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Germany controlled 3 million Sudeten Germans, took over one-fifth of Czechoslovakia's territory and her heavy industries and coal mines. Such concessions were made due to the appeasement policy of Britain and France. An appeasement policy means to pacify the aggressors by satisfying their wants. This made Hitler more aggressive and annexed the whole of Czechoslovakia in 1939.
第二次世界大戰爆發 The outbreak of the Second World War (1939年)
第二次世界大戰以1939年德國入侵波蘭的戰事為開端，這本來為一場軸心國（德、意、日）與同盟國（英、法）之間的戰爭，最後由於蘇聯和美國被迫於1941年捲入戰爭，因而發展為一場真正的全球大戰。
The Second World War started from Germany's invasion of Poland. This was initially a war between the Central Power (Germany, Italy and Japan) and Allies (Britain, France), but it turned to be a global war due to the entry of the Soviet Union and US in 1941.
第二次世界大戰結束 The end of the Second World War (1945年)
1945年5月7 日，德國宣布無條件投降，翌日(5月8日)，盟軍宣布為「歐洲勝利日」(VE Day)。不過，日本仍拒絕投降，美國於是在日本的廣島及長崎先後投下兩枚原子彈，日本傷亡慘重，遂於8月14日投降，第二次世界大戰也正式結束了。日本投降後的翌日為「日本投降日」(VJ Day)。
On 7th May 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally. The Allies declared the following day (8th May) the VE Day. However, Japan resisted to surrender, the US then dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagazaki. Japan suffered seriously, thus surrendered on 14th August, leading to the end of Second World War. The day following Japanese surrender was called the VJ Day.
聯合國成立 Establishment of the United Nations (1945年)
第二次世界大戰使大部份國家均意識到成立一個永久國際組織的重要性，使能更有效地維持世界和平。在戰爭結束以前，列強就已經有所行動，建立新國際體制，以取代國際聯盟。1945年10月，聯合國終於正式成立。
The Second World War made most countries realize the importance of creating a more effective permanent peace keeping organization. Before the end of the war, the major powers had taken steps to set up a new international body to replace the League of Nations. The United Nations was finally formed in October 1945.
馬歇爾計劃 Marshall Plan (1947年)
這是美國於1947年推出的計劃，目的是給予歐洲大規模的經濟援助，從而恢復歐洲的經濟繁榮，使歐洲能抵制共產主義的擴張，計劃公開給所有國家，甚至包括蘇聯和它的衛星國。
The plan was introduced by the US in 1947. It provided Europe with huge financial assistance for economic recovery. In this way, the spread of communism in Europe could be checked. The plan was open to all countries, including the Soviet Union and her satellites.
世界衛生組織成立 Establishment of the World Health Organization (1948年)
「世界衛生組織」於1948年成立，是一個自治國際衛生組織，職能包括監察世界衛生動向、就衛生規定提交意見，以及協調各國促進衛生及控制疾病工作。在1967年至1977年期間，世衛成功消滅天花流行病。
The World Health Organization was set up in 1948. It is an autonomous international body. Its function is to monitor world health trends, advise on healthcare and coordinate international efforts to promote health and control disease. Its remarkable success is evidenced in the eradication of smallpox between 1967 and 1977.
築建柏林圍牆 Building of the Berlin Wall (1961年)
柏林分為東柏林及西柏林，由於在東柏林，消費物品短缺及經濟復甦緩慢，遂使東柏林居民投奔西柏林，以致東柏林嚴重缺乏工人，為了改變這情況，
蘇聯於1961年，沿著東、西柏林邊界築建柏林圍牆，務使東柏林的人逃亡更加困難。
Berlin was separated into East and West. The shortage of consumer goods and the slow economic recovery drove more and more East Germans to West Berlin. As a result, there was a shortage of workers in the East. In changing this situation, a wall was built along the border of West and East Berlin in 1961, to make escape from East Germany harder.
古巴導彈危機 Cuban Missile Crisis (1962年)
1962年，美國發現蘇聯將導彈運抵古巴，他們認為此舉將嚴重地威脅美國國家的安全，故此，美國總統甘迺迪下令全國動員，對古巴實行海上封鎖，同時要求蘇聯撤除古巴的導彈。冷戰以來最嚴峻的危機即將展開，美國和蘇聯瀕臨爆發核戰。
In 1962，the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was shopping
nuclear missiles to Cuba. The Americans saw this as a serious threat to US
national security. President Kennedy then ordered national mobilization and
naval blockade of Cuba, He also demanded the withdrawal of Soviet missiles.
The most serious crisis of the Cold War was about to begin. The US and Soviet
Union were brought to the brink of a nuclear war.
無國界醫生成立 Establishment of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (1971年)
「無國界醫生」是一小撮法國醫生於1971年設立的組織，組織是非牟利的，每年有逾2,500位義工，包括醫生、護士及其他醫護專業人員，聯同該組織在各地招聘的本土職員，在超過80個國家提供醫療援助。
MSF was founded in 1971 by a small group of French doctors. It is a non-profit
organization. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer doctors, nurses and other
medical professionals join locally employed staff to provide medical aid to more
than 80 countries.
美蘇聯合太空任務 Joint Space Project between the US and Soviet Union (1975 年)
1975 年7月 1日，美國阿波羅太空船利用由美國和蘇聯共同研發的靠站設備，與蘇聯的聯合號一起在地球的運行軌道靠站，這是國際首次在太空飛行方面的合作。
On 1 July 1975, the US Apollo spacecraft docked with the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft while in Earth orbit. This was the first international cooperative space flight.
柏林圍牆被拆毀 Demolition of the Berlin Wall (1989年)
柏林圍牆的出現令德國人感到恐懼和不滿。其間，數以百萬計的德國人在攀越圍牆時被殺。直至1989年11月，圍牆才被拆除。德國的再度統一，象徵著東德共產主義的瓦解。
The wall created fear and discontent among the Germans. Millions of Germans trying to cross the wall were killed. It was not until 9 November 1989 that the wall was pulled down. The reunification of Germany symbolized the collapse of communism in East Germany.
南斯拉夫內戰爆發 Outbreak of the Yugoslav civil wars (1991年)
新興國家南斯拉夫在第一次世界大戰後出現，它是一個多種族的聯邦國家，由6 個共和國和兩個自治省所組成，由於經濟衰退、民族主義崛起，造成南斯拉夫內不同種族發生連串武裝衝突，戰爭包括「斯洛文尼亞戰爭」、「克羅埃西亞戰爭」、「波斯尼亞戰爭」等。內戰持續了10年之久，南斯拉夫終於解體。
Yugoslavia emerged after the First World War. It was a multi-ethnic federation of
six republics and two autonomous provinces. Due to factors such as economic
recession and the rise of nationalism, there were different armed conflicts in
Yugoslavia, including the war in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Civil wars
continued for 10 years, leading to the eventual collapse of Yugoslavia.
歐洲聯盟成立 Establishment of the European Union (1992年)
1992年，「歐洲共同體」易名為「歐洲聯盟」。歷時40年的共同體在經濟上取得重大的成就，例如：廢除關稅，及廢除人民到共同體成員國求職的限制，貿易亦因而增加，為成員國帶來繁榮。
In 1992, the European Community was renamed the European Union. By the mid-1990s, after almost 40 years of existence, the community had been a great success economically, such as the abolition of custom duties, as well as the restrictions on people seeking work in the different countries of the Community. Trade increased, brining prosperity to the member states. |
