Events that led up to Word War 1

  • The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

    The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
    Archduke Franz Ferdinand was next in line for King of Austria- Hungary, when he traveled to Serbia and was shot twice and killed. Austria- Hungarian people were infuriated and wanted war as revenge.
  • The Battle of Tannenburg

    The Battle of Tannenburg
    This was one of the very first battles of World War 1. The Russian troops invaded the Germans. Even though the Russians attacked, the Germans got on quickly and wound up winning the battle. They had captured around 95,00 Russian troops.
  • The First Battle of Ypres

    The First Battle of Ypres
    This was called the "Race to the Sea", the German troops wanted to gain control over the north sea. So, they broke into the allied lines of the French to try and capture them.
  • Battle of Gallipoli

    Battle of Gallipoli
    During the invasion of the Ottoman Empire by the British and French armies, the Gallipoli campaign sees them. It was meant to be a swift quick victory, but it ended in 180,00 casualties.
  • The Second Battle of Ypres

    The Second Battle of Ypres
    This battle consisted of the poisonous gas attacks led by the Germans on the Western front. They released 160 tons of chlorine gas ending in 6000 casualties on the French troops.
  • Sinking of Lusitania

    Sinking of Lusitania
    A German submarine had torpedoed and sank the Lusitania. The Lusitania was traveling from New York to England when it was struck. There were 1,995 people in Lusitania and 1,195 perished. This made the U.S. finally enter the war.
  • The Battle of Verdun

    The Battle of Verdun
    The Battle of Verdun occurred because the German lines wanted to drain and lower the numbers of the French armies. The French fought back hard and there was no declared winner of the battle.
  • The US Enters the War

    The US Enters the War
    After the sinking of the Lusitania, the US was infuriated with German troops. The US was upset with German troops torpedoing neutral ships. So in April 1917, Washington declared war on Germany, and that marks the date the US entered the war.
  • The Battle of Jutland

    The Battle of Jutland
    This war was the only major encounter between the British and the German troops. It took place in the North Sea and went on for about 1 day.
  • The Battle of Somme

    The Battle of Somme
    The Battle of Somme was used to distract troops from the Verdun battle and bring them over to the Somme. This lasted for five months.
  • The Zimmerman Telegram

    The Zimmerman Telegram
    This was a note sent from the Germans to Mexico asking for help since the US entered the war. In return, Mexico would get financial help. It was intercepted by the British who told the US.
  • The Boleshivek Revolution

    The Boleshivek Revolution
    Russia had lost more than 2 million soldiers on the eastern front. Rioting had started escalating and it led up to the battle for the revolution.
  • The Central Powers Surrender

    The Central Powers Surrender
    Durin the course of a month the Central Powers began to surrender from the war.
  • The Signing of the Armistice

    The Signing of the Armistice
    The allies were suffering and were attacked 4 times by the German troops, with the help of the US they launched a major counterattack. They crucially hit Germany and their allies began to dissolve. They successfully brought down Germany.
  • The Treaty of Versailles

    The Treaty of Versailles
    After all the gore and battles over the course of the 4 years, the two countries have signed the Treaty of Versailles declaring the final end to World War 1.