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Archduke Francis Ferdinand Assassinated
Archduke Francis (Franz) Ferdinand desired to annex Bosnia. He insisted on being out the day he was assassinated despite warnings, and a bomb on the window of a convoy vehicle. The Archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb nationalist. Princip wanted to united Bosnia and Serbia. Bosnia was desired by both Serbians and Austria-Hungarians. -
Strength of belligerents
The Allied powers had better demographic, industrial, and military resources.
As you can see, the Allied powers had more population. The Allied had more army ready for combat, and were generally better equipped. Part of their problem was they did not think the war would be long, so did not go into full war mobilization until much later. -
Germany Invades Belgium
Howitzers were brought in to Belgium. Germany made an invasion into Belgium, quickly occupying the town of Liege, and the citadel. They brought in howitzers to bring the outlying forts into their control. Having modern equipment is quite often a pivotal part of the war, like the howitzers. Germany would not have been able to take out the forts without the artillery. -
Treaty of London
Treaty of London concluded.
The Treaty of London is when Russia, France, and Great Britain decided not to make any separate peace with the Central Powers. Now they would be known as "Allied," Entene powers, or just the "Allies." -
German Retreat from the First Battle of the Marne
The British 19th Brigade is joining the Battle of the Marne.
The First Battle of the Marne is considered the most deadly single battle of humankind until this point. It ends with exhausted German soldiers retreating. The French were able to move troops by train, so the Germans had to swing around and march the whole way in the Schlieffen Plan that involved circling France. Germans underestimated the spirit of the French soldiers. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
After attacking three British steamers (Tokomaru, Ikaria, and Oriole) without notice in January, Germany announced that the area around Great Britain is a war zone and no ship will be safe. Britain responded with countermeasures like nets, armed merchant ships, submarine location equipment, and depth bombs to take out "u-boats." -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania hit a little too close to home for the United States of America.
The British ocean liner Lusitania was attacked and sunk off of the coast of Ireland. This angered the United States and provided incentive for the US to enter WWI. 128 Americans were drowned. Even though the Germans had declared the area a war zone, America was still caught off guard. -
Romania Enters the War
Picturesque Transylvania was once owned by Austria-Hungary. Romanian troops enter Austria-Hungary in the province of Transylvania, officially declaring war and entering WWI. Their goals may have been to gain territory and have a unified nation. Sixteen days after this move, Romania signed a treaty with the Allies which they would get land if the Allies won. In the Treaty of Versaille, Romania did in fact get Transylvania and other land. -
Zimmerman Telegram
German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt. This telegram was offering Mexico part of the United States if they would join the war. The telegram was intercepted by British intelligence. This was a major reason that the United States joined the war. Ironically, it is the same kind of deal that the European countries were offered against Germany. -
Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference is where the nations of the First World War discussed peace terms. It was during this conference that the League of Nations was established. The League of Nations is a group of nations that are working together to keep any nation from getting out of hand and trying to take over again. Germany was assigned full war guilt. -
Treaty Of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the treaties signed at the end of World War I. This is the agreement that Germany had full war guilt and the repercussions that came with that. France, United States of America, Germany, and other leading nations decided the terms that Germany would have to follow. Germany was penalized by having a limited army, giving land to other countries, giving natural resources to France, and paying money to the other countries.
