Honors Western Civilization World War I Timeline

By idotani22

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and wife Sophie are assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in Sarajevo.

    This is the death of two important rulers. This begins to ignite World War I. We will see Austria-Hungary begin to become aggressive.

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

    This is the first battle declared. We will see World War I truly begin at this mark. Germany and Austria-Hungary are allies and we will see them become aggressive together.

  • Germany declares war on Russia.

    Germany now includes itself in this war. It is beginning to become a larger war. We are seeing that allies are coming into play.

  • Germany declares war on France.

    Germany is becoming aggressive towards other countries. This went from Austria-Hungary to being aggressive to Germany. They are both allies as well which means they are backing each other up.

  • Britain declares war on Germany.

    Britain has made the first aggressor act that is not the two allies (Germany and Austria-Hungary). We are going to see the allies of Britain get involved too now. This is where we see that allies really did begin World War I.

  • The British begin a naval blockade of Germany.

    This stops Germany from being able to trade. This was a strong move on Britain's part as they have a strong Navy. Germany did not have a strong one. Also with this happening they could not help Austria-Hungary.

  • Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary.

    Russia is becoming aggressive with Britain. Now both Germany and Austria-Hungary are occupied and have to deal with separate battles.

  • An unofficial truce is declared between the two sides at Christmas.

    Both sides need a break as this is a long battle. They decide to take Christmas off and have a break. It helped the soldiers rest and was a good decision for both sides.

  • First Battle of Marne Begins.

    This battle was between Germany and France. This halted Germany from continuing to take French territory. This was a very important win for this reason.

  • The Second Battle of Ypres begins.

    This battle was the first mass use of poison by Germany. This marked a point in the war. Chemical warfare would now be used and this would change not only this but all wars and battles.

  • British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed by a German U-boat.

    This killed many passengers. Created a lot of tension between Germany and Britain. This only made things worse for World War I.

  • The Battle of Verdun begins.

    This battle took place in France. It was the longest battle in the first World War. This was also a very good win for France and turned the war around.

  • The Battle of Jutland begins.

    This was the largest naval battle of World War I. It was obvious that Germany did not want to try to fight with their Navy. This battle almost completely got rid of Germany's Navy.

  • First Battle of the Somme begins.

    This battle was important for Britain the most. This is because it helped change their tactics for wars in the future. This battle helped Britain in the long run of the war.

  • Zimmermann Telegram intercepted by the British.

    This was the reason the United States got involved in World War I. This was a note Germany sent to Mexico or at least intended to. This note had said that Mexico needed to attack America.

  • Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne after a week of riots in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg.

    There were tons of riots going on at this time. This is when Tsar took his chance of taking the throne. This was important as it led to a new leader for Russia.

  • United States declares war on Germany.

    The United States finally involved itself in World War I. This led to another country in this war. This was also the start of Germany losing this war.

  • President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points.

    This was a set of guidelines to attempt to end the war. These were peace negotiations written by Woodward. This meant that the United States was wanting to end the war anyway that they could (preferably peacefully).

  • The Soviet government signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers.

    This was the peace treaty between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers. This was important as it stopped the war between them which was very long. This treaty marked Soviet Russia leaving the World War.

  • The Treaty of Versailles ends WWI.

    This treaty led to the end of WWI. It made Germany responsible for all of the damages. Which would eventually lead to World War II.