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Assassination in Sarajevo
On April 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophia visited the capitol of Bosnia, Sarajevo, following Austria's annexing of Bosnia and Herzogovina. Serbian leaders were very upset about this annexing. A young 19 year old Serbian, Gavrilo Princip, a memeber ot the Serbian secret society, The Black Hand, shot the royal couple at point blank range as they drove in an open car. the city. -
Great Migration
Increased industrialization in the North and limitations of the rural in the South, impacted race relations in the United States. In the early 20th century African American moved to the northern and western cities of the United States. In 1914,in the beginning of World War 1, large number of industrial jobs became available in cities like Chicago because the Americans needed workers in the factories. -
Formation of Central Powers & Allies
By mid-August of 1914, European nations responded to Austria’s declaration of war on Serbia by taking sides based on pre-assassination alliances. On Austria-Hungary’s side was Germany call the Central Powers. On Serbia’s side, Russia heard the calling; with Russia came Great Britain and France. Italy and Japan joined later. These were know as the Allied Powers or the Allies. -
The Schlieffen Plan and the First Battle of the Marne
The Schlieffen Plan, designed by General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen, was a battle strategy for Germany when facing a war on 2 fronts. A swift victory in the west would then allow German troop to mobilize to the east. But on September 5, 1914, the First Battle of the Marne proved that a victory in France would be a long and arduous process. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Towards the beginning of the war the United States remained neutral, but they became an important supplier of credit, weapons, and food to France and Britain. In 1915 Germany began to use their submarines to sink American ships bringing supplies. On May 7, 1915 a German Submarine sank the American passenger ship, the Lusitania, off the coast of Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. The ship went down in just 18 minutes and 1,198 of 1,959 passengers and crew members died. -
America Joins the Fight
Although there was public sympathy with the Allies, America had stayed out of the war. The United States was drawn in over time by a series of events. First was the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania. Many people were killed, including 128 U.S. citizens. Later the German U-Boats sank three American ships. Finally, Germany was also trying to influence Mexico to align with them. This final act finally pushed America into the war after three years of European conflict. -
Fourteen Points
In January 1918, while the war was still going on, U.S. President Wilson drew up a series of peace proposals. They outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace. The guiding idea behind these points was self-determination. This is when the people can decide for themselves under what government they wish to live. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
On March 3, 1918, in the city of Brest, Russia, Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty ended the war on the Eastern Front and allowed Germany to focus its entire efforts on the Western Front and it’s war with France. This was one of Russian Communist leader, Vladimir Lenin’s, first acts as leader. -
Treaty of Versailles
At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 the treaty formally brought World War 1 to an end. It placed severe penalties on Germany, forcing the country to take complete blame for starting the war in the first place. Germany lost substantial territory and had severe restrictions placed on its military operations. In the end the treaty created feelings of bitterness and betrayal, among the Allies and Germany. -
Creation of New Nations
After World War 1 the map of Europe had changed a great deal. The defeated nations, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire, signed separate peace treaties that led to huge land losses for the Central Powers. New countries were created from Austria-Hungary such as Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Russia, who had left the war early, suffered land losses too. Romania and Poland gained Russian territory. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent nations.
