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Assasination of Archduke Ferdinand
The assasination of Archduke Ferdinand was the main catylyst for the war. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the attack, and declared war on them. This caused all of the alliances that were present in Europe, to take effect. -
Declaration of War
With the declaration of war against Serbia, this dragged many other countries into the war, including Germany, Russia, Great Britain, and France. -
Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was significant because if France and Great Britain had not exposed the right flank of the German army, then Germany would have been successful in the Shlieffen plan, and would have basically wiped out the French, and wont the Western Front. -
Race to the Sea
Both the Allies and the Germans were in a race to outflank each other, causing them to travel north until they reached the coast. This lasted until November. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania, created anti-german sentiment around the United States. -
German Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
With Germany declaring unrestricted access to their subs, this broke the agreement between them and the U.S. directly leading to America declaring war. -
Germans Knock Russia Out of War
Germany was able to knock Russia out of the war with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia was in the middle of a civil war, and was too busy with its own problems. -
Spring Offensive
This was a last ditch effort by Germany to win the war. They knew that if America was allowed to rise to its full potential, then they would lose. To attempt to prevent this, they had one last offensive push against the Allies. -
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
This was the major offensive led by the Allies. This offensive lasted until November, and was filled with fierce and deadly battle. It pushed the Germans all the the way back. -
Armistice Ends Hostilities
This signified the end of the world first Great War.
