Progression to World War I

Rise of [Militarism] Begins

Jan 1, 1870

[Militarism]--the policy of greatly extending the military--began cerca 1870 and lasted until 1914

Rise of [Militarism]

Period: Jan 1, 1870 to Jul 28, 1914

[Dual Alliance] Created

Jan 1, 1879

German chancellor Otto von Bismarck forges [Dual Alliance] between Germany and Austria-Hungary

[Triple Alliance]

Jan 1, 1882

Italy joins the [Dual Alliance] and the [Triple Alliance] forms, which now included Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in one alliance.

Kaiser Wilhelm II Rises to Power

Jan 1, 1890

Kaiser Wilhelm II forces chancellor Bismarck to step down, and becomes sole ruler of Germany. He let the treaty with Russia lapse, and Russia becomes hostile.

Russia allies with France

Jan 1, 1892

1892 and 1894--Russia responds to lapse of treaty with Germany by forging an alliance with France. This gives Germany enemies on two fronts--east and west.

Germany and France conflict over Morocco

Mar 31, 1905

Kaiser Wilhelm II declares support for the Moroccan sultan, who opposed French rule. He was trying to unsettle the [Triple Entente] alliance. Creates tension between France and Germany.

[Triple Entente] Created

Jan 1, 1907

The [Triple Entente] allied Britian, France, and Russia, ensuring that each side would not fight the other. It completed the entangling [alliance system] in Europe, [Triple Alliance] against [Triple Entente], that would stir the start of the Great War.

Austria annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jan 1, 1908

In order to stunt Slavic [nationalism], or national pride, particularly in Serbia, Austria-Hungary takes over these two nations in the Balkan region in an act of [imperialism], where a larger nation takes over another for political or economic reasons. (political in this case). It sharply heightened tensions between Serbia and Austria.

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

Jun 28, 1914

Heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, rode through Sarajevo, Bosnia in an open car. Serbian BlackHand assassins, against Austrian rule of Bosnia, plotted to kill him, and they succeeded, shooting the Archduke and his wife at point-blank range. This was the immediate cause of the War. It started a chain reaction following the [alliance system].

World War I Begins

Jul 28, 1914

This day, Austira-Hungary declared war on Serbia, blaming them for the assassination of the Archduke. Russia, the ally of Serbia, sent troops to Austria-Hungary to protect them. Expecting Germany to side with Austria, Russia attacked Germany as well. Germany declared war on Russia. Expecting France to support Russia, Germany declared war on France. To protect France, Britian declared war on Germany. Europe officially plunged into one of the most destructive eras the world has ever witnessed.