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Germany officially unified
Germany is now officially unified following the Franco-Prussian war against the French. France's loss is a factor behind their strained relations during the World War I era. -
Triple Alliance formed
The Triple Alliance was a secret agreement between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. -
Bolsheviks emerge as a political group
The Bolsheviks would emerge as a powerful party led by Lenin which would eventually seize control of the Russian government later on. The party was established during the second congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903 -
Russo-Japanese War
A conflict between Russia and Japan over Russia's installation of a warm water port. -
Triple Entente alliance formed
The Triple Entente was a "friendship" act between Great Britain, France, and the UK. -
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia
Franz Joseph decidedly annexes Bosnia-Herzegovina a day following Bosnia's independence from the Ottomans, straining relations. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
Assassination made out by Serbian nationalists that had deep implications concerning the relations between European states. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
The Serbian campaign was a major theatre during the Great War as the great Austrian empire battled the reasonably powerful Serbs. -
Ottoman-German Alliance
An alliance formed between Germany and the Ottoman Empire after the beginning of WWI -
Schlieffen Plan put into action
A battle strategy for Germany to attack France once Russia moved it's forces near Germany. -
Russian Army out of ammunition
During the Battle of Tannenberg, the Russian Army runs out of ammunition to fight. -
Japan declares war on Germany
Japan declares war on Germany following many failed attempts to persuade German ships to leave Japanese waters. -
Battle of Tannenberg
This battle was the subject of an engagement between the Russians and the Germans in east Prussia that resulted in the obliteration of the Russian Second Army. -
Battle of Marne
This was the first and foremost battle of World War I between the Germans and the French. -
Lusitania Sinks
A German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania with 1,191 people dying. -
Battle of Verdun
A significant battle in both mass and importance due to the strategic importance of the heights surrounding Verdun that would be vital in holding off the German horde. -
Battle of Gallipoli
This campaign was waged as the Allies attempted to secure the Gallipoli peninsula from the Ottoman Empire. -
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a significant naval battle between the United Kingdom and Germany. It was the only major naval skirmish in the war. -
Battle of Somme
One of the largest battles in the Great War that yielded great casualties as the French and the British were on a counter offensive in response to German aggression. -
Unrestricted submarine warfare commences
Germany returns to it's unrestricted submarine warfare in WWI. -
Zimmermann telegraph found
The U.S. uncovers telegrams from Germany sent to Mexico telling them to attack the United States with Germany's supplies. -
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates
During the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to give up the thrown by insurgents. -
U.S. declares war on Germany
President Wilson of the U.S. asks for a declaration of war on Germany. -
France loses Alsace-Lorraine to Germany
The loss of Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco-German war sparked influential anti-German thinking back in France, a main factor when discussing the causes of WWI -
Battle of Passchendaele
This battle was fought for the strategic ridges surrounding Ypres, a Belgian city, by the Allies against the German Empire. -
Balfour Declaration
The declaration was a letter from the United Kingdom to Walter Rothschild detailing the British attempt on Palestine in order to secure a "national home" for the Jewish demographic. -
October Revolution
A seizure of power taken during the Russian Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. -
The Influenza epidemic
This epidemic of Influenza infected 500 million people globally, killing many people in the process (50-100 million people). -
Fourteen Points proposed
The fourteen points would ultimately lay the foundation for the peace negotiations between European leaders in order to end World War I. -
Russia signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
A treaty that ended Russia's participation in WWI. -
Revolution overthrows Austrian-Hungarian Empire
A revolution that took place in the Austria-Hungarian Empire that disrupted the state. -
Armistice Signed
This agreement declared that peace on the western front between the Allies and Germany would override the Great War. -
Kaisar Wilhelm II abdicates
Kaisar Wilhelm the II steps down from the German throne as restlessness within the German empire bottles up from the lack of reformation. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI between Germany and the Allied Powers. -
Treaty of Saint-Germain
The Treaty of Saint-Germain involved the dissipation of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. -
NEP (New Economic Policy)
The NEP was an economic policy pushed forward by Vladimir Lenin. -
Vladimir Lenin seizes power
After the end of the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin seizes power over the new Soviet Union. -
Stalin takes over Russia
Stalin seizes power over the Soviet Union after the death of Vladimir Lenin. -
Trotsky flees Russia
Leon Trotsky is exiled from Russia after negative comment to the government of the Russian state. -
Germany halts their reparation payments to France
Germany stops incoming reparation payments to France after an economic devastation in Germany. This was decided at the Lausanne Conference of 1932 -
Russia-Germany Pact violates Versailles
Russia and Germany sign a nonaggression pact to keep peaceful terms.