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Chinese Nationalists Oust the Last Emperor Puyi
A Nationalist leader named Sun Yixian led the overthrow of China's last emperor, Empreor Puyi. In this moment of history, China changed from a kingdom-like dictatorship with a very select few people in a position of power, to a country where large political groups would rule the land. The Nationalist Party, for example, would come to rule for a time, and then would come the Communist Party and so on. This part of history is mainly important because it marked a very big turning point for China. -
WWI Begins, Austria Declares War on Serbia
Austria, or Austria-Hungary at the time, had a large Slavic population. Serbia, while it had many Slavs, hoped to absorb all of the Slavs on the Balkan peninsula, including those in Austria. Fearing that Serbia's newfound nationalism would stir rebellion among its Slavic population, Austria attempted to rally up Austrian nationalism. When the Austrian heir to the throne was assasinated by a Serbian, Austria declared war on Serbia. And so began World War I. -
US Enters WWI
There were three main things that led to the US entering the War on the Allies' side: 1. The US had a previous allegiance to Britain, 2. German submarines sank a British passenger ship named the Lusitania, and 3. The Zimmerman telegraph. The Zimmerman telegraph was something that Germany sent to Mexico, inviting the Mexicans to join Germany's fight against the US. With these three major events, US joined the war and relatively soon after, it all came to an end. -
Armistice signed as Allies defeat Central Powers
The armistice marked the end of World War I. An armistice is basically an agreement to stop fighting. This was signd on a train in Paris, with both a Greman and French official on board. The treaty-like document was signed after the Second Battle of the Marne, which the Central Powers lost. The Allies began moving inwards, closing in on the Central Powers and the Central Powers lost. -
Ghandi Leads Indian Campaign of Civil Obedience
Mohandas K. Ghandi supported India's plea for independence from its British rulers. After a bloody Armistar Massacre, he began spreading his deeply religious ideas. He believed in blending the world's religions together in a peaceful matter. He urged the Indian National Congress to boycott British goods and practice civil disobedience and publicly refuse unjust laws. Without direct fighting, Ghandi was able to get other nations on his side and eventually lead India to limited independence. -
Mustafa Kemal transforms Turkey into a Republic
Turkey was previously ruled by the last remaining Ottoman Empire sultan. However when Greeks invaded and the sultan proved powerless, Mustafa Kemal stepped up and fought the Greeks away. They quickly overthrew the sultan thereafter. Then, from his bravery and victory, Kemal became the new president of "The Republic of Turkey". They were now free from other nations' control and began moderniing Turkey. Kemal was known as Ataturk-or father of the Turks. -
Mao Zedong heads Long March
Mao Zedong, previously a librarian, was now the leader of China's Communist party. After a brief period of cooperation, the Communist Party and Nationalist Party of China were at war against each other. In a specfic battle, the Nationalists surrounded the Communists by a moutain. Fearing ultimate defeat, Mao Zedong led his men on a 6000 mile walk across China called the Long March. Many thousands died from hunger and it was considered a very bold move by Zedong, that gained him new followers.
