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Chinese Nationalists oust the Last Qing Emperor; Puyi
Sun Yat Sen and the chinese nationalists overthrow the Last Qing Emperor, Puyi. Sun Yat Sen became the first president of the Republic of China. -
World War I begins as Austria declares war on Serbia
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was shot and killed by Garvillo Princip, a member of the Black Hand as well as a Serbian. Austria sent a list of demands to Serbia as payback for the Archduke's death. Serbia tried to meet their demands but it was impossible so the Austrians declared war on Serbia, starting what would be World War I. Soon after Russia fought on Serbia's side because it had a large Slavic population and Germany backed up Austria-Hungary due to their alliance. -
US Enters the War
Germany sunk a US passenger ship called the Lusitania due to their unrestricted submarine warfare. Prez Wilson protested the unrestricted submarine warfare and when Germany continued, tensions between the US and Germany rose. The tensions sprouted into war when the US intercepted a note from Arthur Zimmerman of Germany to Mexico. This note stated that Germany wanted Mexico to form an alliance with them and in turn Germany would win back the land Mexico lost to the US. -
Armistice signed as Allies defeat the Central Powers
The Central Powers were defeated as the Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks surrendered and a revolution was taking place in Austria-Hungary. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany stepped down from power in 1918 and declared Germany a republic. The German government an armistice with the French and WWI ended shortly after. -
Gandhi leads Indian campaign of civil disobedience
Ghandi led the Indian National Congress to follow a policy of non- cooperation with the British government. When the British failed to punish officers who took part in the Amritsar Massacre, the Congress Party enforced Gandhi's idea of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the purposeful and public refusal to follow unjust laws and nonviolence to gain independence. The purpose of civil disobedience was to weaken the British government's authority and economic power over India. -
Mao Zedong leads the Long March
The Treaty of Versailles makes the Chinese people even angrier than they were before because they gained nothing from the Great War and they felt disregarded. Mao Zedong led the Communist Party and led the Chinese communists during the Long March when the Chinese Nationalists and Jiang Jieshi were chasing them.