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Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was in Bosnia to check on Austro-Hungarian troops. The day that he decided to check on the troops was on a holiday in Bosnia. A Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip, with a semiautomatic pistol, assassinated the Archduke. Franz Ferdinand died in the car that was driving him around the city. His death caused significant tensions to rise in Europe and eventually led to Austria declaring war against Serbia. -
The Beginning of WWI
July 28, 1914 - August 4,1914
After Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death, WWI began. Austria declared war on Serbia. Germany declared war on Serbia, Russia, and France and was allied with Austria. Russia declared war on Austria and Germany and because Russia was allied with France, called upon the French as well to join the war. The British joined the war against Austria and Germany after Germany's refusal to withdraw from Belgium. -
Turkey aids Germany. Britain, Russia and France declare war against Turkey.
October 29, 1914 - November 5, 1914
Turkey aided Germany, causing it to become allied to the other Central Powers. What Turkey did exactly was aided Germany in bombarding Russia through naval means. Turkey joined the war because the country was economically damaged and lacked a powerful military. They had to join a side for protection and it didn't matter which side. Shortly after this, Russia, Britain, and France declared war on Turkey for aiding Germany during the attack. -
The Christmas Truce of 1914
The Christmas Truce of 1914 was one of the most touching, human moments in WWI's history. During this time, both sides (Central and Ally forces) agreed on an unofficial armistice to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Both sides emerged from the trenches, shared treats, stories, laughs, and fun. They even played football on No Man's Land, something that seemed improbable beforehand. The soldiers made friends with enemy troops and sung carols together to celebrate and welcome the holidays. -
The Battle of Gallipoli
Feb. 19, 1915 - Jan. 9, 1916
This was a terrible, unorganized battle that the Allied forces wound up losing. The goal of the battle was to control a certain sea route that went from Europe to Russia. The Allied forces underestimated the Turkish during the battle. They used older ships to battle and they put little to no planning in how they wanted to attack. After losses at sea, the Allies tried to attack on land but couldn't make it past the beach. The Allies wound up failing and retreating. -
Lusitania Sinks
Lusitania was a British liner that was coming from Liverpool on its way to New York on May 7, 1915. It contained more than 1,900 passengers and of those 1,900, about 1,100 died after a German U-boat shot a torpedo at it, causing it to sink. On board were 120 American passengers, who died as well after the unfortunate event. Germany reasoned that their attack was justified because the Lusitania had a cargo of 173-ton war munitions for the British. Germany later apologized for the event. -
SS Ancona Sinks after the Lusitania
Six months after the tragic sinking of the Lusitania, another Ocean liner containing Americans was sunk. On Nov. 8, 1915, another German U-boat torpedoed the Italian liner. This angered the US and gave them even more of a reason to join the war. The US stated they'd maintain their neutral stance, so long as the Captain of the U-boat was punished. Germany agreed to do so. Afterward, German U-boats refrained from attacking ocean vessels that contained innocent passengers. -
Battle of Verdun
Feb. 21 - Dec. 18, 1916
The Battle of Verdun was one of the bloodiest battles during WWI. It was a long battle between the French and the Germans. The Germans targeted Verdun because the fortress blocked major German communication routes. It also acted as a stronghold for the French defense, destroying it would also destroy French morale. The battle was fought for ten months and ended with neither side victorious. France suffered 400,000 casualties and Germany suffered 350,00 casualties. -
Battle of the Somme
Jul. 1 - Nov. 1, 1916
The Battle of the Somme was another bloody, long battle fought during WWI. The ultimate goal for the Allied forces (Britain & France) was to control the Somme river and prevent Germany access to it. The battle was so bloody because the space in which it was fought in was relatively small. The Germans were well prepared for the battle and had dug deep trenches that caused setbacks for the Allied forces. By the end, the Allies lost 600,000 men. Germany lost 500,000. -
Germany uses Zeppelin's to Strike London
Germany hit Britain from the air on Nov. 28, 1916. They used Zeppelins, large, German airships that carried many bombs. One of Germany's Zeppelins flew over London to bomb it. The intention was to distract the British Air Force in the East to force them to defend instead of attack. -
The Zimmermann Note
The Zimmermann Note was a note written by Arthur Zimmerman during this time period. The note described a plot to get Mexico to join the Central Powers and war against the US. If Mexico listened to Germany, then they would have conquered lands from the US (Arizona, Texas, New Mexico). Germany devised this plan to keep the US distracted and away from the war happening in Europe. Luckily for the US, the note was intercepted by Britain, who then gave it to the US. -
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was the product of years of social and political conflict within the country that sparked even before the first world war. The revolution was led by a man named Vladimir Lenin and a group of revolutionaries, the Bolsheviks. Alongside them were the working class and peasants of Russia who had enough of Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian government. The revolution ended in Tsar being forced out of his position. Lead to two new political parties in Russia: P. Soviet & P. Gov. -
The United States joins the war
By this point, there were strong, justified reasons for the US to join WWI. The first case being the sinking of the Lusitania, which ended the lives of Americans who were not apart of the war. Following such an event was the sinking of an Italian liner, SS Ancona, that also contained US passengers. Both of these events were merely fuel to the fire, but the Zimmerman note was the final shot. By then it was clear to the US that action needed to be taken against Germany and the Central Powers. -
Russia steps away from WWI/Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
After the revolution led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks within the country, Russia was left in shambles. Russia's involvement in WWI combined with the revolution had taken a huge toll on Russia's government and militia. Lenin later took the seat of power and signed a peace treaty with Germany called "Brest-Litovsk." He believed Russia needed to leave the war to build a promising communist state. Germany was very demanding and suggested Russia sign it or else they'd attack again. -
The Battle of Chateau-Thierry
May 31 - July 22, 1918
The battle happened because Germany was advancing quickly and gaining lots of land with little to no resistance. The Allies had to react to this, so US troops, led by Gen. John Pershing volunteered to defend Chateau-Thierry. The US succeeded in defending the area, marking it the second victory for the US in WWI. With this victory and the arrival of the US in the war, the Allies' morale was boosted significantly. On the other hand, Germany was losing morale. -
The Battle of Belleau
June 1 - June 26, 1918
The battle was fought between the US and the Germans. The purpose of this battle was to halt and slow down the German advance in the Western Front. It was also to push Germany out of Belleau Woods. After a month-long battle, the Germans were forced to retreat despite their resilience and determination to keep their position. Compared to the other battles of the war, the casualties during this battle were relatively small, with the US losing 10,000 men. -
The Battle of Argonne Forest
Sep. 26 - Nov. 11, 1918
The Battle of Argonne Forest was one of the final battles fought during WWI. Realizing that the German army was weak and on the retreat, the Allied forces (Now with the US) came together to continue their assault. The battle was fought in dense woodlands, which caused it to be a difficult, unorganized battle for either side. Germany was forced to retreat further after realizing that they were outnumbered and outflanked. The battle ended after the armistice. -
Armistice in France
After countless battles and casualties, the war was finally halted in France with an armistice. It was on November 11, 1918, on the 11th hour. By 1918, the Central Powers were weakening and running out of power to continue the war. To add on to their weakened state, the US was constantly shipping over plenty of new, fresh, strong men ready to battle. It was clear to the Central Powers that continuing to fight a losing battle was not worth it, and them losing would be inevitable. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty signed by the Allied powers. The treaty was very hard on Germany because France believed they were responsible for the war. The treaty forced Germany to give back territory to France and stripped them of their colonies. Germany was not allowed access to certain weaponry and was not allowed to regrow a stable military. Then, the treaty held Germany accountable for all Allied damages and burdened them with lots of financial obligations. -
The League of Nations
The League of Nations was created at the Paris Peace Conference. The goals of the League were to minimize conflicts & hopefully prevent future wars. Surprisingly, the US was not apart of the League due to worries about war. The US wanted to remain neutral so that it would not be involved in any future conflicts. That being said, the League was not that powerful. Without the US & the leading countries in Europe trying to recover, the League was unable to control the eventual regrowth of Germany.
