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Imperialistic Rivalries
By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets. The amount of lands ‘owned’ by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa. The desire for new countries led to a lot of confrontation. -
Alliances
There were many alliances between the countries at the time. Russia was making alliances with Britain, and Britain with France. Germany was making alliances with Austria and Austria with Serbia to keep it from Russia. According to some alliances, if one country went to war then their allied partners would have to go to war as well. -
The Assassination
WWI was directly triggered by the assassination of the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife. They were murdered by Bosnian revolutionary Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. -
Seige of Tsingtao
In the autumn of 1914 British and Japanese forces attack the port of Tsingtao – a German colony - in China. Although the Germans put up a firm resistance a force of 23,000 Japanese soldiers seizes control. Japan also takes over Germany’s colonies in the Caroline, Mariana and Marshall Islands. Later in the war, Japan sends warships to help protect Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. -
The Battle of Somme
One of the most memorable battles that first showed the use of trenches, the Battle of Somme. The battle was against Britain, France, and Germany. It was a very bloody battle. Around a million soldiers died: 420,000 thousand from England, 200,00 from France, and 500,00 from Germany. The use of trenches was first started/was an important aspect in this battle. -
Leading up to World War II
The economic collapse, and the political instability caused by World War I led the rise of fascism in Europe to World War II. -
Leading to WWII
Germany was dealt with especially harshly. The country, which had only been unified 50 years earlier, was forced to cede over 10 percent of its home territory and all of its overseas possessions. Germany was required to take full responsibility for World War I and agreed to pay crushing reparations that the fragile domestic economy couldn't hope to sustain. Militarist Germans were further insulted by the extreme restrictions on the size and composition of the post-war German army and navy. -
The Battle of Britain
On July 10, 120 German bombers and fighters struck a British shipping convoy in that Channel, while 70 more bombers attacked dockyard installations in South Wales. Although Britain had far fewer fighters than the Germans–600 to 1,300–it had a few advantages, such as an effective radar system, which made the prospects of a German sneak attack unlikely. Britain also produced superior quality aircraft. -
The Atomic Bomb
The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan by the US. It killed nearly 129,000 people with very minimum US casualties. -
The Surrender of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany surrendered on May 7th 1945 thus bringing World War Two in Europe to an end. On May 6th General Alfred Jodl arrived at General Dwight Eisenhower’s temporary headquarters – a small schoolhouse in Reims, France – to sign the surrender document. Four versions of the surrender document were required: in English, French, Russian and German.