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Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
He and his wife were killed by the Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. They were shot at at close range while driving through Sarajevo, the provincial capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina.The political goal of the assassination was to liberate Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austro-Hungarian rule and establish a common South Slavic state. The assassination precipitated the July Crisis that led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and the start of World War I. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
One month after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I. -
German troops enter Belgium
On August 2, the German government sent an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding passage through the country, and German forces invaded Luxembourg. Two days later, the Belgian government rejected the demands, and the British government guaranteed military support for Belgium. Germany declared war on Belgium on August 4, troops crossed the border and began the Battle of Liège. -
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German troops enter Belgium
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Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
The Italian army advanced into the South Tyrol region and towards the Isonzo river. The snowy and treacherous terrain caused the combat to stalemate. At the end of October 1917, the German intervention to help Austria-Hungary resulted in a spectacular victory over the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto.The defeat sparked a crisis in Italy, which led to the dismissal of the army chief of staff, Luigi Cadorna, and the formation of a coalition government under Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. -
Bolshevik storm the Winter Palace
Lenin was determined to bring his Bolsheviks to power by taking advantage of the war-weariness that affected both Russian citizens and soldiers. He tried to rally the crowds in the streets of St. Petersburg through stirring speeches calling for Russia's immediate withdrawal from the war. However, his efforts to form a march to the Provisional Government headquarters in the former Tsar's Winter Palace failed. -
United States declares war on Germany
US President Woodrow Wilson declares war on Germany. The declaration of war is a reaction to the maritime war that Germany has been waging since January 1917. Germany wants to sink all ships sailing to the United Kingdom. Also including passenger ships and neutral US ships. -
Russia signs armistice with Germany
After their accession to power in Russia in November 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, had approached the Central Powers to arrange an armistice and withdraw from a war they saw as the major obstacle to their plan of providing food and land to the long-impoverished Russian peasant population. -
Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty was between the new Bolshevik government of Russia and the Central Powers. Russia's participation in World War I ended. This treaty was unpopular with many because it gave up too much land, losing almost a third of its rich agricultural production and almost a quarter of its total territory. The Soviet government, despite deep dissatisfaction with the German terms, had no choice but to agree. -
Armistice
Also known as the Armistice of Compiègne, it was officially signed at 5:45 a.m. by the Supreme Allied Commander, French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, at Le Francport; which ended the land, sea and air fighting in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
It was a peace treaty that was signed in that city at the end of World War I by more than fifty countries. This treaty put an end to what would be "the last war", it tried to limit future military adventures by Germany.