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Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated
Serbian nationallists viewed Austrians as forerign oppressors. They did not welcome the presensce of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. Gavrilo Princip, a conspirator, assassinated Ferdindand and his wife, Sophie. This event is known as the start of World War I -
Period: to
World War II
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Austria strikes back by declaring war on Serbia
Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum where Serbia must end all anti-Austrian agitation and punsish any Serbian official involved in the murder of Francis Ferdinand. Serbia agreed to most but not all of the ultimatum and Austria seized this oppurtunity and declared war on Serbia. -
Britain declares war on Germany
Germany invaded Belgium in hopes to circle around the French and crush its army. Britain had recently signed a treaty with Belgium guaranteeing Belgian neutrality. So, Britain was furious whenever they heard that Germany invaded Belgium -
Poisonous gas is used for the first time at the battle of Ypres
Germany and the Allies were the first to use poisonous gas, which blinded and choked its victims that caused agonizing burms and blisters. This technique could possibly have been the most feared of all weapons due to the fact that it could take days or weeks to recover from the agonizing pain -
Ally forces battle the Turks at the battle of Gallipoli
The Turks decided to side with the Central Powers instead of the Allies. After this, the Turks cut off crucuial Allied supply lines that connected the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Allied forces such as French, British, Australian, and Indian forces battled the Turks for the port. However, the Turks had a strong resistance and intelligence of the surrounding areas and defeated the Allied forces. -
Germany bombs the English coast using zeppelins
Germany decides to bomb the British homeland using aircrafts. Germany targeted military bases, fuel, ammunition and other military resources. The idea to do this came from Germany's sudden realization of the surplus of aircrafts that they had stored away. -
Germany uses U-boat to sink the British "Lusitania"
Britain blocked off the North Sea so Germany could not trade with anyone and Britain also confiscated contraband from German ships. Germany retaliated by sinking the "Lusitania." Germany justified the attack by saying that the ship was carrying weapons. American President Woodrow Wilson threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany. This caused Germany to stop the sinking of British ships -
Conscription beings during World War I
Since there was an increase in casualties both on the battlefield and at home, there was a decrease in the number of young men who were volunteering to fight in the war. In order to solve this, many countries started military conscription, or "the draft" where young men were required to be ready to go to war if they were called upon -
Britain intercepts a message from Arthur Zimmermann
German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a coded telegram to his German ambassador in Mexico saying that Germany would help Mexico reclaim some lands that it lost to America if Mexico helped Germany fight against the Americans. Once Britain told America of this plot, many people in America became enraged -
Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The war was crushing the morale in Russia. There were many fights going inside Russia that caused the downfall of the Russian Monarchy. In addition, the imcompetent generals destroyed pulbic confidence. Eventually, V. I. Lenin came into power and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in hopes to help Russia -
The Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles is the agreement that ended the war. The treaty states that Germany was forced to admit that they were the ones responsible for the start of the war. It also aimed to weaken Germany as a whole and compelled many Germans to leave homes they had made in places such as Russia and Poland
