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Triple Alliance Forms
At first, Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to form a Dual Alliance in 1879. Then it grew to become the Triple Alliance when in 1882 it was expanded to include Italy. The three countries agreed to support each other if attacked by either France or Russia. This was an important event that led to the Triple Entente forming. -
Triple Entente Forms
The Triple Entente forms and binds France, Great Britain, and Russia together. Although they decided to join together, it wasn't necessarily because they liked eachother, but rather that they had a common goal to deter Germany from increasing its military buildup even further. The Entente needed to form in order to counteract the Triple Alliance which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy from rising to power. -
Conflict Spreads
The tensions between the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente continue, and when the Tsar Nicholas II sends army forces into Austria-Hungary and Germany, Germany retaliates by doing the same and putting armies in Russia. Germany also makes France decide whether or not they want to stay neutral, and when they do not respond, Germany refuses to stop invading other countries. -
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Because of the tensions that rose and the power that countries wanted, it made it inevitable for groups such as the Black Hand to prove their point by going to extreme measures and assassinating the archduke Francis Ferdinand because his political decision to undermine Slavic independence was not agreed upon. -
War Begins
Since the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war and blamed Serbia for being responsible for the act. Austria Hungary warned Serbia to admit to their ploy, or suffer the consequences so Serbia let them investigate, but without sufficient evidence, Austria Hungary was forced to act in their best instincts anyway. -
Battle of Marne
On September 5, 1914, the French and German armies collided in northeastern France in the Battle of the Marne. The German army was attempting to reach Paris and put France out of the action, so that they could then reach Russia and not have to worry about fighting on two different fronts. -
Second Battle of Ypres
After the beginning of World War I was marked, new military tactics were created such as the use of poisonous gas. In this battle 5,700 canisters containing 168 tons of chlorine gas were released against the French troops. This particular greenish-yellow mist settled into the trenches, affecting some 10,000 troops, half of whom died within 10 minutes of the gas reaching the front line. -
Lusitania Sinks
With the development of new military strategies, the British took advantage of their naval power to dominate the trade on the seas. They wanted to keep the Germans from invading their country and blockaded all ports to prevent war materials from reaching Germans. In response to this, Germany instituted submarine warfare and then allowed U-boats to strike civilian and commercial ships without any warning. The Lusitania was sunk and over 1,000 people were killed, including many American civilians. -
Zimmermann Telegram
In March of 1917, American newspapers published the Zimmermann telegram, a message sent to the Mexican government by Arthur Zimmermann, the German foreign minister. The British had found and passed on the note to the Americans. In the telegram, Zimmermann proposed a deal with Mexico. He promised that if Mexico joined Germany in the war, Mexico would receive New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona after a German victory. -
U.S. Enters World War I
With the U.S. still angered about the Lusitania, and the Zimmermann telegram that further cemented the U.S. attitude towards the Allies, U.S. joins World War I after wanting to remain neutral for several years. Plus, there were a lot of Great Britain and France investments and if they were to lose, then they would not be able to pay the U.S. debt back.
