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German Unification
This was the building of the modern German nation and the separation from the Kingdom of Prussia. This event was a result of the German states Prussia and Austria arguing on who should be the leader. It marked the date of the formation of the German Empire and the declaration of the new emperor, Wilhelm I, at the Palace of Versailles. This is important in understanding the emergence of the powerful German nation which played a key role in all of European history. -
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First Boer War
The war was fought between the United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal. The British was seeking to expand their empire and annexed the Transvaal. While some English speakers in the republic were okay with it, the Boers were disappointed in their government. The Boers resisted British authority and waged war on them, which resulted in Boer victory. This event ruined Britain's reputation for some time as they were supposed to be this great nation but lost to farmers and were ridiculed in Europe. -
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Berlin West Africa Conference
13 European representatives met to prevent war between the imperial nations over the Congo River. The great European powers were jealous of each other's claims in Africa and were suspicions of their motives to expand into Africa. The conference decided that the Congo river would be neutral, there would be freedom of trade for everyone and claims were rejected. This event is important as it can be argued that this worsened the scramble for Africa as states tried to take as much land as possible. -
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First Sino-Japanese War
Once Japan modernized they started to look overseas for economic benefits, they thought China was the ideal place to expand. Both Japan and China wanted claims over Korea and the disputes led to war being declared. The Chinese army was very disorganized and had outdated weapons which led to Japanese victory. Japan returned Port Arthur to the Chinese and it was then occupied by Russia, the Japanese were embarrassed. This event made Japan seek revenge on Russia and led to the Russo-Japanese war. -
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Philippine-American War
The war was fought by the US against a Filipino independence movement. After the US defeated the Spanish in the Spanish-American war in defense of Cuba, the Filipinos thought that they would be given independence as well. When it was clear that the US had no intention of doing this, the Filipinos revolted. This event showed the real motives of the US imperialism. Their goal wasn't to civilize the Filipinos as they were already Christians, it was to prove their power as a imperialistic state. -
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Second Boer War
Britain refused to withdraw their troops and give the Transvaal independence so they declared war. The Boers used German weapons to fight the war which made Britain upset with Germany. Britain was mocked throughout the war for their tactics such as the scorched Earth tactic and concentration camps for the Boer women and children, they hoped it would make the Boers surrender. This event pushed Britain to expand its military and find allies to protect their empire that they realized was at risk. -
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Britain and Japan formed an alliance to fight against the problems caused by Russia. They agreed to stay neutral if the other was in war against another nation but if a third nation were to join then they would intervene. Britain recognized Japan in Korea and Japan agreed to protect British interests with their fleet. This is important as it was the first time Japan was considered an equal to the Europeans and gave them leverage in the Russo-Japanese war as Russia's allies could not intervene. -
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Russo-Japanese War
Japan wanted to have rights in Korea and Russia wanted rights in Manchuria but they were stopping each other from achieving that. The Russians refused to negotiate with Japan because they were confident that they were better than Japan and they invaded Korea. Japan sent warships to destroy Russia's battleships which started the war. The war resulted in Japan's victory and marked the first time an Asian nation beat a European one and allowed Japan to be considered a World Power. -
Entente Cordiale
Britain and France signed this agreement in order to resolve tensions between them in Africa. The countries were also concerned about Germany's aggressive imperial approach so they decided to ally with each other for assurance. Germany believed that this friendship was a threat to their international influence and aimed to weaken the relationship between the two powers. This event marked the beginning of one of the strongest alliances at the time. -
WWI Begins
This war was caused by a chain of events following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in all of world history. The war was fought between the Allies and the Central powers throughout Europe. Middle East and parts of Asia. The war resulted in Allied victory and left long lasting tension in Europe. The Paris Peace treaties were a result of this war and led and economic depression in Europe and extreme conflicts which later led to WWI. -
Panama Canal Opens
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US Joins WWI
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Bolshevik Revolution
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Paris Peace Conference
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League of Nations Established