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Unit 3 Timeline Project
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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia by the Black Hand. -
Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia
A month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on July 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian government declared war on Serbia. Immediately, and within six days, European countries declared war upon one another. -
Austria-Hungary Invades Russia
They invaded Russia because Serbia and Russia were allies so they wanted to catch Russia off guard. -
First Battle of the Marne
Allied forces halted the German advance into France during the First Battle of the Marne. -
The Christmas Truce
On December 24, 1914, soldiers from both sides put down their weapons, and stepped out of their trenches and the enemy did meet the enemy between the trenches. For a short time, there was peace. There were many truces along the Western Front that Christmas, but the truce was not total -
Germany Begins Naval Blockade of Great Britain
The German government regarded the blockage as an attempt to starve Great Britain into defeat and wanted to sink the incoming ships that wanted to make their way into Great Britain. -
German Submarine Sinks The Passenger Liner Lusitania
A German submarine sank the passenger liner Lusitania during a crossing from New York to Liverpool, England, killing 128 Americans. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
The Treaty of London was signed on 26 April 1915 and Italy declared war against Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. Salandra boasted that the Pact of London was "the greatest, if not the first completely spontaneous act of foreign policy executed by Italy since the Risorgimento." -
Germany Begins the Attack on Verdun
It was originally planned by the German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front. The aim was to crush the French army before the Allies grew in strength through the full deployment of British forces. -
Battle of Verdun ends
The Battle of Verdun ended with 550,000 French and 450,000 German casualties. -
Germany Breaks Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany returned to unrestricted submarine warfare halted after the sinking of the Lusitania. -
The U.S.A Enter the War
Germany's return of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson's decision to lead the United States into World War I. -
Russia Withdraws from the War
Russia left WW1 because it was in the interest of Russian Communists (Bolsheviks) who took power in November 1917. The Bolsheviks' priority was to win a civil war against their domestic opponents, not to fight in WW1. -
Eastern Front has Vanished
There was no more eastern front because Russia withdrew from the war. The majority of their forces were on the eastern front. So Germany took all their men to the western front since there was no reason to stay at the eastern front. -
Armistice the Official End to Fighting
The official end to the fighting is on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. -
Negotiations for The Treaty of Versailles begin
In 1919, the Big Four met in Paris to negotiate the Treaty: Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the U.S. The Germans had absolutely no say in anything because they were the reason this war started. -
Finally, The Signing of The Treaty of Versailles
The negotiations leading up to the treaty began in January 1919. The Germans didn't have a say in the negotiations because they were at fault for the war. As time went on they reached an agreement and the treaty was signed.