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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassination
The assaaaination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Ferdinand was the spark that ignited the giant flame that was World War 1. He was killed along with his wife during a visit to the capital city of Bosnia. -
Austria and Serbia Go to War; Two Alliances are Formed
The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was commited by Serbs. As a result of this Austria declared war with Serbia. Europe divided into twp rival camps. The first alliance included Great Britian, France, and Russia, they were called the Triple Entente. The second alliance was named the Triple Alliance and consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy -
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The Schileffen Plan
A strategy called the Schileffen Plan began to form on the Western Front. The plan was to have most of Germany's war race west to take over France, and return east to battle Russia. The plan was interrupted by Belgium, though. Germany had no choice but to invade Russian, which angered the British, who then declared war with Germany on August 4. -
The First Battle of the Marne
On September 5, 1914 the German's were continuing to execute the Schefflin Plan, sweeping into France. It did not go smoothly though because the Allies were there waiting for them. The battle consisted of every soldier that was avaliable from each side. By the end of the battle the Germans had be struck back 60 miles. The defeat of the Germans put the Schefflin Plan to ruins. However, the battle ended in a stalemate -
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Germany Goes to the Eastern Front
Realizing that a easy win on the Western Front was no longer possible, Germany sends thousands of men to aid their forces on the Eastern Front in their battle against a Russian invasion. -
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Battle of Verdun
The Germans used all of the new technology being used in the war to kill many French soldiers. The Tanks, poisen gases, and machine gun all contributed to both the Germans and French losing over 300,000 men. -
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Battle of the Somme
The British army tried to relieve the pressure on the French. British forces attacked the Germans in the valley of the Somme River. In the first day of battle alone, more than 20,000 British soldiers were killed. At the end of the Battle of each side had suffered over half a million casualties. -
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Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
In January 1917, the Germans announced that their submarines would sink without warning any ship in the waters around Britain.This idea created conflict between the Bristish and the United States becuase British submarines brought down many U.S. ships. -
The Americans Enter the War
On April 2, 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war, and United States entered the war on the side of the Allies. -
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Vladimir Ilyich Lenin takes Power in Russia
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin wanted to pull Russia out of the war. The first step he took towards doing this was to offer Germany a truce. -
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Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty ended the war between the Germans and the Russians. The treaty however wasn's all good for the Russians. It required the Russian government to surrender lands to Germany that now include Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. -
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Second Battle of the Marne
In July of 1918 the Allies and Germans fought for the Second Battle of the Marne. Leading the attack for the Allies were 350 tanks. With over 2 million more American troops arriving the Allies began to coast towards Germany. -
The War Comes to an End
Four years of brutal war and death finally came to an end and a peace settlement was in order. -
Treaty of Versailles
On June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles, this ended World War I and provided for the creation of the League of Nations.