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Allies
The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy -
Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary, together with the Ottoman Empire - an empire of mostly Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks- were later knonw as Central Powers. The alliances provided a measure of international security because nations were reluctant to disturb the balance of power. As it turned out, a spark set off a major conflict. -
1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
As the royal entourage drove through the city, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip stepped from the crowd and shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. -
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was a plan called for a holding action against Russia, combined with a quick drive through Belgium to Paris; after France had fallen, the two German armies would defeat Russia. -
Sinking of British Liner Lusitania
U-Boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland. -
Sinking of British Liner Arabic
U-Boat sank another British liner, the Arabic, drowning two Americans. Germany agreed not to sink any more passenger ships. However, Germany broke its promise. -
Sinking of French Passenger Line Sussex
Germany broke its promise and torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer, the Sussex. The Sussex xank, and about 80 passengerse, including Americans, were killed or injured. -
Battle of the Somme
British and French Allies fight the German Empire. It was one of the largest battles of WW1. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
Selective Service Act in May 1917. The act required men to register with the government in order to be randomly selected for military service. -
War Industries Board
The main regulatory body was the War Industries Board. It was established in 1917 and reorganized in 1918 under the leadership of Bernard M. Baruch, a prosperous businessman. The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
A person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20
years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort. These laws clearly violated the spirit
of the First Amendment. -
Convoy System
American Vice Admiral William S. Sims convinced the
British to try the convoy system, in which a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic in groups. -
Second Battle of the Marne
The tide had turned against the Central Powers. In September, U.S. soldiers began to mount offensives against the Germans at Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne area. -
Zimmermann Note
A telegram from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents. -
National War Labor Board
Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft exemptions. “Work or fight,” the board told them. However, the board also worked to improve factory conditions. It pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban. -
Food Administration
To help produce and conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover. Instead of rationing food, he called on people to follow the “gospel of the clean plate.” -
Committee on Public Information
To popularize the war, the government set up the nation’s first propaganda agency, the Committee on Public Information (CPI). Creel persuaded the nation’s artists and advertising agencies to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war. -
Austria-Hungary Surrenders to the Allies
On November 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies. That same day, German sailors mutinied against government authority. The mutiny spread quickly. -
Establishment of the German Republic
On November 9, socialist leaders in the capital, Berlin, established a German republic. The kaiser gave up the throne. -
Cease-fire and Armistice
Germany agreed to a cease-fire and signed the armistice, or truce, that ended the war.
