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Allies
By 1907 there were two major defence alliances in Europe. The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia.The triple aAlliance 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 known as the centeral powers. -
1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinan
Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited the Bosnia capital Sarajevo. As the royal entourage drove through the city, serbian nationalist Gavrilo princip stepped from the crowd and shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. Princip was a member of teh black hand, and organization promoting serbian nationalism. on July 28 Austria-Hungary declared what was to be a short war against serbia. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Belgium, following a strategy known as the schlieffen plan. Called for a holding action against Russia, combined with a quick drive though Belgium to Paris; after Fance had fallen, the two German armies would defeat Russia. As German troops swept across Belgium, thousands of civilians fled in terror. In Brussels, the Belgian capitol, an American war correspondent described the first major refugee crisis of the 20th century. -
Sinking of British liner Lusitania
A u-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the southern coast of ireland. Of the 1,195 persons lost, 128 were Americans. The Germans defended their action on the ground that the liner carried ammunation. Americans became outraged with Germany because of the loss of life. American oublic turned against Germany and Centeral powers. -
Sinking of British Liner Arabic
Another U-boat sank another British liner, The Arabic, drowning two Americans. Again the United states protested, and this time Germany agreed not to sink any more passengers ships. -
Sinking of French passenger liner Sussex
Germany broke its promise and torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer, the Sussex. The Sussex sank and about 80 passengers including Americans were killed or injured. U.S. warned germany again if would break off diplomatic relations unless Germany changed its tactics. -
Battle of Somme
The first battle lasted intil mid-November- the British suffered 60,000 casualties the first day alone. Final casualties totaled about 1.2 million, yet only about seven miles of ground changed hands. Yhis bloody trench warfare, in which made armies fought for mere yards of ground, continued for over three years. The fight was just as devastating and inconclusive. -
Second battle of Marne
When Russia pulled out of the war in 1917, the German shifted their armies from the eastern front to the western front in france. By May they were wothun 50 miles of Paris. The Americans arrived just in time to help stop the German advance at Cantigny in France, US troops played a role in throwing back Germany. -
Committee on Public Information
The government set up the nation's first propaganda agency, the Committee on Public information. Propoganda is a kind of biased communication designedto influene people's thoughts and action. -
Zimmermann Note
A Telegram from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British Agents. The telegram proposed an alliance power between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war with the United States broke out Germany would support Mexico in recovering "lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona." -
Selective service act of 1917
Required men to register woth the government in order to be randomly selected for military service. by the end of 1918, 24 million men had registered under the act. Of this number, almost 3 million were called up. About 2 milliion troops reached Europe before the truce was signed, and three-fourths of them saw actual combat. most of the inductees had not attended high school, and about one in five was foreign born. -
Convoy System
German U-boat attack on merchant ships in the Atlantic were a serious threat to the allied war effort. American Vice Admiral William S. Sims convinced the British to try the convoy system, in which a heavy gaurd of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic in groups. -
National War labor Board
President Wilson established the National War Labor board on 1918. Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their drift 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 inspection, and enforced the child labor ban. -
Food Administration
To help produce and conserve foor, Wilson set up the food Administration under Herbert Hoover. He called the people to follow the "gospel" of the clean plate." He declared one day a week "Meatless," another "sweetless." Restaurant removed sugar bowl from the table and served bread only after the first course. -
Espionage and Seduction 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. -
War industries board
The WIB was recognized in 1918 under the leadership of Bernard M. Baruch a prosperous buisness-man. The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizinig products for instance, by making inly 5 colors of typewriters ribbons instead of 150. industrial production in the U.S increased 20 percernt. -
Austria-Hungary surrenders to the allies
Austria-Hungary surrender the same day that German soldires mutinied against government authority. Everywhere in Germany, Groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. -
Establishment of the German Republic
Everywhere in Germany, groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. On november 9, Socialist leaders in the capitol, Berlin, established a German repblic. -
Cease-fire and armistice
The kaiser gave up the throne. Although there were no Allied soldiers on German territory and no decisive battle had fought, the German were too exhausted to continue fighting. so at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh month of 1918. Germany ageed to a cease-fire and signed the armistice, or truce, that ended the war.
