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Allies
The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. -
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 Central Powers. Germany Austria-Hungary and Italy. -
1914 Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
g” was ready to explode.
In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited the Bosnian 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. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Belgium, following a strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. This 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 the British liner Lusitania
a U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland. Of the 1,198 persons lost, 128 were Americans. The Germans defended their action on the grounds that the liner carried ammunition -
Sinking of British liner Arabic
a 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 passenger 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. -
Battle of the Somme
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. -
Zimmerman 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 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.” -
Convoy System
a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic in groups. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
The act required men to register with the government
in order to be randomly selected for military service. By the end
of 1918, 24 million men had registered under the act -
War Industries Board
The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products. -
National War Labor Board
Workers who refused to obey boarddecisions could lose their draft
exemptions. “Work or fight,” the board told them. -
War Administration
Instead of rationing food, he called on people to follow the “gospel of the clean plate.” He
declared one day a week “meatless,” another “sweetless,” two days “wheatless,” and two other days “porkless.” -
Second Battle of the Marne
The turning point of the war. Allies advance steadily after defeating the Germans. -
Austria-Hungary surrenders to the Allies
AustriaHungary surrendered to the Allies. That same day, German sailors mutinied against government authority. -
Establishement of the German Republilc
socialist leaders in the capital, Berlin, established a German republic. The kaiser gave up the throne. -
Cease fire and armistice
So at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh month of 1918, Germany agreed to a cease-fire and signed the armistice, or truce, that ended the war.
