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The Fourteen Points by President Wilson
These points were later taken as the basis for peace negotiations at the end of World War I. In this January 8, 1918, speech on War Aims and Peace Terms, President Wilson set down 14 points as a blueprint for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations after World War I. -
The Election of President Woodrow Wilson
Wilson was the first Democrat to win a presidential election since 1892 as well as the first presidential candidate to receive over 400 electoral votes in a presidential election -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The outbreak of WW1
The assassination precipitated the July Crisis which led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and the start of World War I. -
America Proclaims Neutrality in World War 1
Many progressives believed much of its power derived from its ability to avoid costly entanglements in Europe and elsewhere. -
The Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterise World War One. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of RMS Lusitania caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, particularly in the then-neutral United States. Of the 1,200 people killed, 128 were American citizens. But the incident did not immediately bring the United States into the war. -
The Battle of the Verdun
Battle of Verdun, (February 21–December 18, 1916), World War I engagement in which the French repulsed a major German offensive. It was one of the longest, bloodiest, and most-ferocious battles of the war; French casualties amounted to about 400,000, German ones to about 350,000. Some 300,000 were killed. -
The Sussex Incident
The Sussex Pledge was a statement by the Germans that they would not sink passenger ships without warning during World War I. The significance was that the Germans were limiting their use of submarine warfare during World War I, which kept the United States a neutral country. -
The Battle of the Somme
A more professional and effective army emerged from the battle. And the tactics developed there, including the use of tanks and creeping barrages, laid some of the foundations of the Allies' successes in 1918. The Somme also succeeded in relieving the pressure on the French at Verdun. -
The Re-election of President Woodrow Wilson
Wilson’s call for Germany to abandon unrestricted submarine torpedoing's, especially after the sinking of the Lusitania and the loss of American lives. Mexico was also in the middle of a civil war, and the Western States favored Wilson’s low profile over the Republican Presidential candidates call for greater involvement. -
The Interception of the Zimmerman Telegram
The telegram further conveyed Germany's intentions should America enter the war. That included urging Mexico to join Germany in declaring war against the United States. In exchange, Germany committed to assist Mexico in regaining its lost territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. -
The Declaration of New Unrestricted Submarine Warfare by Germany
On 4 February 1915, Germany declared a war zone around Britain, within which merchant ships were sunk without warning. This 'unrestricted submarine warfare' angered neutral countries, especially the United States. -
The United States Enters World War 1
The entry of the United States was the turning point of the war, because it made the eventual defeat of Germany possible. It had been foreseen in 1916 that if the United States went to war, the Allies' military effort against Germany would be upheld by U.S. supplies and by enormous extensions of credit. -
The Selective Service Act
By registering all eligible men, Selective Service ensures a fair and equitable draft, if ever required. Exemptions and deferments apply only in the event of a draft. -
The Espionage Act
The Espionage Act broadly sought to crack down on wartime activities considered dangerous or disloyal, including attempts to acquire defense-related information with the intent to harm the United States, or acquire code and signal books, photographs, blueprints, and other such documents with the intention of passing -
The Landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France
The AEF made significant contributions to the success of the Allied forces in Europe during World War I, including: Manpower to the efforts of the Allies, especially in France. Recovery of over two hundred square miles from German forces, which were ultimately restored to France. -
The Beginning of the Spanish Flu Epidemic
Because the virus was new, very few people, if any, had some immunity to the disease. From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people globally. This amounted to about 33% of the world's population at the time. In addition, the Spanish flu killed about 50 million people -
Russia pulls out of World War 1
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. They also thought that Germany would soon lose the war in any case. -
The Passing of the Sedition Act
Passed in preparation for an anticipated war with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech critical of the government. -
The Batlle of Argonne Forest
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I. It was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War and was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed. -
Armistice Day Ends World War 1
Armistice on the Western Front. On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. -
The Paris Peace Conference & Treaty of Versailles
The treaty gave some German territories to neighbouring countries and placed other German territories under international supervision. In addition, Germany was stripped of its overseas colonies, its military capabilities were severely restricted, and it was required to pay war reparations to the Allied countries.