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Triple alliance formed
There was a Dual Alliance between Germany and Austria-
Hungary in 1879, and 3 years later Italy joined the group, forming the Triple Alliance.This alliance took away possible allies from France, which left France able to become allies with Russia and Great Britain later on. -
Bismark forced to resign
Germany’s foreign policy changed when Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign. Wilhelm was very proud and did not want to share the power with him, and he also wanted to show the world how powerful Germany was. Wilhelm II mainly cared about his army, and so he allowed Germany's treaty with Russia to expire. -
Germany's alliance with Russia expires
When Wilhelm II took power of Germany, he allowed the nation’s treaty with Russia lapse. Russia then formed a defensive military alliance with France, which made Germany the enemy of both. -
Entente formed
As a result of Wilhelm's shipbuilding program, Great Britain
formed an entente with France.Britain was so alarmed by Germany that later on, it made the Triple Entente for protection. -
Triple Entente Formed
Britain made another entente with both France and Russia. This alliance did not force Britain to fight with France and Russia, but basically guaranteed that Britain would not fight against either. As a result, two rival groups existed in Europe- the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente, who could break out into war at any time. -
Archduke and pregnant wife are assasinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie were shot and killed by Gavrilo Pricip when they rode through the streets of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.There had been tensions because Serbians weren't happy about being a part of the Austro- Hungarian empire, and June 28th was the date when medieval Serbia was defeated by the Turks, signifying the loss of their independence. This killing caused Austria to want to punish Serbia, and so Serbia was presented with an ultimatum. -
Serbia presented with Ultimatum
Austia wanted to punish Serbia for the assasinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, and so it presented Serbia an ultimatum. Serbia agreed to most of the demands, but it wasn't enough and Austria declared war. This ultimatum was a way for Austria to declare war, and it set into motion Serbia's Ally, Russia. -
Austria declared war on Bosnia
Austria refused to accept Serbia's offer about the ultimatum, and declared war. Russia, an ally of Serbia,ordered the mobilization of troops toward the Austrian border. This declaration of war caused leaders all over Europe to take notice and try to stop it, but the brief peace and stability throughout Europe was quickly lost. -
Germany declared war on Russia
Russia mobilized along the German border thinking that Germany would side with Austria in its declaration of war. Germany saw this move as a declaration of war, and so Germany declared war on Russia. This declaration caused Russia's ally France to get involved, and Germany then declared war on it as well. -
Germany counterattacked Russians
Germany counterattacked near the town of Tannenberg after Russia attacked both Austria and Germany. The four day battle resulted in the Russians being defeated,their retreat, and more than 30,000 Russian soldiers killed -
Germany declares war on France
Two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declared war on France because it was allies with Russia, which in turn caused Great Britain to declare war on Germany. -
Britain declared war on Germany
Britain declared war after Germany declared war on both France and Russia. These declarations locked Europe into battle. -
1rst battle of the Marne
Germany planned on having a quick victory over France, and had reached the outskirts of Paris, when the Allies attacked the Germans in the Valley of the Marne River. The Germans retreated after four days of fighting. This battle was very significant because the Germans Schlieffen Plan fell apart and Russian forces invaded Germany, meaning that Germany had to fight a big war on two fronts. -
Ottoman Empire joined Central Powers
The Germans pressured the Ottoman Empire to pick a side in the war, plus Germany's early victories and Turkey's friction with the Allies caused the Ottoman Empire to join the Central powers. The Ottoman Empire also joined in the hope of regaining lost territory, and this alliance had no major impact on either sides of the war. -
The Gallipoli Campain
The Allies thought they could defeat the Turks, acquire Constantinople, and establish a supply line to Russia by securing Dardanelles, a region in the Ottoman Empire. The French, British, Australian, and New Zealand troops made an effort to take the Dardanelles, and this was called the Gallipoli Campain. The battle turned into a bloody stalemate, and the Allies gave up in December. There had been about 250,000 casualties. -
Italy joined Entente
Italy was originally a member of the Triple Allinace between Germany and Austria- Hungary. The Italiens switched sides after accusing Germany and Austria- Hunagry of unjustly starting wars. This alliance didn't give much advantage to either side, but did give military leaders more areas to secure victory in. -
Germany sank U.S.S. Lusitania
Because the Germans had enacted the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, a German u- boat sunk the British passanger ship known as Lusitania. This attack killed 1,198 people, 128 of whom were Americans. Americans were furious, and President Wilson told Germany to stop these attacks, and after two more, they agreed. The sinking of Lusitania probed the U.S. government to become more involved in the war, and was one of the causes of the U.S. joining the battle. -
Battle of the Somme
In February,Germany attacked France near Verdun. In July, the British army tried to help the French, who had lost over 300,000 soldiers. British forces attacked the Germans in the valley of the Somme River. By the end of the battle in November, each side had more than half a million casualties.The results of this battle were that the Germans gained about four miles near Verdun, and the British gained about five miles in the Somme Valley. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
In 1917, although Germany had backed off from Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, it returned to that policy. Germany announced that they would sink any ship in the waters around Britain, without warning. Germany knew that this move could lead to war with the U.S., but hoped to starve and defeat Britain before the U.S. could do anything. German U- boats sank 3 American ships, and this move pushed U.S. closer to war, and was one of the reasons why the U.S. did eventually join the battle. -
U.S. received the Zimmermann note
The British intercepted a telegram from Germany's foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador in Mexico. The note stated that Germany would help Mexico regain its lost land back from the U.S. if they could be allies. Britain sent the note to America, and once public, caused Americans to be outraged. The note was the breaking point for America, and prompted the U.S. to join the war on the side of the Allies. -
Wilson declared war on Germany
The combination of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, and Zimmermann's note, was the breaking point for the U.S. President Wilson asked Congress to declare war, and America finally joined the battle, on the side of the Allies. -
Russia withdrew from war
After Vladimir Ilyich Lenin took power over Russsia from Czar Nicholas, he offered Germany a truce. In 1918, Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended the war between them. This withdrawal allowed Germany to focus on one front, and the Germans attacked the Allies in France. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Germany and Russia both signed the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk, which had some requirements, but ultimately ended the war between them. According to the treaty, Russia had to give up lands to Germany such as Finland, Poland, Ukraine and more. After the war the treaty became invalid, but the lands given to Germany gained their own independence. -
2nd Battle of the Marne
By late May of 1918, although the Germans had reached the Marne River, their supplies and men were exhausted. In July, the Allies had about 350 tanks and 2 million more American troops in the Second Battle of the Marne. The Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks surrendered, and there was a revolution in Austia- Hungary that brought the empire down. This battle caused revolutions to break out, including the mutiny of German soldiers that turned the public against Kaiser Wilhelm II. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down from power
German soldiers and the public turned on the Kaiser, forcing him to step down from power. This action allowed Germany to declare itself a Republic, and soon after, World War 1 came to an end.
