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Period: to
World War 1
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Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
On June 28 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Duke as he rode through a parade. The Organization that assassinated him was the terrorist group the Serbian Black Hand. This added to all of the built up tension as Austria-Hungary claimed Slavic lands sparked the start of World War 1. -
Battle of Tannenburg
It was a battle between the German Empire and the Russian Empire during the first month of WW1. It was fought in modern day Northern Poland and had a total of 183,000 casualties. In the end it was a German victory of the Russians. -
Chemical Warfare First used
The first full-scale deployment of chemical warfare was at the second battle of Ypres. The Germans deployed chlorine gas against French, Canadian, and Algerian troops. Over 124,000 tones of chemicals were used throughout the war. -
Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun was a battle a battle between French and German forces. It was one of the largest and longest battles of WW1. In the end the French army proved superior and won the battle of the opposing forces. -
Battle of Somme
It was a a battle fought by the British and French against the German Empire. It was the largest battle of the Western front during WW1 and the third largest in the war. It is one of the bloodiest battles in history due to such a high casualty rate of over one million killed or wounded. -
The First Deployment Of Tanks
At the Battle of Flers-Courclette (Part of the battle of the Somme) the British deployed Mark-1 Tanks with mixed results. Of the 49 tanks deployed only 32 were able to be deployed, and only 9 made it across no mans land. However, it gave important feedback on how to design newer tanks -
Russian Revolution
In Russia communist protest overthrow the the government killing the Czar and his family. Later in the year in December they sign an armistice leaving the war. This led to the creation of the Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (SFSR). -
America Joins The War
After Germany declared unrestricted warfare in war zone waters America declared war on Germany, hours later the American liner the Housatonic was sunk by a German U-Boat. It was also provoked by the Germans attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against America. Tensions had rose when Germany attempted to isolate the British Isles and multiple American ships were damaged or sunk by mines. -
Formation of RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the U.K. air force. It was formed towards the end of WW1. It was created after a victory over the central powers. It is the oldest air force in the world and at its time was the largest air force in the world. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the treaty that ended Germany´s war on the allied powers, signed June 28 1919 exactly five years after Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated. It stated that Germany would pay for the major damage left behind by them and their allies. It was criticized by being too harsh by some but also criticized for being to lenient on the Germans by others.
