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Imperialism
European countries fought each other for colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Competition for lands led to conflict among the powers Europe. -
Militarism
The great powers of Europe - Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia - all spent large sums of money on military and forces. This competition pushed these powers into war. -
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife made a state visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia. A terrorist named Gavrilo Princip spotted his car and killed him with a pistol. -
President's view of the war at the beginning
President Wilson wanted to stay neutral and stay away from the war. On August 4, 1914, he officially proclaimed the United States a neutral country -
The sinking of Lusitania
The German U-boats sighted the Lusitania, a British passenger liner, in the Irish Sea. The Germans discovered that the ship carried weapons for the Allies and fired at it. The Lusitania was sunken, along with 1,200 passengers. There were 128 American passengers on the ship. The incident outraged the Americans, slowly broke the neutrality of the US. -
Daylight Saving Time
Germany and Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST to conserve coal in wartime. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year, and the United States adopted it in 1918. -
Sussex pledge
Despite the promise Germany made after the sinking of Lusitania, a French ferry was attacked without warning. After the sinking, Americans threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Germany. Fear that the United States would enter the war, Germany government issued the Sussex pledge which promised to change the Germany's naval warfare policy. -
Zimmermann Note
Arthur Zimmermann, Germany's foreign secretary, sent a note to Mexico, promised to give American land to Mexico if it declared war on the United States. This note enraged many Americans. -
Russian Revolution
Czar Nicholas II of Russia was forced to give up the throne to a republican government. The Russian Revolution cheered the pro-war faction in the United States. After the revolution, Russia joined with the Allies. -
Selective Service Act
The act authorized a draft of young men for military service.The draft got a wide acceptance from civilians since many thought this was the "war to end all wars". -
First American soldiers to Europe
American troops surprised the British and French soldiers on the front lines with their strength, good health, and energy. They resembled the European soldiers who fought in 1914, not the exhausted forces that survived after several years of fighting. -
Espionage Act and Sedition Act
In 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, which made it illegal to interfere with the draft. In 1918, the act was amended by the Sedition Act which made it illegal to obstruct the sale of Liberty Bonds or to discuss anything "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive"about the Constitution, or the army and the Navy. -
Fool and Fuel Control Act
The act gave the President the power to manage the production and distribution of foods and fuels vital to the war effort. The government began to manage how much food people bought, aimed to increase farm output and reduce waste. -
Fourteen Points
President Wilson gave a speech about peace before the Congress of the United States. The speech, which called Fourteen Points, was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end WW1. -
Armistice
The German commanders begged for peace, knew that defeat was a matter of time. On November 11, 1918, a civilian representative of the new German Republic signed an armistice. The Great War officially ended. -
Paris Peace Conference
In January 1919, an international peace conference was held in Paris. President Wilson headed to the conference as the United States delegation. The League of Nations was created at the meeting. -
New countries after the World War 1
There were 9 new nations created after the WW1. They were Austria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, and Finland. -
Versailles Treaty
The German refused to sign the Versailles Treaty at first but after being threatened by the French, on June 28, all the great powers signed the treaty at Versailles. The treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. -
League of Nations
League of Nations is an organization in which the nations of the world would join together to ensure security and peace for all its members. The organization consisted of the US, Britain, France, and Italy.
