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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Gets Shot
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was an Austro-Hungarian. He was at Sarajevo, Bosnia visiting when he and his wife, Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg, were shot by a 19 year old Serbian, Gavrilo Princip. Gavrilo was a membrer of the secret society commited to freeing Bosnia of Austrian rule, called The Black Hand. The shooting of the archduke ignited World War I. -
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World War I
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Austria Declares War on Serbia
Austria made an ultimatum containing numerous demands to Serbia. Serbia refusing the ultimatum would result in war against Austria, who was more powerful than them. So, Serbia agreed to most of the demands that Austria made. However, Austria did not want to negotiate and refuse Serbia's offer. Because Austria rejected Serbia's ultimatum, they went to war. -
Taking Sides
During mid-August of 1914, Germany and Austria were on one side and they were known as the Central Powers. Later on, Italy joined and the name became known as the Triple Alliance. They were called this because they were in the heart of Europe. In time, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. On the opposing side, were Great Britain, France, and Russia. They were called the Allies or Allied Powers. -
German's Schlieffen Plan
The Germans created the Schlieffen Plan which was for attacking France because Germany thought they could defeat them. As a result of this, Germany would rush east and perform a surprise attack on Russia. However, this plan did not follow through and Germany was not able to defeat France as easily as they thought they could because the German troops had to hold off the Russian troops while fighting France at the same time. -
Battle of Gallipoli
The other name for the Gallipoli campaign was Dardanelles. Australian, New Zealand, French, and British troops attacked the Gallipoli peninsula repeatedly. Turkish and German troops defended the region fiercely. The Battle of Gallipoli came to a stop and both sides dug trrenches and fought back and forth for a year. Finally, the Allies gave up the campaign and evacuated. -
Obstacles for Russia
During the war, Russia still needed to industrialize their army. As a result of this, Russia's army was always low on food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, and blankets. Russia was limited because the Germans controlled the Baltic Sea making it difficult to get items oversea from the Allies. Russia was defeated in plenty of battles, however, they had many soldiers to draft into the army. -
The Unthinkable Happens
Because the men were fighting in war, the women had to take over factories, offices, and shops. They started to build fields, make paved streets, and run hospitals. The women also supplied food, weapons, and clothing to the troops. As a result of this, the women changed people's outlooks of women and what they are capable of. The women also served as nurses during the war. -
America gets involved
The Germans started to perform unrestricted submarine warfare. This method is when Germany would not warn other ships in sea about sinking their ships under water. Germany conquered Mexico from the U.S. and made them an ally to their country. America formed an alliance with England and President Wilson declared war on Germany. As a result, America joined the Allies. -
The Successful Allies
Czar Nicholas from Russia stepped down and a provisional government was established. In 1917, many Russian soldiers were wounded, killed, or taken prisoner. Russia was tired of having war, so they decided to not fight in the war any longer. Later on, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin took control and the first thing he did was to offer truce to Germany. In March, Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This ended war between the two countries. -
World War 1 Coming to a Close
Russia's absence in the war, allowed Germany to send almost all of its forces to the Western Front. On the their way to Paris, they weakened by short supplies and exhausted men. The Allies knew that Germany was weak so they launched an attack. The Allies clashed with the Germans and the Second Battle of the Marne. The Central Powers began to fall and Bulgarians and the Ottoman Turks surrendered. A German representative and Marshal Foch signed the armistice.
