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Arch Duke Assassinated
This event started World War I. Francis Ferdinand (A-H heir to throne) was assassinated by Serbian Black Hand member Gavrilo Princip. A-H blamed the whole country of Serbia for the assassination and wants to take over Serbia, leading to the start of WWI. -
A-H Declares War on Serbia starting WWI
One month after Archduke Francis Ferdinand (A-H heir) was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. This begins the World War. -
Battle of the Marne
This was the first significant victory for the Allies in World War I. This ruined Germany's plan to get a quick victory over France. -
The Battle of Ypres
German forces shock Allied soldiers by firing more than 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas. This was the first major gas attack by the Germans, and it devastated the Allied line. -
Lusitania Sank
A German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania without warning. It sank within 20 minutes. 1,198 people drowned, 128 of them being Americans. This angered the Americans because Germany was sinking ships whether they were hostile or neutral, and Americans had died. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest and most costly battle of WWI. It was most of the fighting of 1916, forcing France’s allies to fight battles that might otherwise not have been fought, or to provide indirect aid to the French. By the end of the battle the French and Germans had lost close to one million men altogether. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme symbolized the horrors of warfare in WWI. It had a marked effect on overall casualty figures and gave an example of the futility of trench warfare. -
Zimmerman note intercepted by British
In this note, Germany offered Mexico the opportunity to regain their lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, in exchange for their help in distracting the US so they wouldn't get involved in WWI. -
Lenin begins the Bolshevik revolution
Lenin led the Bolshevik Revolution. They occupied government buildings and other locations, forming a new government with Lenin at the lead. It became the first Marxist state in the world, with Lenin as the virtual dictator. -
The U.S. enters the War
The U.S. formally enters WWI. One of the main reasons we declare war on Germany is because of the submarine warfare Germany was doing- unrestricted and sinking hostile or not ships. -
Russia drops out of the war
Russia becomes communist and Lenin leads the Bolshevik Revolution. The Russians drop out because they decide not to focus on problems outside of the country -
Germany Surrenders
France and Germany drop out of the war because they do not have any help. The Allies and Germany signed an armistice, ending the fighting of WWI. This meant a victory for the Allies. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
After the war, the allied leaders meet at Versailles to decide on peace negotiations. This included Woodrow Wilson's idea for the League of Nations. Other clauses in the treaty punished Germany. The US senate never did ratify the treaty and the US did not join the League of Nations.
