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Balkan Wars (Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2019)
The Balkan Wars were two successive military conflicts that claimed all of the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. The First Balkan War was fought between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan League came out victorious and the first war ended with the Ottoman Territories losing most of their territories. The Second War was started because Bulgaria and Serbia fought over their division joints. In the end, Bulgaria was defeated and Serbia split up the joints with Greece. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek boarded a train to Sarajevo. On the other hand, seven young Bosnians were waiting for the Archduke in Sarajevo, surrounding the Appel Quay. As the Archduke came along, Gavarilo Princip hurled a bomb toward the cars, but he had missed and wounded officers and bystanders and also left the Archduke and Sophie unharmed. The Archduke continued to the City Hall and was shot and killed by Princip. Austria-Hungary declared war in July (History.com, 2014) -
World War I Begins
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the start of World War I. On July 28th, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and Europe's great powers collapsed. The war lasted from 1914 to 1918 and it was a battle between the Allied Powers and Central Powers. When the war was over, the Allied Powers came out victorious and over 16 million people had died. (History.com, 2009) -
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Battle of Gallipoli
The Battle of Gallipoli was an unsuccessful attempt of the Allied Powers to control the sea route from Europe to Russia. It began with a failed naval attack by the British and French navy on the Dardanelles Straits. The Allies then launched an Allied Invasion on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Allies suffered many casualties and called for a retreat. (History.com, 2009) -
Lusitania Sinks
On May 5th, 1915, a British steamship called the Lusitania was torpedoed by German U-boats killing 1,128 people including Americans. This broke the relationship ties between Germany and America. It also caused America to enter WWI. (McDermott, 2018) -
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Battle of Verdun (History.com, 2009)
German forces advanced to claim Douaumont and Fort Vaux. When the Germans came within two miles of the Verdun cathedral, they called off their offensive and the French retook their forts. By December both sides had more than 600,000 casualties. At the end of the first week of the battle, the Germans had advanced in 6 miles into Fort Douaumont and they took possession. In the beginning of June, the Germans also took another stronghold, Fort Vaux. They then called off their offensive. -
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Battle of the Somme (History.com, 2019)
The Battle of the Somme was an Allied offensive against German forces on the Western Front. It was one of the deadliest battles of WWI. The attack began with a week-long bombardment by the Allied forces. The British troops then launched an artillery barrage and they were able to advance into enemy territory. The next attack was an advance of 12 divisions of soldiers accompanied by tanks. The Allies then went with their final advance during the cold winter. The British lost 420,000 soldiers. -
Zimmerman Note
British codebreakers intercepted an encrypted message from the German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman on January 16th. The message was from Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador of Mexico. The message gave instructions for the ambassador if the U.S were to join the Allied forces. Mexico's president would plan an attack on the U.S and Mexico would be able to take back their territories. (Andrews, 2014) -
Russian Revolution
In 1917, bonds between the tsar and the Russian people were broken. The Governments were corrupt and inefficient. Two revolutions happened throughout Russia. During the revolution, the Bolsheviks, who were led by Vladimir Lenin took power and the Bolsheviks would become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The two revolutions would eventually lead up to the formation of the Soviet Union. (History.com, 2009) -
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Russian Revolution
In 1917, bonds between the tsar and the Russian people were broken. The Governments were corrupt and inefficient. Two revolutions happened throughout Russia. During the revolution, the Bolsheviks, who were led by Vladimir Lenin took power and the Bolsheviks would become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The two revolutions would eventually lead up to the formation of the Soviet Union. (History.com, 2009) -
U.S. Enters War
In April of 1917, the United States joined the allies, Britain, France, and Russia. Over 2 million soldiers battled in France and were under the command of Major General John J. Perishing. On June 26th, 1917, the U.S Infantry troops landed and battled throughout Western Europe. (History.com, 2010) -
Russia Withdraws From War
In March of 1918, the new Russian government signed a peace treaty with Germany at Brest-Litovsk. The Germans forced it by threatening to attack Russia. Russia signed the treaty and it ended their participation in WWI. But it didn't bring peace to Russia because of the Communists. (FacingHistory.org, n.d.) -
Battle of Chateau-Thierry
The Battle of Chateau-Thierry was part of the second battle of the Marne. The attack was first initiated by the Germans. They planned to take advantage of the new American forces. The American Expeditionary Forces linked up with the French troops to push back the German advance. (Salem Media, n.d.) -
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Battle of the Argonne Forest (Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2018)
The Battle of the Meuse-Argonne was a series of battles on the Western Front. The Allied Forces came up with a strategy of offenses against the Germans. The Americans proceeded west of the Meuse River to the Argonne Forest. The did a surprise attack and they attacked deeper into the German defenses. The German then retreated and the Argonne Forest was clear of German troops. The battles in the Meuse and Argonne continued and the American forces reached the Sedan and declared an Armistice. -
Armistice
The war ended with an armistice, where both sides agreed to stop fighting. The armistice was the fastest way for both sides to end misery and carnage. By November 18, the battle between the Allies and Central Powers were pretty much over. The Germans and German allies were outmatched by the Allies. The Germans then asked for an armistice. (Kiger, 2018) -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was signed and the war finally ended. The treaty was negotiated in Paris between January to June 1919 and was written by the Allies. This also led to the formation of the League of Nations. The enforcement of the treaty avoided new wars. (History.com, 2009) -
First Meeting of the League of Nations
On January 16th, 1920, six days after the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations held their first meeting. Their goal was to maintain world peace. The organization was founded on January 10th, 1920. They sought to prevent wars by security and settling international disputes. (Pandora Society, 2016)
