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The Triple Alliance is formed
In 1882, the Triple Alliance, (which consisted of the countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) was formed. Otto von Bismarck wanted to isolate France so he started forming alliances with surrounding countries of France to leave them without allies. Forming these alliances caused other countries to wake up and realize that conflicts were stirring/beginning. -
Germany allies with Russia
In 1887, Germany joins Russia in an alliance. Germany did this to take another ally away from France. This left France isolated and vulnerable. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II Makes Changes
Kaiser Wilhelm II changed Russia's foreign policy and forced Bismarck to resign. He did not want to share power with anyone and he was eager to show the world just how mighty Germany had become. This upset some of the citizens but it also contented some. -
Wilhelm II allows Germany's alliance with Russia to expire
Kaiser Wilhelm II allowed Germany's alliance with Russia to expire because he did not want to ally with Russia. This caused Russia to respond by forming a defensive military alliance with France which was exactly what Bismarck did not want because it would make Germany fight a two-front war. -
Britain forms an alliance with France
Great Britain forms an entente with France because they were alarmed when Wilhelm began to create a German navy equal to Britain's. This creates the beginning of big alliances in the world. -
Britain forms the Triple Entente
Great Britain forms a Triple Entente with France and Russia so they could combat with the Triple Alliance Germany created. However it did not bind each country to fight with each other, it bound them to not fight against each other. These two alliances caused the whole world to eventually be at war with each other. -
Ferdinand and Sophie are assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, and were shot at point-blank range by Gavrilo Princip. They were shot because the Serbians were angry with the Austrian rule. This was an immediate cause of the war and was a reason that Austria-Hungary used to declare war on Serbia. -
Austria presents Serbia with an ultimatum
Due to the assassination of Ferdinand and Sophie Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum of numerous demands. They made these demands extremely harsh because they wanted Serbia to not accept them. Serbia surprisingly accepts all except one. This is going to cause Austria to declare war. -
Austria declares war on Bosnia
Serbia accepts all of Austria-Hungary's terms except one. Austria then declared war on Serbia. Then, Russia (an ally of Serbia), took action and ordered the mobilization of troops toward the Austrian border. Because of all the pre-formed alliances, this would draw the whole world into war. -
Germany declares war on Russia
After Russia's order of mobilization on Austrian borders, Germany saw this as a declaration of war and declared war on Russia. This would cause Russia to look to France for help. -
Germany declares war on France
After Germany declared war on Russia, it did not even wait for France to come to their aid. They declared war on France immediately. -
Britain declares war on Germany
After Germany declares war on Russia and France, Great Britain declares war on Germany. Because of this, most of Europe was now at war. -
The 1st Battle of the Marne
On September 5th the Allies attacked Germany at the 1st Battle of the Marne. Every available soldier was told to fight. After about four days of fighting, the Germans gave up and ordered a retreat. This first battle was the Marne was an extremely significant battle. The German's defeat caused the Schlieffen Plan to fail and made the Germans fight a two front war. -
Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers
In October, the Ottoman Empire formally joined the Central Powers in hopes of regaining lost territories. This widened the conflict further because it was just one more country joining in what was quickly becoming a world war. -
Allies launch the Gallipoli campaign
The Allies really wanted to end the stalemate. They came up with the Gallipoli campaign which was an effort to take the Dardanelles strait. However, it turned into another stalemate and in December, the Allies gave up and retreated. The Gallipoli was an attempt to make a way to get to Russia and give the Russians badly needed supplies. -
Italy joins the Entente
In April, Italy (the only major neutral power left besides the US) joined the Entente. They had realized that something big was occuring and they were practically the only ones that hadn't joined. When they joined, it only left the US who hadn't joined. -
Germany sinks the U.S.S Lusitania
On May 7, 1915, a German submarine sank the the British ship Lusitania. This left 1,198 people dead including 128 American citizens. This enraged the public and President Woodrow Wilson sent a protest to Germany. This attack began the rise of the US anger and conflict towards Germany which would later effect which side America would join. -
Battle of the Somme
In February-November, the Germans attacked the Allies at Verdun in the Battle of the Somme. It was a terrible battle causing the lives of more than 20,000 British soldiers on the first day alone. By the end of the battle, each side suffered more than half a million casualties. This battle just lost men and did nothing for the war. -
Germans announce the unrestricted submarine warfare
In 1917, the Germans were frustrated with Britain and its superior navy so they decided to establish their own naval blockade around Britain. They announced that their submarines would sink without warning any ship in the waters around Britain, which was called the unrestricted submarine warfare. This caused conflct with Britain and later on with the United States. -
The US intercepts the Zimmerman Note
In 1917 the British intercepted a telegram from Germany to Mexico saying that if Mexico would ally with Germany, they would help Mexico "reconquer" the land it had lost to the US. This message was decoded and given to the US government. When Americans saw this, they wanted war against Germany. This Note pushed the United States closer to war. -
The US declares war on Germany
On April 2, Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. Permission was granted and the United States joined the Allies and were not at war with Germany. This would give the Allies yet another powerful ally. -
Russia is done with the War
In November, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ended Russia's involvement in WWI. They withdrew because of civil unrest in Russia. The Czar had to step down. This would cause the Allies a huge loss of Russia's big numbers. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
In March, Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended the war between them. It required Russia to surrender many territories to Germany. -
The Second Battle of the Marne
In July, the Germans gave one more push to victory. They fought at the Marne River, but the German military had weakened. The Allies sensed this and launched a counterattack. The American reinforcements were a great help. The Allied forces won this battle. Because of the victory, it ensured the Allies' success. -
Germany declares itself a republic
In November, Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down from power and Germany declared itself a republic. This was a new stepping stone for Germany. -
An Armistice is signed
On November 11, a representative of the new German goverment met with Marshal Foch in a railway car in a forest near Paris. They signed an armistice, or an agreement to stop fighting. This signaled the end of World War I.
