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The Archdukes assassination
The war started when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated. Franz was in Sarajevo with his wife in their procession when both were shot by Gavrilo Princip. He was apart of a nationalist group that plotted to kill the Archduke. He was one of many men placed with in the parade,he was not meant to actually kill the Archduke the others failed to hit the Archduke when he was passing. It was pure chance that Gavrilo was able to kill the Archduke to begin with. -
Austria-Hungary declares war
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the assassination. This causes the fragile peace between the European great powers to collapse. Igniting the first world war. -
Germany invades Belgium
Germany invaded Belgium to get to France, Germany's goal was to get to the capital of France. Germany had given Belgium an ultimatum a few days prior. Germany's ultimatum was to either let them pass through or they would pass through with force. This event was what caused the majority of the Allies to get involved with the war. -
The Trenches
Trench warfare was not pleasant at all for the soldiers. The Trenches were always filled with water, the soldiers kept on the same pair of clothes. They were always soaked which eventually led to trench foot for those who are always standing in water. The soldiers also had to deal with body lice and there was no way of getting rid of it because they could not bathe. The Trenches were narrow and if you looked into nomans land you would immediately get shot. -
Germany uses chlorine gas
Germany released chlorine gas onto French divisions in Belgium. the Western Front was hit with more than 150 tons of chlorine gas. The gas killed several Allied troops causing a breach in the front line. Although the attack did breach the allies front, the Germans were not able to take advantage. -
The Lusitania
The Lusitania was owned by Britain and killed 1,128 people, 128 of those deaths were Americans. The ship was sunk by a German U-boat. The United States was “neutral” at this time but was pointed in the Allies direction. Although it was a passenger ship, it was secretly carrying American aid to Britain thus why the ship was sunk in the first place. -
Britain deploys the first tank
The first tank ever used and a war was deployed by Britain. the tanks were useful for clearing paths and breaking down barbed wire. They failed to go over trenches, And the armor was very thin. The tanks intended use was to be a weapon was a failure for the most part because it was too primitive. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram is named after Arthur Zimmerman who was a German foreign secretary that sent the telegram. The telegram was sent to Mexico proposing an alliance against the United States. The Mexican gov. didn’t agree to this alliance because it was seen Reckless. The message caused the United States to feel threatened, so the American Congress declared war against Germany. -
The U.S. Enters The War
The US Congress authorizes a declaration of war against Germany. Germany sunk and damaged many US ships traveling to Britain. Germany had stopped sinking ships for a period of time but then continued to result and the US diplomatic relationships with Germany. the US then continued to join the allies side of the war. -
The Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act was passed by Congress authorizing the draft. This was frowned upon because it seemed to Disturbed rolls back home. Almost 4.8 million men were drafted to go fight in the war. President Wilson stated he didn't have any other option other than to sign the bill. -
Arthur Roland Keller
Arthur at the age of 19 enlisted in the Marine Corps in Chicago. He dealt with body lice and German shelling in the trenches. Arthurs’ highest rank of command was Corporal. At the end of the war he stayed with a German family and made a strong bond with the family and had a heart-wrenching goodbye when he left back to America. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Germany and the Bolshevik government of Russia signed a peace treaty. The treaty gave Germany more land that was formerly apart Ukraine and Poland. The peace treaty stopped the eastern war front and gave Germany the opportunity to focus on the western front. The shift in Germany's attention caused a struggle for the Allies. -
Kaiser Wilhelm Steps Down
Kaiser Wilhelm Step down from office and went to the Netherlands, where he lived the rest of his life. When Kaiser stepped down any and all hope for Germany to win the war disappeared. Kaiser did not want to step down, but with the chance that his own people returning from the war could potentially harm or kill him, so he stepped down. In the remainder of his life, he wrote a memoir defending his actions in the war. -
The Peace
Germany finally surrendered to the Allies being the last Central Power fighting. The allies and Germany signed an armistice at the eleventh hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The agreement essentially stated that Germany would release Allied prisoners, and withdraw from enemy territories. Germany had little to no choice when signing the armistice considering the allies depleted Germany's forces and Germany's allies had all surrendered months prior. -
The Treaty
The peace conference was held in 1919. The Treaty of Versailles Was put in place for Germany's punishment. Germany was responsible for paying all of the debt, along with a reduced and Military presents, and the return of the land taken. The treaty in the long term did not work and would inevitably lead up to the start of World War II.
