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World War 1
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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Chotek was "The Spark" for World War I especially because of the Serbian assassin Gavrilo Princip. The assassination was a second attempt, the first being a bomb thrown into his car when driving to the Sarajevo City Hall. A chain of events occurred leading to Austria-Hungary blaming the Serbian government for the attack which lead to allies being formed. -
Start of World War I
The beginning of the war started with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary decided to take action against Serbia after a Serbian assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The crisis lead to conflict for Europe leaders which lead to global war. -
U.S Proclaims Neutrality in WWI
When the war began in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson attempted to find neutrality in the U.S, but was unable to keep America out of the war because Germany was escalating in their fight. -
Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg took place on August 26-30, 1914 and was known as one of the first major battles of World War I. The battle was a major defeat for Russia and lead to very high casualties. The end result was a victory for Germany. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare against all ships that entered war zone waters in Britain. This tactic was made by using submarines or U-boats to sink and attack all enemies shipping. The restrictions were an advantage for Germany since ports to supplies were blocked by Britain. -
The Sinking of The Lusitania
A German submarine torpedoed the Lusitania, a British passenger liner which was traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. About 1,200 people died, including 128 Americans leaving the U.S furious and demanding reparations. Germany was defensive of the accident since they were persistent about their warnings about anyone traveling in the unrestricted war zone, but Germany was lenient and agreed to the U.S governments demands. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun lasted from February 21- December 18, 1916. The fight between France and Germany was the longest and bloodiest battle of World War I. Germans used total war to destroy French morale leading to 400,000 French casualties in 10 months of fighting and almost as many for the German. -
Battle of Somme
The Battle of Somme lasted from July 1- November 18, 1916. The British launched the attack, but suffered nearly 19,000 casualties on the first day of fighting. Both sides of the fight lost a great number of troops, with over one million casualties on both sides at the end of the five month battle. -
Congress Passed Declaration of War
Congress approved and passed a declaration of war with Germany after President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany stating, "The world must be made safe for democracy". Then The United States formally declared war on Germany and its allies. -
The Selective Service Act
Congress passed the Selective Service Act which allowed the government to draft men of age into the military. To help increase the number of men in the army this act was approved and put in place to make people join the forces and around 2.8 million men were drafted. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a coded message sent to Mexico from German Foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman asking Mexico to join Germany in the war. In return for an alliance against America, Germany would give Mexico money and the land they lost to America in the Mexican-American War. The Telegram was most likely the tipping point in convincing the U.S to join the war since they were already enraged over Germany's resumption of unrestricted warfare. -
Russia Withdrew from the War
Russia was a part of the Triple Entente along with Britain and France but couldn't be in the World War any longer since there was a socialist revolution going on in their country. Russia's priority was to win a civil war, not fight in the world war anymore. -
Russia Signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia signed a treaty with the central powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The treaty was signed to end Russia's participation in World War I. -
Armistice- The Official End to Fighting
On the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month, the war came to an official end. After many casualties, lots of destruction, and years of violence, the war was over. By November of 1918, both sides of the fight were tired and both sides agreed to stop fighting rather than surrender. -
Signing of The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles in France, which is one of the treaties that officially ended The Great War. It was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations, but the terms were that Germany would pay reparations for all of the destruction caused. Germany was pay, lose territory, and lose all of its overseas colonies.