WW1 Timeline

  • Dual Alliance

    Dual Alliance
    The Dual Alliance was formed by Germany and Austria-Hungary
  • The Triple Alliance was formed

    The Triple Alliance was formed
    The Triple Alliance is made up of three countries: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
  • Franco-Russian Alliance

    Franco-Russian Alliance
    The Franco-Russian Alliance/Dual Entente was an alliance formed between France and Russia.
  • The Triple Entente was formed

    The Triple Entente was formed
    The Triple Entente is made up of three countries: France, Russia and the United Kingdom.
  • Triple Entente formed the Allied Powers

  • Triple Alliance formed the Central Powers

  • The assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

    The assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
    A Slavic nationalist group called “The Black Hand”, wanted to unite the Slavic people of Bosnia and Serbia. Gavrilo Princip successfully assassinated the Archduke and his wife by shooting them. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused a Domino Effect of events to occur that led to World War 1.
  • Period: to

    Stalemate on the Western Front

    The term 'Stalemate in WW1' is used to describe a period in the Great War where neither the Allies nor the Central Powers could gain a decisive advantage over the other on the Western Front. This deadlock resulted in a war of attrition, marked by trench warfare and limited territorial gains for huge human cost.
  • Austria declares war on Serbia

    Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after the assassination, and Germany gave Austria-hungary their support. Russia then pledged their support for Serbia since Russia wants to protect Slavic people. Different countries were involved because of the many alliances that were made and WW1 started.
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    The First Battle of the Marne

    The First Battle of the Marne marks an Allied victory. German forces were approaching Paris after their invasion of Belgium. Being exhausted and weakened, they faced a counterattack from allies and were forced to retreat.
  • Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers

    Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers
  • Bulgaria joined the Central Powers

    Bulgaria joined the Central Powers
  • Italy swithced sides to joined the Allied Powers

    Italy swithced sides to joined the Allied Powers
    Italy left the Central Powers and joined the Allied Powers
  • Sinking of the Lusitania

    Sinking of the Lusitania
    On May 7, 1915, a German submarine sank the Lusitania, a ship with civilian passengers from New York to England. German considered Lusitania a British, and therefore an “enemy ship.” This incident contributed to the entrance of the U.S. into WW1.
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    The Battle of the Somme

    The Battle of the Somme was a joint operation between British and French forces intended to achieve a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front, breaking the stalemate. The resulting battle turned out to be one of the bloodiest, deadliest and horrific battles in history.
  • Russian Revolution and the Exit of WWI

    Russian Revolution and the Exit of WWI
    The Russian army in 1914 was ill-equipped to fight against central powers. And the people didn’t respond to the war with enthusiasm. Because of this, they overthrew Czar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia in 1917. With food riots and extreme nation’s casualties more than any other countries, Russia signed a peace treaty with the Central Powers and quitted the war. Bolsheviks, a radical socialist group, ultimately replaced with a Soviet government under Lenin’s leadership.
  • The United States joined the Allied Powers

    The United States joined the Allied Powers
    The United States joined the Allied Powers after Germany repetitively attack American ships. Prior to 1917, in the beginning stages of the war, America declared neutrality. Though the majority of the people of America were sympathetic to the Allies. President Woodrow Wilson decided it was best to keep America out of the conflict as there was too much slaughter and carnage. After America joined the Allies, they mobilized millions of American soldiers to the battlefield in Europe.
  • The Armistice

    The Armistice
    The Armistice of 1918, signed on November 11, ended the fighting in World War I between the Allies (France, US, UK, Russia, Italy) and Germany. The German delegation was forced to sign the contract laid out by the Allies. This led to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, that forced the Germans and the central powers to take responsibility for the War, essentially blaming the war guilt on them.
  • Treaty of Versailles

    Treaty of Versailles
    One of the outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles was the planning and creation of the League of Nations. Germany had to accept complete responsibility for the war. Germany lost land with valuable resources, which limited it's economic power. The German Army was limited to 100,000 soldiers, and the navy was limited to 15,000 sailors. As financial compensation for the war, the Allies also demanded large amounts of money known as ‘reparations’.
  • Creation of the League of Nations

    Creation of the League of Nations
    The League of Nations was an international organization created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. Though first proposed by President Woodrow Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points plan for an equitable peace in Europe, the United States never became a member. On 15 November 1920, 41 member states gathered at the headquarters in Geneva for the opening of the first session of the Assembly.