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The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
While the Archduke and Duchess were taking a trip around Saranjevo, a plan was set in motion.
The motive? To assasinate the Archduke. And the Serbian patriots succeded with their plan, eventhough it didn't go as planned.
With Austira-Hungary heirless, they demanded revenge for their fallen royal. Germany pushed them into punishing Serbia, but they didn't remember Serbia's big brother, Russia.
War was unavoidable. -
World War I begins & the United States reacts
Although not the first war to include many nations, it was the first industrial war in our history. The atrocity of the war was beyond compare. New guns, chemicals, and the own trenches caused monumental death on both sides. The two sides were the Entente (The British Empire, The Russian Empire, The United States, and Italy) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire).
When the War broke out, the United States gave a definite note of Neutrality, but secretly the Uni -
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania was a shocking event that involved a neutral passenger ship and a new type of warfare known as a U-Boat. A German Unterseeboot torpedoed the ship, killing 1,198 passengers, 128 American. The event sent waves of pro-war feelings among Americans, demanding revenge for those who were not involved in European affairs. Germany had a motive, the ship had ammunition that was being shipped to enemy Great Britain. -
Arabic pledge
A pledge made between The United States and Germany stating that Germany could not sink unarmed/passenger ships without warning. -
Pancho Villa raids New Mexico
Angry that Woodrow Wilson supported a dictator like Carranza, Villa decided to get Wilson's attention by attacking in his soil, New Mexico. The first act was when he captured 16 mine workers and took them to Mexico, where he killed them. The second happened in Columbus, New Mexico where he killed another 19 americans. His goal was not only to send a message to Wilson, but to try to provoke a war between the United States and Carranza. -
Sussex Pledge
A pledge made between The United States and Germany stating that Germany was not allowed to attack any passanger ships and merchant vessels without giving a warning. -
"He kept us out of War"
The campaign slogan that Woodrow Wilson used during his re-election. Sending a message that with Wilson, America has peace, prosparity, and is avoiding mass death of the young men eligable for war. Wilson won the 1916 on a very slim margin. -
Zimmermann Note
A proposal made by the German Empire to Mexico asking them to wage war against the United States. The telegram was sent by the Foreign Secretary of the German Empre, Arthur Zimmermann, to the German Ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt. The note stated that if war was waged, Mexico would regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, previous territories of Mexico. This was a last straw for the neautral United States. -
Resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
As a last plan to win the war, Germany announced that they would restart unrestricted submarine warfare, even American ships. They calculated that The United States was not ready for war and if they did get involved, by that time, England would be too weak to continue. This caused Woodrow Wilson to arm merchant ships and begin prepating the army. -
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was the beginning of the end for the Romanov's, the Emperial Family. Russians, tired of lack of food, money, suppies, took matters into their own hands, lead by Vladimir Lenin, of the Bolsheviks. With Russia having revolutions, this meant a loss of an allie for The United States and the whole Ententre.
