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The signing of alliances
It formalized France's financial and military support of the revolutionary government in America. Believing that they would benefit militarily by allying themselves with a powerful nation, the Colonies formed an alliance with France against Great Britain during the Revolutionary War -
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Two shots in Sarajevo ignited the fires of war and drew Europe toward World War I. Just hours after narrowly escaping an assassin's bomb, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, are killed by Gavrilo Princip. -
The buildup of tension between European powers
The tensions were a result of many colonies often being acquired through coercion. Then, once a nation had been conquered, it was governed by the imperial nation: many of these colonial nations were exploited by their mother countries, and dissatisfaction and resentment was commonplace. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
The German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1,959 men, women, and children on board, 1,195 perished, including 123 Americans. -
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. For many in Britain, the resulting battle remains the most painful and infamous episode of the First World War. -
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations, formally ending World War One. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, and give up all of its overseas colonies.