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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is the spark that set of WWI. Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian radical. -
Austria Declares War on Serbia
Due to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and a hatred for each other, Austria officially declares war on Serbia. This caused the each of the world powers to declare war on one another and WWI had begun. -
Germany Invades Belgium
Germany moved most of their troops through Belgium to crush any French resistance as a part of the Schlieffen Plan. Germany expected this to be a quick victory, but, with help from the British, Belgium and France put a good fight and slowed them down considerably. They also did not expect Russia to mobilize as quickly as they did. -
German U-Boats Sink the Lusitania
German U-Boats had sunk a British cruise liner, killing many American citizens. Germany defend itself by saying the US was smuggling weapons to the allies. Nonetheless this shocked the Americans and is one of its motivations for entering the war. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun is the longest battle in the worldI. It lasted 10 months and lasted over 305,000 lives. Both sides utilized trench warfare and the war had truly become of of attrition. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was a win for the Allies, but it came at a cost. Over one million many had died making it the bloodiest battle of WWI. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
Germany sent a telegram to Mexico saying that they should invade Southern America and take back lost territory. The British intercepted this telegram and sent it to America. This made the Americans furious. -
USA Enters WWI
There were many German and Italian citizens living in America. This, and the fact that they had no reason to, made America hesitant to join the fighting. However, the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram were the tipping point that pushed the US into WWI. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia was fighting against Germany, but also with itself. The Central Powers cut off their food supply and the Russian people were starving. Revolutions where happening and many people wanted Czar Nicholas gone. The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed with Germany and Russia left the war. -
Treaty of Versaille
WWI was a gruesome war that lasted 4 years and saw the death of over 16 million people. This all came to end with the Treaty of Versaille. Not only did it end the war but also made the German army pracitly not existent, banned their airforce, made them pay over 20 billion marks, and created the League of Nations.
