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Revolution overthrows Austria-Hungarian emperor
The Polish nobility in Austria uprised and the peasants rose up against them. An economic crisis resulted with food shortages and recession. There was also an abdication in France which promoted similar revolutions throughout the continent. -
France loses Alsace and Lorraine to Germany
After France lost the Franco-German War, Germany took Alsace and Lorraine. This resulted in the creation of a unified Germany. -
Germany officially unified
It occured at the Palace of Versaille. Princes of the German states gathered and proclaimed Wilhelm 1 of Prussia the German Emperor. Germany became a great power, had the world's strongest army and a fast growing industrial base. -
Triple Alliance formed
The Triple Alliance was a secret agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy that was renewed periodically until World War I. However, Italy reached out to France and they agreed to be neutral during an attack so the Ottoman Empire later joined the alliance. This is impotant since it gave everyone back up and support during war. -
Bolsheviks emerge as a political group
They were a member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party. When Vladimir Lenin withdrew Russia from WW1, the group began to focus on internal conflicts. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War developed because of the rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in Korea and Manchuria. Japan was able to stop Russian expansion in the far east, becoming the first Asian power to defeat a strong European power -
Triple Entente allianced formed
This was an alliance between Russia, France, and Great Britian formed with the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente. It was important because it gave each country an ally against Germany and their allies and each place had their own allies which were then unofficial allies of the other two. -
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia
Bosnia was territories formally within the sovereigenty of the Ottoman Empire.The Bosnian crisis errupted when Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia. This upset the fragile balance of power in the Balkans, which enraged Serbia nationalists. This contributed to Serbia and Austria-Hungary's bad relationship(aka led to WW1). -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assasination
Franz Ferdinand was an heir presumptive to the Austrian-Hungarian throne. He was assasinated by Serbian Gavrillo Princip. Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been disputing for a while, and this assasination lit the flame for the action of war. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Austria-Hungary and Serbia had a rocky relationship for a good amount of time and previous events laid a base for this decleration of war. Although, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, they didn't expect Serbia's allies to join in on the fight. -
Ottoman-Germany alliance formed
The Ottoman Empire joined with Germany as a joint-cooperative effort that would strengthen and modernize the failing Ottoman military, as well as provide Germany safe passage into neighboring British colonies. This gave more power to the two. -
Schlieffen Plan put into action
The Schlieffen Plan was put into operation when the German Army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium. However, the Germans were held up by the Belgian Army. This created more of an alliance between Russia, Britian, and France -
Japan Declares War on Germany
On August 15th Japan sent Germany an Ultimatum which was not angered so they officially declared war against them a few days later. They were also in lliance with Britian, helping the war. -
Battle of Marne
German Forces were advancing into France and France decided to take action. The French 6th Army attacks the right flank of the German 1st Army. It began the decisive first battle of the Marne at the end of the first month of WW1. The Battle of the Marne was the first significant Allied victory of WW1 saving Paris. -
Lusitania Sinks
A German U-Boat sunk a ship that had both American and British civilians on it, which was considered extremely terrible at that time. This sparked talk and media coverage on why America should join WW1 and eventually they did -
Battle of Somme
This was fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place on both sides of the River Somme in France(where it gets its name). This battle is known for the importance of air power and the first use of the WW1 weapon, the tank. -
Battle of Verdun
It was one of the largest battles of WW1 on the Western Front between the German and French armies. The Battle of Verdun lasted for 303 days and became the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history. -
Zimmerman Telegraph found
This was an attempt by the Germans to form an Alliance with Mexico if US entered WW1. When Britian intercepted the message it enraged the people of the US which made joining the war seem like a much better idea to the public, which they did later that year. -
Unrestricted submarine warfare commences
Germany, one of the only countries with a U-Boat or submarine, was attacking the navies of its enemies. Some saw this as a breach of the rules of war since it could not be seen or detected. This was one of the many new technologies that changed the rules of war and eventually a submarine would sink a boat with civilians on it which later leads to US involvment in the war. -
Tsar Nicholas 2 abdicates
The conditions in Russia were not good, and Nicholas was the one that ordered Russia to join WW1 in 1914, the people became very feed up with him and were rioting and forced him to abdicate his throne. -
US declares war on Germany
The US had tried to stay neutral during the war, however Germany sank boats that had civilians on them which Woodrow Wilson said went against the rules of war. Germany said it would also sink any ship heading to Britian. When Britian intercepted the Zimmerman Telegraps it made the US furious and months later US declared War. -
Vladimir Lenin seizes power in Russia
Lenin was a communist revolutionary/politician who seized power in 1918. Under his rule, Russia and the Soviet Union became a one party communist state. He signed off on Russia withdrawing from WW1. -
Fourteen Points proposed
The Fourteen Points were a statement of principles for world peace created by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson. If America joined WW1, Wilson wanted the points to unlink the war from nationalistic disputes or ambitions. -
Russia signs Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty between the new Bolshevik government and the Central Powers;Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ottoman Empire, that ended Russia's participation in World War I. -
Kaiser Wilhelm 2 Abdicates
There was much unrest in Germany and people began to think that the only way to solve it was for Kaiser Wilhem to abdicate. Officials announced his abdication befoe he actually agreed to it. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
This was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It forced Germany to take the blame for all of the war and forced them to pay for the damages in hopes they wouldn't have enough money for another war. -
Germany stops reparation payments to France
Germany had previously been blamed for the whole entire war and to cover the expenses, the european powers enforced Germany to pay them reparations. Germany decided to stop paying their reparations early. This resulted in France forcing them to pay, which caused an international crisis. -
Stalin takes over Russia
After the death of Lenin, Stalin became the head of Russia because he used his power to make sure his supporters were on the Central Committee so he would be chosen. During his rule the concept of "Socialism in One Country" became a central idea of Soviet society.
