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A Serbian nationalist student, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, when their open car stopped at a corner on its way out of the town. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTIaiiGB4o
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The Austrian government blamed the Serbian government for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife and declared war on Serbia.
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Germany declared war on France. German troops poured into Belgium as directed under the Schleiffen Plan, drawn up in 1905.
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Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies.
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The Germans mounted an attack on the French at Verdun designed to 'bleed the French dry.' Casualties were enormous on both sides with the Germans losing 430,000 men and the French 540,000.
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This was an inconclusive battle that lasted for some five months. Although 60,000 British men were killed or seriously wounded on the first day, Field Marshall Douglas Haig ordered that the battle must continue.
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The United States of America declared war on Germany in response to the sinking, by German U boats, of US ships.
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The operation commanded by the French General, Nivelle, went wrong and caused the loss of many French soldiers. At the resulting battle of Passchendale, Haig broke his promise to call off the battle if the first stage failed because he did not want to lose face with the government.
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The allies had taken almost all of German-occupied France and part of Belgium.
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At 11 am, in the French town of Redonthes, the Armistice was signed bringing the war to an end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJnyPj0-tdE
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