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1914
A gunman attached Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife killing them both. The assassination did more than take the lives of the royal couple. It upset a delicate balance among the powers of Europe. Within weeks theses powers were at war. -
1914
By 1914 two major alliances divided Europe. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. Great Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente. These alliances were supposed to to help keep peace by creating a balance of power. When such a balance exists, no one country can gain power over the others. -
1914
Gavrilo Princip was a member of a Serbian nationalist group. Princip and his group plotted the murder of Franz Ferdinand. They hoped to bring down the Austro-Hungarian Empire and unite the Slavs. It was Princip who fired the shots that killed the archduke and his wife. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination. With Germany's support, it gave Serbia a list of demands, which Serbia refused. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 -
1914
When the Germans at last overcame the Belgians, they marched into France to within 15 miles (24 km) of the capital, Paris. The British and French met the Germans at the Marne River. The Battle of the Marne, fought in September 1914, stopped the German advance. -
1915
New deadly weapons introduced during the war caused large numbers of injuries and deaths. Improved artillery fired larger shells at great distances. Better rifles enabled soldiers to hit targets with greater accuracy. Yet as the number of dead and wounded grew, each side fought on—and each side looked for a way to gain an advantage over the other.The Germans first used poison gas against Allied troops in April 1915. The gas could kill or seriously injure anyone who breathed it. -
1915
The Germans could not match the British blockade. They did, however, have the U-boat. To stop American aid to Britain, Germany said in February 1915 that it would sink any vessels that entered or left British ports. On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger liner called the Lusitania near the coast of Ireland. -
1916
In spite of the Sussex Pledge, Congress was alarmed. In the summer of 1916, it doubled the size of the army and provided funding for the construction of new warships. -
1916
To break the standstill, both sides launched major offensives in 1916. The Germans launched the Battle of Verdun in northeastern France in February. Verdun was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war. At its end in December 1916, more than 750,000 French and German soldiers were dead. Many more were wounded. -
1917
In January 1917, Germany again changed course in its use of submarine warfare. It announced it would sink on sight all merchant vessels sailing to Allied ports—regardless of whether or not they were armed. -
1917
In March 1917, the Germans attacked and sank four American merchant ships. Thirty-six people died in these attacks. -
1917
Dramatic events continued to push the United States into the war. First, in March 1917, a revolution took place in Russia. The Russian people overthrew their monarchy, which was headed by the czar. In place of the monarchy, the Russians set up a temporary government promising free elections. The new Russian government also vowed to continue the fight to defeat the Germans. Other critical events took place at sea. -
1918
In March 1918, Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany. Peace had come to the Eastern Front—the line of battle separating Russia and the Central Powers. In the treaty, Russia lost a large amount of territory to the Germans. Russia's withdrawal allowed the Germans to move thousands of troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front, the line separating the warring armies near the French-German border. -
1918