Events Leading Up To WWI

By Carmen D.

  • British pretext was actually the terms of the largely forgotten Treaty of London that committed the British to defend Belgian neutrality

    British pretext was actually the terms of the largely forgotten Treaty of London that committed the British to defend Belgian neutrality

  • Creating a unified Germany from the loose assembly of German confederated states

    Creating a unified Germany from the loose assembly of German confederated states

  • Bismarck was Appointed Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Prussia by Kaiser Wilhelm I

    Bismarck was Appointed Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Prussia by Kaiser Wilhelm I

  • Bismark's first step was to oust Austria as the prime influence among these German states.

    Bismark's first step was to oust Austria as the prime influence among these German states.
    Achieved this by engineering war with Austria

  • Bismarck attempted to place a Hohenzollern prince on the throne in Spain

  • Bismarck turned up the diplomatic heat by releasing a doctored version of a telegram ostensibly from the Kaiser to Bismarck himself, called the Ems Telegram

  • Napoleon III, facing civil revolt at home over quite unrelated matters, and receiving encouraging noises from his military commanders, responded by declaring war against Prussia five days later

  • Napoleon III responded by declaring war against Prussia five days later

    Facing civil revolt at home over quite unrelated matters
    receiving encouraging noises from his military commanders
  • Period: to

    Prussian forces laid siege to Paris

  • French desire for revenge against Germany following disastrous defeat

  • The rise of the newly united German Empire

  • Bismarck negotiating the Three Emperors League

    tied Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia to each other's aid in time of war

  • Bismarck creating a new Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary

  • Bismarck creating a new Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary

  • Italy signed the Triple Alliance

    Italy signed the Triple Alliance

  • Austria-Hungary signed an alliance with Romania

  • Bismarck agreed to a so-called Reinsurance Treaty with Russia

  • Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, allowed the Reinsurance Treaty to lapse

  • The loosely worded agreement was solidified with the Franco-Russian Military Convention, aimed specifically at counteracting the potential threat posed by the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy

  • Britain agreed a military alliance with Japan, aiming squarely at limiting German colonial gains in the east

  • Russia declined Japan's offer

  • Britain signed the Entente Cordiale with France

    resolved numerous leftover colonial squabbles

  • The Japanese launched a successful attack upon Russian warships in Korea, at Inchon, and in Port Arthur, China.

  • Russian Revolution

  • Period: to

    Japanese astonished the western powers by destroying the entire Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima

  • Britain also responded by commissioning a build-up in her own naval strength, determined to outstrip Germany

    resolved numerous leftover colonial squabbles

  • Russia formed what became known as the Triple Entente (which lasted until World War One) by signing an agreement with Britain, the Anglo-Russian Entente.

  • Britain and France did conclude a military agreement, the Anglo-French Naval Convention, which promised British protection of France's coastline from German naval attack, and French defence of the Suez Canal

  • Continued with war between Italy and Turkey, over the latter's African possessions

  • The First Balkan War

  • Reichstag elections

  • The Second Balkan War

  • conflict erupted again in the Balkans, as Bulgaria, unsatisfied with its earlier spoils, fought with its recent allies in an attempt to control a greater part of Macedonia

  • Period: to

    Bulgaria's former allies beat back the new aggressor, Bulgaria, and Romania captured the Bulgarian capital Sofia