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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On the 28th of June, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. -
Period: to
Breakout of WW1
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Blank Cheque from Germany to Austria-Hungary
In this "blank cheque", Germany promised to support Austria-Hungary in whatever action they decided to take against Serbia. -
Austria blames Serbia for the death of Franz Ferdinand
Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. They were furious at the assassination and took this opportunity to offer Serbia an ultimatum (that would have made Serbia a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). -
Austria declares war on Serbia
Austria-Hungary, with an excuse to get rid of Serbia, declares war on Serbia and shells it's capital, Belgrade. -
The Russians began to get ready to help Serbia
The Russians, an ally of Serbia, got ready to defend Serbia from Austria Hungary. Germany, an ally of Austria Hungary, warns them not to help. -
Germany declares war on Russia
Russia begins helping the Serbs against Austria-Hungary, and so Germany declares war on Russia. It also begins to move its army towards France, an ally of Russia, and Belgium. This was because they wanted to prevent a two-front war, and decided to first take out Russia's ally, France. -
The French army puts on a war footing
The French get ready to fight the Germans, and prepare for an invasion. -
Germany declare war on France and invade Belgium
Germany declares war on France and invade Belgium, a neutral territory. Britain orders Germany to withdraw from Belgium. -
Britain declares war on Germany
With the Germans still in Belgium, Britain, an ally of Russia and France, declares war on Germany. -
Austria declares war on Russia
