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Archduke Franz Ferdinand assasinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assasinated by Gavrilo Princip, a 19 year old member of the Black Hand. -
Austria Declares war on Serbia
Austria rejected Serbia's offer and declared war. Serbia's ally, Russia, took action. Russian leaders ordered the mobilization of troops toward the Austian border. -
German government declared war on Russia
On one side was Germany and Austria-Hungary. They were known as the Central Powers. On the other side was Great Britain, France, and Russia. They were known as the Allies. -
Developments on Eastern Front
Germans had overrun Belgium and swept into France. -
Allies attacked the Germans northeast of Paris
After four days of fighting, the German general gave the order to retreat. -
Gallipoli Campaign starts in Turkey
The only major neutral power besides the United States was Italy. Ottoman Turks and Bulgaria allied themselves with Germany and Central Powers. -
French and Germans battle at Verdun
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Period: to
Battle of Western Front
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Focus of the war shifted to high seas
Germans intensified the submarine warfare that had raged in the Atlantic Ocean. Germans announced that their submarines would sink without warning any ship in the waters around Britain. The policy was called unrestricted submarine warfare. -
United States enters war
The United States enters the war on this day. -
Communist leader Vladmir Ilyich Lenin seized power
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Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The treaty was extremely hard on Russia. It required the Russian government to surrender lands to Germany that now include Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These nations gained their independence. -
Allies and Germans clashed at the Second Battle of the Marne.
Allies smashed through German lines. Soon, the Central Powers crumbled. The Bulgarians surrendered first and then Ottoman Turks surrendered. -
World War 1 came to an end
Leaders of the victorious nations gathered outside Paris to work out the terms of peace. The peace settlement they had created left many people feeling bitter and betrayed. -
Treaty of Versailles was signed
The Treaty of Versailles between German and Allied powers was signed.