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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Shot
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir of Austria Hungary, and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian group. They were visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia, when Gavrilo Princip shot the couple. Austria used the murder as an opportunity to punish Serbia. Austria then required Serbia to do continuous demands. Serbia comprehended that if they failed to complete the tasks, war would start between them and Austria. Tensions increased, marking the first outbreak in World War 1. -
The Western Front
The Western Front was the war ground in which the Allies and Germany clashed near the Marne River. Prior to the battles on the Western Front, the Germans created the Schlieffen Plan. This plan was to attack France in the west and quickly defeat Russia in the east. Germany advanced against France, but the Allies regrouped and attacked them, marking the first battle of the Great War. -
Tensions Increase
Since Austria declared war on Serbia, Russia transported their army toward the Russian-Austrian border. Russia hypothesized that Germany would join Austria, so the Russian troops then assembled along the German border. In return, Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914. Two days later, Germany also declared war on France. Subsequently, Great Britain declared war on Germany, meaning most of Europe was now involved in one of the greatest wars of all time. -
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The Eastern Front
In the battlefield along the German and Russian border, the Russians and Serbs fought Germans and Austro-Hungarians. Similar to the Western Front, the Eastern Front was an event full of death and stalemate. In the end, Germans crushed the Russian army and forced them to retreat. Over 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed. -
Trench Warfare
The Trench Warfare were battles in which opposing forces attacked each other and defended themselves in trenches dug deeply in the ground. Armies faced each other, equiped with weapons, in a line of trenches. The abundance of bullets forced soldiers to retreat into soil in order to survive and achieve shelter. Trenches expanded from the Belgian Coast through northeastern France to Switzerland. -
Galipoli Campaign
he Gallipoli Campaign was the Allies’ plan to attack the Ottoman Empire in order to gain control of the Dardanelles strait. Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand attacked the western side of the strait on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The goal was to take over Constantinople, defeat the Turks, and create a supply line to Russia. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare, which meant their submarines could sink any ship near Britain. Germany expected to defeat Britain with this method and hoped the United States would not interfere. One ship that the Germans sank was called the Lusitania, and over 1,000 civilians were killed. Over 100 Americans were on the ship, and the news spread, pitting much of the American population against Germany. -
The United States Enters The War
The United States had recently gained a significant portion of land from Mexico. They found out that Germany was planning to help Mexico gain back the land that the United States had taken in exchange for Mexico becoming their ally. These plans were the reason the United States joined the side of the Allies. The United States declared war on Germany. -
The Influenza Epidemic
In the spring of 1918, the Spanish Influenza struck England and India. The global epidemic spread quickly to Europe, Asia, Russia, and the United States. In India, approximately 12 million people died of the disease. On one single day, 1,500 people died in Berlin. In total, approximately 20 million people died. -
The Allies Win The War
At the Second Battle of Marne, the Allies attacked the German troops and defeated the Central Powers. The German military had already been weakened, and they had internal conflict. The other countries making up the Central Powers were forced to surrender. Eventually, Germany became a republic and signed an agreement with France to stop fighting.
