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Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated, Austria-Hungary uses this as an excuse to declare war on Serbia.
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Germany gives Austria-Hungary its full support, beginning the trend of countries taking sides and defending their allies.
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Schlieffen Plan was a German plan which involved quickly defeating France (to avoid a two-front war) and then rushing troops to the Russian front. It failed, due in part to unexpected Belgium and French resistance and quick mobilization by the Russians, which forced Germany into defense of its homeland.
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While Britain's entrance into the war automatically brought Canada into the fray as well, Canada's government was allowed to choose their level of participation in the war. This marked the first time Canada fought as an independent, distinct unit.
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The Germans, who had pushed the French army and British Expeditionary Army back to the River Marne, approached within 30 miles of Paris. Here the German and French armies fought one of the first major battles of the Western Front.
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British Expeditionary Force faces the German army and attempts to halt their advance.
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At this point, trench warfare starts to become more prominent on the Western Front.
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Mult-part battle fought for control of the town of Ypres. First recorded large-scale use of poison gas by the German army. Also the first time Canada defeated a European power (Germany) on European soil.
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For the first time in the war, Britain begins forcing men to enlist, rather than relying on people to volunteer.
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Known as the "Big Push". British armies were ordered to march across no-man's land toward German trenches in an attempt to break the German defenses within hours. However, previous artillery bombardments had not dislodged German defenses as predicted, and British troops were led to one of the largest slaughters in military history. In total on both sides, more than one million men were wounded or killed.
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George had been an opponent of war in the past, but now supported Britain's entry into the war, especially for purposes of defending Belgium.
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This battle was a high piont for the Canadian military, in which four divisions of the Canadian corps overcame stiff German resistance and captured the ridge in three days. This was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian corps had fought together.
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A battle fought for control of Passchendale and control of a vital point in the German's shipping line. Capture of the town on November 10, 1917 by the Canadian Corps marked a major victory and point of pride for Canada's military.
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This was the first full-scale offensive in which the British planned their strategy around their secret weawpon, the tank. They made dramatic gains, and found tank-assaults to be an effective way to break trench deadlocks and reduce the need for war by attrition.
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The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed by Russia as well as Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. It ended Russia's participation in the war, and was forced on the Russians by the threat of further advances by Germany and Austria.
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This is the official date of the end of World War 1.