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Each ethnic group around the Ottoman Empire wanted their own autonomy as the Ottoman Empire declined so Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria attacked the Ottoman Empire making South-Eastern Europe incredibly fragile...led to an increase in power for Austria-Hungary -
He was assassinated by Sarajevo (Gavrilo Princip) from the Young Bosnia Group, Serbia wanted independence and ethnic nationalism had ruined peace in the region...a culmination of the First Balkan War that led directly to a World War -
Russia decided to support Serbia when it went to war with Austria because of German provoking...Tsar Nicholas II mobilized his army even though Russia was not yet at war which led Germany to create the Schlieffen Plan...the Schlieffen Plan called a German war against France and Russia...more and more countries are getting involved -
For Germany to carry out Schlieffen plan they must invade neutral Belgium who is allied with Britain so when they do Great Britain declares war on Germany...alliances get involved -
Russia and German battles, Germany wins but both majorly defeated, 2.5 million Russian soldiers killed..Germany installs military bureaucracy as its government...movement toward militant totalitarianism in Germany -
Ottoman Empire orders a Armenian genocide with massive deportations because many Armenians sided with the Russian's...over 1 million Armenians were killed in the Turks...ethnic warfare becomes even more prevalent -
Italy was initially in Triple Alliance with Austria & Germany but left to join the Triple Entente after declaring neutrality to keep Germany from becoming too powerful...shows balance of power that the war tried to ensure -
Germany sinks British ship..128 American passengers on board die, Woodrow Wilson starts American campaign to join the war...gets American citizens invested in stopping Germany -
Beginning of total war, German offensive at Verdun to get a few miles of French land...700,000 men lost their lives in the total trench warfare -
Socialist goes on the radio despite major censorship and attacks total warfare and the amount of deaths...leads to mass riots worldwide -
The Austrian emperor passes away leading Czech and Yugoslav nationalists to demand autonomy...further discontent in Central Europe -
After Germany is hit hard by the Battle of Verdun & Battle of Somme is issues this law requiring all men to work a war-related job...many Germans starve to death because of its deficit spending and inability to employ enough people in enough sectors...leads to the emergence of Fatherland Party -
By this point over 750,000 Germans have starved to death, moderate socialists call for "peace without annexations or reparations", militaristic Germany is not serving its people and the people are over the war...shows a worldwide lack in fighting morale that we feel all throughout Europe -
A series of strikes that occur to lead to the Tsar abdicating the throne...Tsar ordered soldiers to put down the mass of protestors but the soldiers joined the revolution instead, leads to the instatement of a provisional government...highlights the fragility of Russian government and its susceptibility to new ideas -
The new Fatherland Party in Germany (ultra conservative and pro-war) gains traction in Germany and Hindenburg + Lundendorff make a military dictatorship...this is the first totalitarian government in history -
Lenin who is head of a 1-party state in Russia acknowledges that Russia lost to Germany and gave them major consultations to make up for loss...puts the communists in complete control of Russia