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Germany reduced the threat from Russia by forming an alliance with Russia and Austria-Hungary called the Three Emperors’ Alliance.
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To protect itself against France, Germany formed an alliance with Italy and Austria-Hungary.
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France took advantage of the Reinsurance Treaty’s end by forming an alliance with Russia
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Established a protectorate over Mongolia
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The British viewed Russia’s expansion in Asia as a possible threat to their control of India. Germany’s naval buildup was also serious. Britain responded to the German buildup by increasing the size of its own navy
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Russia's link to Europe and Asia
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Russia and Japan went to war over Manchuria and Korea
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United States announced that it would take charge in any Latin American nation that could not properly manage its affairs. It took such action in several nations between 1904 and 1916
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The United States, with German and British support, forced a settlement. Manchuria was returned to China, and Russia agreed to respect Japan’s control over Korea
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Britain’s growing concerns about Germany prompted it to join with France and Russia.
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Austria-Hungary officially annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Russia also supported Serbia in two short Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913.
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Germany surpassed Britain to become Europe’s leading industrial power.
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Russia’s empire extended from Central Europe to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Arctic to Afghanistan.
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An act of Serbian nationalism led to the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
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After making sure it had Germany’s support, it made a series of harsh demands on Serbia. When Serbia agreed to most of them, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia anyway on July 28, 1914.
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Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, and two days later declared war on France.
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Hoping to gain Germany’s colonies in Asia, Japan declared war on Germany on August 23, 1914
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Ottoman Empire officially entered the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary to form what became known as the Central Powers. They were joined by Serbia’s Balkan rival, Bulgaria, in 1915
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Britain, France, Russia, and their partners were known as the Allied Powers, or simply the Allies. Italy, which remained neutral when war broke out, joined the Allies in 1915
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Its first use drove panicked troops from their defenses as the clouds of gas settled in their trenches. Armies on both sides were soon lobbing gas at each other in artillery shells.
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Armenian men were conscripted into work camps, where many were killed outright and the rest were left to die of exhaustion. Other Armenians were ordered onto death marches into the Syrian desert.
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Public outrage, combined with the sinking of two more passenger ships later that year, brought U.S.-German relations to the breaking point.
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By 1917, they were directing artillery fire and dropping bombs on military and civilian targets.
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The huge number of lives and resources lost caused Russia’s government to collapse. Months of unrest followed until, in December, a new government signed a peace agreement with the Central Powers and pulled Russia out of the war.
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Peace movements existed in every Great Power—including France—where German forces remained entrenched on the Western Front.
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It promised that if Mexico went to war against the United States, Germany would reward Mexico with lands in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
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These actions led the United States to declare war on Germany in April 1917.
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President Woodrow Wilson issued a statement of war goals called the Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points contributed to Germany’s decision to surrender in November 1918.
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Fighting separately for the first time, the American army defeated German forces at Saint Mihiel in September 1918. Then, the Americans joined British and French forces to defeat the Germans in the month-long Battle of the Argonne Forest.
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With Germany on the verge of revolution and Allied armies poised to invade, German leaders knew that only surrender could save their nation. On November 11, 1918, they signed an armistice, an agreement to stop fighting.