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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The shooting of the Archduke by a Serbian nationalist was imortant because it started the chain of events leading up to the war. -
The alliances
The alliances were the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente included Great Britain, France, and Russia. The Triple Alliance included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy. -
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The Great War Timeline
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The Germans declare war
On August 1st, the Germans declared war on Russia, and before France had time to help their ally, Germany also declared war on France. -
The Battle on the Eastern Front
Both sides were sending millions more men to fight on the Eastern Front. The Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrians, and Turks. The Russian forces defeated the Austrains twice in September, driving them deep into Austria. -
First Battle on the Marne
The allies attacked the Germans in the valley of the Marne River. The attack on the Germans was perhaps the most important event in the war. Defeating the Germans meant there was no possibility for a quick victory in the west. -
Water 'war zone'
The Germans declared that the waters surrounding the British Isles are a war zone, and ships can be sunk without any warning. -
Attack near Verdun
the Germans launched a massive attack against the French near Verdun. Each side lost more than 300,000 men. -
Battle of the Somme
Battle at the Somme River in France. The British attacked the Germans with fine artillery and bombardment. -
The unrestricted submarine warfare
The Germans said that they would sink any ship in the waters around Britain without any warning. -
United States Congress declares war
President Wilson told Congress to declare war and the United Staes joined the war on the side of the Allies. -
Communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin seized power
Once Vladimir IIyich Lenin gained leadership in Russia, he insisted on not being in the war anymore, and offered Germany a truce. -
An ally between the Germans and the Russians
The Germans and the Russian sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, thus ending the war between them and becoming allies. -
Second Battle of the Marne
The Allies and the Germans met at the second battle of the Marne. Many tanks rolled through German lines, and, with the help of many more American soldiers, the Allies moved towards Germany. -
World War 1 ends
World War 1 ends -
Treaty of Versailles
Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending World War I and providing for the creation of the League of Nations.