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If one country was attacked, the allied countries would help defend them. The following alliances existed:
-Russia and Serbia
-Germany and Austria-Hungary
-France and Russia
-Britain and France and Belgium
-Japan and Britain The Triple Alliance (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia). -
Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip kills Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie the Duchess of Hohenburg. The Austrian government suspects that Serbia is responsible.
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Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
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The Lusitania, a luxury British passenger ship, is sunk by a German submarine. 1,195 civilians were killed. Civilians were considered targets in "total war", they would torpedo enemy civilian ships or fired artillery shells into cities far way. This cause anger and outrage, contributing to the Americas joining the war.
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Congress authorizes a declaration of war against Germany. The United States enters World War I on the side of France and Britain.
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Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated on November 9th 1918. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in Compiégne, France. The First World War left 9 million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded. In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.
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The treaty required Germany to take most of the blame during the war, reducing it's military, losing territory and had to pay billions in war reparations to England and France. However, this lead to an economic collapse, leaving many seeking vengeance. Adolf Hiter used these emotions to gain power.
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AFter the war, the US was the chief financer of England, France and Germany's debts. They struggled to pay back their loans and the US banks began to falter, setting a chain reaction that damaged global financial markets.
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Germany invaded Poland causing France and Great Britain declare war on Germany.
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Germany launches an air attack on Great Britain. These attacks last until the end of October and are known as the Battle of Britain.
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The Japanese attacked most of Southeast Asia and islands in the Pacific including Hawaii's Peal Harbor.
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It replaced the League of Nation after World War II. The headquarters was in the US, a sign of the country's postwar influence. The Security Council also had military authority.
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The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, first on Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. Japan surrenders to US General Douglass MacArthur and the Allies.
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Global tension between victorious Allies. The capitalist US competed wih the communist USSR for global superiority. They didn't fight each otehr directly and had nuclear weapons.
