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How World War 1 Started
The first world war began in August 1914. It was directly triggered by the assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on 28th June 1914 by Bosnian revolutionary, Gavrilo Princip. This event was, however, simply the trigger that set off declarations of war. The actual causes of the war are more complicated and are still debated by historians today. -
The First Tanks In World War One
The leading light in support of the tank was Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Swinton. In 1914, he had proposed the development of a new type of fighting vehicle. The Germans, British, Austrians, Russians and French all had armoured fighting vehicles that could fight on ‘normal’ terrain. But these vehicles could not cope with trenches that were soon to dominate the Western Front. Caterpillar tracked vehicles were already in France as the British used them as heavy gun tractors. -
The United States Enters The War
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) heeded public opinion and declared the country's neutrality (not favoring either side). As warfare continued and German tactics threatened civilian lives in Europe, however, Americans began siding with the Allies (Serbia, France, Great Britain, Russia, and twenty other nations). -
Peace Tready
In November 1918 Germany agreed to an armistice (truce), and the Central Powers finally surrendered. -
The League Of Nations
The League of Nations is an international confederation of countries, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, that existed from 1920 to 1946, its creation following WORLD WAR I and its dissolution following WORLD WAR II. Though the League of Nations was a flawed and generally ineffective organization, many of its functions and offices were transferred to the UNITED NATIONS, which...