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Assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke FranzFerdinand and his wife Sophie were shot at point-blank range when they were in an open car. They were killed by a member of the "Black Hand" which was a secret society that was committed to stop Bosnia to be under Austrian rule. Since Ferdinand was a Serbian, Austria used murders as an excuse to punish Serbia. Austrians gave the Serbians an ultimatum with demand, and Serbia accepted most of the conditions in fear of war. July 28 Austia declared war. -
Schlieffen Plan
This war strategy was developed by General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen of Germany. This plan called for attacking and defeating France in the west and then rushing east to fight Russia. The Germans felt like this was a realistic plan because Russia lagged behind the rest of Europe in its railroad system and thus would take longer to supply its front lines. The defeat of Germany to France left the Schlieffen plan in ruins. -
First Battle of the Marne
Although it was the first major clash on the Western Front, many say that The First Battle of the Marne was perhaps the single most important event of the war. The defeat of Germany left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins. In the east, Russia had already invaded Germany, and Germany was going to have to fight a long war on two fronts. When the German general realized this, he sent thousands of troops from France to aid its forces in the east. -
Battle of the Somme
During 1916 the Western Front had become a "terrain of death". The massive amount of deaths reached an ultimate peak when Germans launched a colossal attack against the French by Verdun. both sides lost more than 300,000 soldiers. The British tried to help the French by attacking the German's. The result was the loss of more than 20,000 men. In the end, each side lost more than a half a million people for the mere advancement of 4-5 miles. -
Germany Announces Unrestricted Submarine Warefare
Germans intensified their submarine warfare in 1915, and they were back at it now in 1917. Prior to the war, German submarines sunk an American ship, so President Wilson sent protests to Germany and they finally stopped attacking American ships. When the Germans needed an advantage over the allies, they returned to unrestricted submarine warfare and created drama between Mexico and United states which proved to be the last straw, United States entered was on the Allies side. -
Fourtneen Points was created
In Janurary 1918, while the war was still in full swing, U.S. President Wilson had drfated a series of peace proposals known as the Fourteen Points. This proposal outlined a plan for lasting peace and included the idea of self-determination. He introduced the Fourteen Points to the other countries but they onlu offically adoprted the Fourteeth Point. This later became a main part of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Central Powers Collapsed
Russia's withdrawal from the war allowed Germany to send all its troops to the Western Front. By this time, the German military had weekend. The Allies and the Germans clashed at the Second Battle of the Marne; the Allied forces began to advance steadily down toward Germany. Soon, the Central Powers began to crumble .First the Bulgarians and then the Ottoman Turks surrendered. -
Armsitice signed betweeen France and Germany
In early November, Kaiser Wilhelm the second stepped down, Germany declared itself a republic. A representative of the new German government met with French Commander Marshal Foch in a railway car near Paris. They signed an armistice. On November 11, World War 1 came to an end. -
Signing the Treaty of Versailles
The Paris Peace Conference opened, and Britain and France showed little sign in adopting Wilson's vision of peace. Both countries wanted to strip Germany of its war-making power and were concerned with national security. The differences in French, British, and U.S. arms led to heated arguments among leaders. Finally the nation’s leaders all reached a compromise and the treaty was signed. Interestingly enough, this treaty was signed five years to the day of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assignation. -
League of Nations was created
Adopting Wilson’s fourteenth point, the treaty created a League of Nations. This league was to be an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations. This treaty also punished Germany. The defeated nation lost substantial territory and had severe restrictions placed on its military operations. Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies.
