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After the German army invaded Belgium and advanced into France, they were stopped by the French and British forces at the First Battle of the Marne. Neither side could gain a decisive victory, leading to trench warfare.
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Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serbian nationalist group.
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A German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger ship Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.
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The February Revolution forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate, and a provisional government took control of Russia.
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The February Revolution led to Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication, and the October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, to power.
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The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the provisional government in the October Revolution.
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Germany resumed its policy of attacking all ships, including neutral ones, without warning.
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The United States formally entered World War I by declaring war on Germany.
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Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies, officially ending the fighting.
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The war ended with the Armistice of November 11, 1918. Many economies collapsed due to war debts, destruction, and inflation.
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The Treaty of Versailles formally ended the war, imposing heavy reparations on Germany and redrawing European borders.
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Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party seized power through the March on Rome, and he became Prime Minister.
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Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party marched on Rome, leading King Victor Emmanuel III to appoint him Prime Minister.
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After Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin eliminated rivals and gained total control of the Soviet Union.
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The U.S. stock market crashed, triggering a worldwide economic crisis. Unemployment and poverty spread globally.
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After Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin eliminated rivals like Trotsky and gained absolute power.
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Racial segregation and discrimination were legally enforced in the U.S. under Jim Crow laws.
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Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and soon established a totalitarian fascist regime, known as the Third Reich.
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Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933 and soon turned Germany into a fascist dictatorship under the Third Reich.
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After winning the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Franco established a nationalist dictatorship.
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Nazi Germany invaded Poland, leading Britain and France to declare war.
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After WWII, the world became divided between democratic and communist blocs, led by the U.S. and USSR.
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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Mao Zedong, defeated the Nationalists and took control of China.