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Period: to
1913-1920
The Timeline Of WW1 -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarjevo, Bosnia by a Black Hand Gang Memeber, Gavrilo Princip. Archduke's chauffeur took a wrong turn in the city of Sarjevo, there was located Gavrilo Princip, who was mad at Archduke for colonizing Bosnia. Seeking the opportunity, Gavrilo shot Archduke two times. This assassination was knows as the 'Spark' or the beginning of World War 1. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
A month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on July 28, 1914, Austro-Hungarian government declared war on Serbia. This triggered a domino effect that made European countries declare war on each other. -
Germany invades Belgium
As a part of the Schlieffen Plan, Germany demended Belgium to let them pass through, but they refused. Because of this, on August 4th, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium even though they declared their neutrality. This angered British and resulted in them declaring war on Germany. -
The First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was one of the first major battles in World War 1. Germany, in a desperate attempt, rushed for Paris. The Allies were successful in stopping the German, but Germany also took a bit of Northern East land of France. This forced both sides to dig trenches, starting the long period of nightmare trench warfare. -
The Sinking of The Lusitania
The Sinking of The Lusitania consisted of a massive British passenger ship sinking due to two torpedo shots from a German U-boat. On board were 1,200 passengers, including 128 Americans. This upsetted the US, at the time neutral, and made them consider joining the war. -
The Gallipoli Campaign
When the Allies decided to attack the Ottoman Empire, to gain access to the Dardanelles Strait, they went all out sending in multiple fleets. Despite several tries, they just could't breach on the Ottoman defence. Resulting in a horrible defeat for the Allies. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest, bloodiest battle of World War 1. It lasted about 10 months. It also resulted in over 700,000+ casualties. There was no clear winner as both sides suffered equally. This was a total war battle, where both sides used all their resources to guarantee victory. The purpose of this battle was to not win, but to drain each other's resources. -
The Battle of The Somme
The Battle of The Somme was started by the British on the Somme river. It was to draw back forces from the Battle of Verdun. On the 1st day of battle, the British lost almost 19,000+ troops. Even though only lasting 5 months, the casualties meter was out the roof, over 1 million casualties. These battle was very deadly. It destroyed lives, towns and hopes. The only thing left there today were the craters. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was essentially a telegramed message made by Arthur Zimmermann, an Official German Minister, to be sent to the Mexican Government. The message basically asked for Mexico to join the war with them, in case the U.S declares war on Germany. They offered to give back the land they had previously lost in the Mexican-American War. Mexico refused and soon news got around about what Germany tried to do. This yet again angered U.S and forced U.S to prepare for war. -
The United States joins the War
The United States officially declared war against Germany, on April 6th, 1917. Under President Wilson guidance, military personnel made it's way up to Europe. U.S joining the war changed a lot of things. The Fourteen Points, an AEF, and a League of Nations were all created due to U.S's entrance. More than 2 million Americans fought- 50,000 of whom died on the battlefield. -
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a revolution against Russian monarchy led by the Bolsheviks (Leader: Vladimir Lenin). The Bolsheviks believed in "All power to the Soviets", basically meaning that they want independence. Due to Tzar Nicholas the II's foolish and naive defeats during World War 1, Vladimir Lenin overthrew him and his imperial government. After complete power of Russia, Vladimir signs a peace treaty with Germany. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed by Germany. This officially pulled Russia out of World War 1. Russia lost a lot of significant land, resources and equipment. Since now there was no Eastern Front, this was the perfect opportunity for Germany to create a final push to Paris. They had just gained many resources from Russian lands and over 1-2 million troops from the Eastern Front. It was just the matter of executing it. -
The Second Battle of The Marne
The Second Battle of The Marne was the last major German offensive towards Paris, to ultimately conquer France. At first, Germany had the upper hand, they were shredding through France defences. But France was just too good and pushed Germans back to their startlines. The Allies eventually crossed the Marne and pushed Germans into their own territory. This ultimately ended hopes for the German's victory on the Western Front. They did get within 40 miles of Paris and lost 800,000 troops. -
The Armistice
The Armictice officially ended the fighting in World War 1. All fighting on land, sea and in air between The Entente and The Alliance ended. This day would become to be known as Armistice Day. The Armistice occured at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed to officially end World War 1. Over 30 different representations were present at the Palace of Versailles. All wanted different outcomes but only one went through. Though all got peace, Germany was the one who had to suffer the most. The Treaty asked Germany to pay for all the damages done to every country that was impacted. They returned land, pulled back troops, and agreed to war guilt clause. Germans were upset and wanted for revenge.