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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, was carried out by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, after an initial failed bomb attack. As their motorcade took a wrong turn and stopped, Princip was able to approach and shoot the couple at close range. The assassination triggered an international crisis, as Austria-Hungary, with the support of Germany, issued an ultimatum to Serbia, ultimately leading to the outbreak of World War I. -
they served as a basis for negotiating the end of World War I, significantly influenced the Treaty of Versailles, and proposed a new vision for international relations through open diplomacy, free trade, and national self-determination -
Following the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914, the United States adopted a policy of formal neutrality for nearly three years. However, this position was challenged by deep-seated economic ties, divided public sympathies, and escalating German aggression, which ultimately drew the U.S. into the war in 1917. -
a critical World War I battle where Allied forces, particularly the French and British, halted the German advance toward Paris -
a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British ocean liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,195 of the nearly 2,000 people on board, including 128 Americans -
a 1916 World War I battle fought between France and Germany for the fortress city of Verdun -
its role as a catalyst for the Sussex Pledge and its eventual contribution to the United States' entry into World War I -
for its massive human cost, which highlighted the brutal stalemate of trench warfare and led to significant changes in British military strategy and public sentiment -
it was a coded message from Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance against the United States -
it crippled Allied shipping but ultimately led to the United States entering World War I -
with the severe impact of the British blockade on Germany, made a German defeat inevitable.
Importance to the war effort
Economic powerhouse: The U.S. was able to supply the Allies with vast amounts of armaments, food, and raw materials, which were crucial for maintaining the war effort, especially since the British naval blockade had severely limited Germany's access to these same resources. -
a legal framework for a military draft to provide personnel in national emergencies, ensuring a ready and rapid mobilization force -
provided a crucial boost in manpower and morale for the Allied forces, helped turn the tide of key battles, and ultimately contributed to the Allied victory -
important for its role in national security, port security, and its significant impact on free speech jurisprudence -
it was one of history's deadliest pandemics, killing an estimated 50 million people worldwide and infecting one-third of the global population -
Russia's exit from World War I was hugely important because it allowed Germany to focus its forces on the Western Front, significantly shifting the balance of power. This was achieved through the harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which resulted in Russia ceding a large amount of territory, but also enabled the Bolsheviks to end the war and concentrate on winning the Russian Civil War. Internationally, it changed the war's dynamic and set a precedent for future revolutionary movement -
it directly tested the limits of the First Amendment's protection of free speech and press, sparking a major political debate over the balance between national security and civil liberties -
it was the decisive final Allied offensive that crippled German forces, broke the Western Front stalemate, and led directly to the November 11, 1918, armistice that ended World War I -
it led to a temporary cessation of hostilities, ultimately paving the way for the formal peace treaties and the subsequent reshaping of world borders -
its role in formally ending World War I, establishing the League of Nations, and significantly redrawing the map of Europe