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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Often thought to be the mark of the beginning of WWI, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a Serbian nationalist was a major part of the start of this war. No one expected this sudden jolt of death to spread into all out war. -
Official Start
The official start to WWI began on the 4th of August when Germany made the first move. German moved in and invaded Belgium and this ended up angering british forces and led Great Britain to declare war on Germany. -
Charles Masterman appointed head of WPB
Charles Masterman, a published writer and politician, was appointed by David Lloyd George as head of the WPB (War Propaganda Bureau) mostly in Great Britain. He was responsible for conveying the government’s position on the war through writing and major propaganda to the common and general public. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
German forces deployed naval submarines and attempted to destroy a passenger liner. The ship (called Lusitania) carried 1,200 people, 128 of which were American. This was a factor of leading the U.S. into war. -
First Tanks Used
In 1915 the first ever warfare tanks were used by the British. The first battle was at Delville Wood and proved to be very useful at knocking down walls. These very first level tanks were proved to be flawed as they still weren’t the go to weapon that most people thought they would be. -
Masterman Recruits
During this time, Charles Masterman wanted to seek out help for the propaganda bureau. He recruited some very famous writers such as John Buchan and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to help publish books like Britain’s War By Land and others. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles in war history. On the first day more than 55,000 British casualties were reported. The main importance of this war was for Britain. This established the British forces as someone to be reckoned with. The French continued the attack at Somme and far exceeded the British efforts. This battle led to a book to be written by John Buchan with help from Charles Masterman called Battle of the Somme. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The zimmerman telegram was a major key factor to the U.S. joining the war. Germany had a message for Mexico that was intercepted by British intelligence and eventually turned over by Mexico themselves proposing Mexico to join Germany and invade the U.S. The U.S. go very angry at this telegram and it eventually led to a mutual interest of war in Americans. -
Masterman Gets Demoted
During this time following a report by the editor of The Daily Chronicle, David Lloyd George appointed John Buchan as director of information for the WPB. Masterman was demoted to having just a department of four sections under this and his salary was reduced. This led to Masterman’s refusal to support Lloyd George in the government. -
U.S. Enters the War
On April 6th, 1917, the United States congress declared war against Germany. In doing so, the U.S. takes the side of its former allies France and Britain. This marked the major turning point in WWI due to the substantial growth in military forces with the American’s joining. -
Selective Service Act
Congress passed this act that authorized the draft. Woodrow Wilson signed this law into existence and he was criticized for it around the entire U.S. He was criticized for “destroying democracy at home while fighting it elsewhere”. The president said that he saw no other way to effectively win the war. -
Germany and Russia have a Peace
During this event the Germans signed a peace treaty with the newly formed Russian government. The treaty gave Germany massive amounts of land and peace with the eastern front for the war. This allowed Germany to move into position to cause major damage to the French, Americans, and British. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
During this extremely bloody battle fought by American and German soldiers, General John J. Pershing helped halt a particularly punishing German advance. Pershing also ordered a counteroffensive plan to take action, driving the Germans out of Belleau Wood. The Americans ended up prevailing, but not withough nearly 10,000 casualties.
