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Period: to
WWI Start to Finish
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Cause of War
Serbia assassinated the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. He was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. -
Austrian Ultimatum
The Austrians were slow to react. They finally delivered an unacceptable ultimatum to Serbia, but the general hostility toward Serbia had started to subside. Serbia sent back a conciliatory answer, but Austria was determined to fight. -
Austria declares war on Serbia
The Austrians declared war on Serbia, but they couldn't field an army until mid-August. In response, the Russians mobilized. This upset the delicate balance of Germany's Schlieffen Plan, so from this point on German General Moltke pressed for war. -
Austria mobilizes against Russia
Austria mobilized against Russia, and in response Russia and Germany ordered general mobilization. -
Germans invade Belgium
The Schlieffen Plan went into effect. Germany invaded Belgium. -
Britain declares war on Germany
Britain had guaranteed Belgian neutrality, so it was now allied against Germany. Germany then invaded France. Britain declared war on Germany, beginning the Great War and changing Europe forever. -
Battle of Tannenberg
General Erich Ludendorff under the command of the elderly Paul von Hindenburg, destroyed an entire Russian army at the Battle of Tannenburg, August 26-30, 1914. As a result, the Central Powers drove int othe Baltic States and western Russia, killing 2 million people. Russia's confidence was shaken. -
Battle of the Marne
Because of poor execution of plans on Germany's part, the French and British were able to sto the Germans at the Battle of the Marne September 5-12, 1914. -
Italy joins the Allies
While Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers. Italy joined the Allies in 1915 after they agreed to give Italy Italia Irredenta from Austria after victory. -
Gallipoli Campaign
The Allies decided to break the deadlock in the fighting by going around it. The plan was to capture Constantinople and knock Turkey out of the war to ease communication with Russia. The campaign lasted from 25 April 1915 - 9 January 1916. It was abandoned and the Allies lost almost 150,000 men. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The British ship Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine. 118 of the 1,200 drowned were Americans. -
Romania joins the Allies/Japan honors alliance
Romania joined the Allies in 1916, but was quickly defeated and driven from the war. Meanwhile, Japan honored it's alliance with Britain and ovveran the German colonies in China and the Pacific. -
Battle of Verdun
Germany sought success by an attack on the French stronghold of Verdun that lasted from 21 of February to the 18 of December 1916. It failed. -
Battle of Somme
The Allies launched a major offensive along the River Somme, resulting in massive casualties on both sides. It lasted from July 1 - November 18 1916. -
President Wilson's attempt at peace
December 1916, President Woodrow Wilson attempted to bring about negotiated peace. Neither side would give up its hopes for total victory. -
Germany's return of unrestricted submarine warfare
The Germans announced that their unrestricted submarine warfare would resume. They'd desisted when the United States protested after the sinking of the Lusitania. -
Overthrow of tsarist Russia
The overthrow of Russia's tsarist government after the Russian Revolution was one of the game-changing events of 1917. -
United States declare war on Germany
Until now, the presence of the autocratic tsarist Russia among the Allies had been a deterrent to American intervention. After the Russian Revolution, the United States declared war on Germany April 6, 1917. -
Russo-German Armistice
The Bolsheviks signed an armistice with Germany in December 1917. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
In this treaty between Russia and Germany, Russia yielded Finland, Poland, the Baltic States, the Ukraine, and Georgian territory in the Transcaucasus. -
Ludendorff Offensive
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had brought Germany to the beak of its success. It decided to gamble everything on a last offensive. The German army couldn't get beyond the Marne. Germany was exhausted, and the Allies were bolstered by the arrival of American troops. The Allies launched a counteroffensive that caused Austria to collapse. Germany knew the end was coming. -
William II abdicates
The disintegration of the German army forced William II to abdicate. The Social Democratic Party proclaimed a republic. -
German armistice
The republican, socialist-led German government signed an armistice and accepted German defeat. -
Treaty of Versailles
Representatives of the victorious states gathered at Versailles for the first half of 1919. The "Big Four" present were the United States, Britain, France and Italy. Only Russia and Germany weren't included in the decision-making. -
Start of the Paris Settlement
The Paris Settlement consisted of five separate treaties between the victors and the defeated powers. Formal sessions began on January 18,1919. -
End of the Paris Settlement
The last treaty of the Paris settlement was signed on August 10, 1920.
