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The Murder of Archduke
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie where traveling in an open car to Sarajevo, Bosnia, when suddenly, they were shot by Gravilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand. Austria was upset about this and declared war with Serbia. This was important because the countries of Europe followed through on their pledges to support one another. Nearly all of Europe soon joined. -
Declaration of War In Europe
One side of the war was the Central Powers, made up of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Their opponents were the Allied Powers, made up of Great Britain, France, and Russia, and soon later, Japan. Shortly after, Italy joined as well due to the accusation of the Triple Alliance unjustly starting the war. This was important because two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany also declared war on France. Then Great Britain declared war on Germany. Most of Europe was locked in battle at this time. -
The Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was the first major battle that occurred on the Eastern Front, in the city of Allenstein. At this time Russia was trying to invade Eastern Prussia and the Germans stepped in to defend their territory. This battle was the worst defeat for the Russians because it crippled their army and they suffered the loss of more than 15,000 men. -
The Schlieffen Plan and the Battle of the Marne
The Schlieffen Plan was a battle strategy created by Germany, and named after the man who designed it, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen. The Schlieffen Plan was developed for attacking and defeating France. But France and their many allies regrouped and attacked the Germans. The French ended up winning this battle against Germany, known as the Battle of the Marne. This was important because the Germans left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins and realized that a quick victory was not going to be possible. -
The First Battle of Ypres
The Battle of Ypres was caused by the Germans and their allies trying to protect the town of Ypres from outside enemies. They wanted to secure the British supply lines as well as the English ports. This battle is important because it tore down the British army that they had spent so many years building up. -
The Second Battle of Ypres
This battle began when Germany launched a surprise attack on the French allied lines. This attack included the first use of Germany's secret weapon, poison gas. Due to this new deathly weapon the French troops choked and died which made it easier for the Germans to advance into Allied territory. -
The Battle of Verdun
This battle lasted from February 21, 1916 to December 19, 1916. It was fought on the Western Front between the German and French armies. This battle symbolized France's army's strength and the solidarity of their nation. The French had 26,000 more deaths than the Germans, yet they are said to have won. -
The Battle of Somme
In the year 1916, the Germans declared a massive war against the French, near Verdum. Both sides lost more than 300,000 men in this battle. Then in July, Britain attacked Germany near the valley by the Somme River, resulting in the deaths of more than 20,000 British soldiers. By the end of the Battle of Somme, both sides had lost more than half a million men. This battle lasted for four months. This was important because the Germans advanced about 4 miles and the British gained about 5 miles. -
German Submarine Warfare and America Joins the War
In 1917, shortly after the war began, the Germans intensified their submarine warfare in the Atlantic Ocean. They announced the unrestricted submarine warfare to Britain saying that they were going to begin to sink ships without any warning. But when the Germans tried this with the United States, this caused them to join the war and become allies with Britain, due to their common beliefs, ancestry, and language. This was important because this caused the United States to join the war. -
The Treaty of Versailles
In June 1919, a compromise was reached between France, Britain, and the United States. It was called the Treaty of Versailles. It was signed by Germany and the Allied powers. This was exactly 5 years after the assasinatin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The Treaty of Versailles created a League of Nations. The League of Nations' main goal was to keep peace among the nations. This was important because it created peace between the nations at war.
