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Murder of the Archduke
Archduke Franz Fernidand was the heir to the Aussto-Hungarian throne. The archduke and his wife sophie visited the capital of Bosnia and were shot. The person who shot them was Gavirilo Princip a member of the Black Hand society which was committed to getting rid of Bosnia rule in Austria. Because the person who shot them was a Serbian, Austria decided to use the murders to punish Serbia. was given demands and the ones they rufused led to war with Austria. -
Period: to
Wolrd War 1
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First Battle of the Marne
Germany had developed a a battle strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. The plan called for attacking and defeating France. German Leaders wanted a quick victory over France. In early September Germany forces had swept into France. A victory appeared to be very soon. However, the allies attacted Germans northeast of Paris, in the valley of the Marne River. Many soldiers came and fought until German generals decided to retreat. Germany had been defeated but they were going to keep fighting. -
Gallipoli Campaign
As the war dragged on, the main combatants looked beyond Europe for a way to end the stalemate. A new strategy they used was to attack a region in the Ottoman Empire known as the Dardanelles. This was a sea strait gateway to the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. By securing Dardanelles, they believed they could defeat Constantinople and establish a line to Russia. This was called the Gallipoli Campaign. New Zealand and many other countries attacked the campaign and they were defeated. -
Battle of the Somme
During the trench warfare, the slaughter reached a peak in 1916. The Germans launchded a huge attack against the French near Verdun. Many men died. Trying to relieve some of the pressure off the French, British forces attcked Germans northwest of Verduns, in the valley of the Somme River. On the first day of battle, more than 20,000 men had died. By the time the battle had ended, over a million had died. Each side gained some land from the war, four for the Germans and five for the British. -
Battle on the Eastern Front
In the beginning of the war, Russian forces had attacked Austria and Germany. At the end of the war, Germany counterattacked near the town of Tannenberg. During this battle, Germans had crushed the invading Russian army. Many soldiers were killed. Eventually, Austria had defeated the Russians and they had pushed them out f Austria-Hungary. Even though the Russian army lost of battles they would rebuild its ranks from their huge population. As a result, Germany could not compete with them. -
Total War
World war 1 soon became known as a total war. This meant that countries devoted all their resources to the war effort. In many countries the entire force of government was dedicated to winning the conflict. The government also took control of the econonmy aspect of the war. Governments told factories what to produce and how much. Rationing was used so that people could buy only small amounts of things that were also needed for war. The governement took control while war was going on. -
America Joins the War
In January of 1917, the Germans announced that their submarines would sink without warning any ships in the waters around Britain. This policy was called unrestricted submarine warfare. This policy had left many U.S. citizens dead. This left the American public very upset. In February the Germans angered America again. Germany stated that they would help Mexico "reconquer" the land it lost to the U.S. The U.S. felt they had a bond with Britain. They entered the war on the side of the Allies. -
The Treaty of Brest-litovsk
Before blance in the war, Russia gave Germany a victory on the Eastern Front, and a new hope for winning he conflict. After Czar Nicholas stepped down, the government decided to keep fighting. However, Russia was done fighting. In Novemeber of 1917, Vladimir IIyich Lenin seixed power. He wanted to end the war as new leader. In March of 1918, Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-litovosk that ended the war. -
The Second Battle of the Marne
In March of 1918 Germany attacked Allies in France. They crushed everything in their path and had once again reached the Marne River. Victory seemed within reach. By this time though, the Germans were very weak and supples were running out. In July 1918, Allies and Germans clashed at the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies had many weapons smasjing through German lines. With U.S. help, the Allied forces advanced toward Germany. -
The Armistice is signed
Soon central powers began to crumble. Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks surrendered. In October, revolution swept through Austria Hungary. In Germany, soldiers mutinied, and the public turned on Kaiser. In November of 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down. Germany declared itself a republic. A representative from the new German government met with French Commander Marshal Foch. They signed a armistice, or an agreement to stop fighting. On November 11, World War 1 came to an end.
