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Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
A Serbian assasinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria -
Demands of an Austrian/Serbian alliance
Austria gave Serbia an ultimatum that was deliberately harsh. Serbia tried to negotiate, but Austria rejected and declared war. Russia, Austria's ally, also took action against Serbia. -
Developement of Western Front
Germany declared war on France where it planned to rush the west, defeat France, and then attack Russia. Germany demanded passage through Belgium, a neutral country, and they refused. Germany then seized Belgium which caused uproar in Great Britain. The European nations took sides, Germany and Austria-Hungary (Central Powers, later joined by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) and then Great Britain, France, and Russia (known as the Allied Powers, then joined by Japan and Italy). -
First Battle of the Marne
Germans invaded France on the Western Front, but quickly retreated after France's allies attacked them. -
Battle of Liminowa
Russian forces invaded Germany on the east while Germany was still invading France. -
Gallipoli
French and German armies on the Western Front dug miles of trenches to defend themselves. This created the "Trench Warfare". -
Battle of Verdun
Near Verdun, the Germans advanced four miles while the British gained five miles in the Somme Valley -
Battle of Somme
From July - September, 1916 -
End of the Battle of Somme
The battle ended with a total of 1 million deaths and British gained only 6.5 miles. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germans announce that their submarines will go into the water without any warning to ships in the waters around Britain. -
America joins in the war
President Wilson asks congress to declare war. The United States joined the allies in war. -
Russian Revolution
Bolshevik Red Guards made up of armed factory workers invaded Winter Palace in Petrograd. They took over the government building. The Bolshevik Revolution was over in a matter of hours. -
Germany send a final attack to Allies in France
Germans unleashed one final attack on the allies in France. More than 6,000 cannons opened fire on France. -
Second battle of the Marne
The Allies clash with the Germans. Leading this attack were 350 tanks on the allies side that slowly rolled through German lines. -
Armastice
A new German representitive met with Marshal Foch. In a railway car in Paris the two signed an armastice or a agreement to stop fighting. -
Treaty of Versailles
A treaty is signed between Germany and the Allied powers is signed.