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Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were visiting the Bosnian capital in Saravejo. A Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip arose from a crowd of people, rushed the wagon that Ferdinand and his wife were in, and shot both of them with a revolver. They were taken to a nearby hospital where the eventually passed away.
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As a result of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia because the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was from Serbia even though this took place in Bosnia. Russia, who had promised to protect Serbia, declared war on Austria-Hungary. Germany, who had an alliance with Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia and Serbia. This is known as the “Domino Effect.”
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In the First Battle of The Marne, Germany invades Belgium. This was part of the Schlieffen Plan which forced Allies back to the Marne River 25 miles from Paris. The French began to mobilize and launched a counter assault. This had pushed the Germans back 40 miles after only 5 days. This allowed Russia more time to mobilize.
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The Lusitania Disaster hastened the United States’s involvement in WWI. The Lusitania was a British passenger liner that was carrying 1,198 passengers on a trip. A German U-Boat sunk that ship claiming that it was carrying Allied ammunition. Everybody aboard was killed including 128 Americans. This resulted in outraged Americans who turned against Germany and the Central Powers.
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The President of the United States at the time, Woodrow Wilson believed that peace would solve all problems and he was against war. Germany ignored Wilson’s plea for peace. Many senators, representatives, ambassadors, and members of the Supreme Court crowded into the Capital building on April 2, 1917 to hear Wilson deliver his declaration of war. He stated that “The world must be made safe for democracy.” An undermanned nation, the United States, entered WWI so they then had to do a draft.
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In November of 1918, Germany’s ally, Austria-Hungary, surrendered to the Allies. On the same day of the surrender, German sailors mutinied against their government. Multiple different revolts followed and tired out Germany, stopping their continuation. As a result, at eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, Germany signed a truce ending the Great War.
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The Treaty of Versailles was much harsher than Woodrow Wilson wanted it to be. There were 9 new nations created as a result of the treaty. Some of these include Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. The Central Powers were forced to surrender. The Germans felt that the treaty was unfair because they were forced to pay $33 Billion in reparations to the Allies, and it forced them to admit sole responsibility for the war. The League of Nations were approved. The war was over.
