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Battle of Marne
in September 1914 the French and the British met the Germans in Marne. The battle stopped the Germans from advancing. The battle also made it clear that neither side would win easily or quickly which later became a stalemate. -
Franz Ferdinand Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia. He was next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne. The set off decades old tensions in Europe and started WWI. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Gavrilo Princip was a member of a Serbian nationalist group. Princip's group plotted murder on Franz Ferdinand. They hoped to bring down the Austro-Hungary Empire and unite the Slavs. becuase of this Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia -
First use of Gas as a weapon by the Germans
In April 1915 Germans used poison gas to seriously injure or kill the Allies. After the encounter the Allies started using poison gas and using gas mask. A british officer described the battle that "They fought with their terror, running blindingly in the gas cloud , and dropping in agony." -
Sinking of the the Lusitania
Germans could not match the British blockade. So in February 1915 Germany said that it would sink any vessel that entered British ports. In Wilson response he said that if any american lives were lost Germany would be responsible. Germany had ignored this so Germany torpedoed the British liner Lusitania. -
Wilson reelected; pledged American neutrality
President Wilson still hoped to stay out of the war. Antiwar sentiment remained strong. Some Americans saw the nation's military buildup as a way to get into the war. in the election the democrats said "He kept us out the war." With this Wilson barely defeated Republican candidate Charles Evans Hughes. -
Bolsheviks led by Lenin overthrow Russian government
In March 1917, Nicholas II had given up his throne as czar, or ruler, in Russia's first revolution. The government that replaced the czar supported the war. It was not, however, able to solve Russia's many serious problems, such as food shortages. Because of this in November 1917, riots broke out over the new Russian government's handling of the war and the scarcity of food and fuel. A group called the Bolsheviks overthrew this government. -
Zimmirmann Note
In 1917 British agents intercepted a telegram from a German Minister named Arthur Zimmermann. The message was sent for Mexico with an offer to get them to join the German alliance against America. The British soon told America which made them infuriated. -
U.S declares war
On April 2,1917 Pres. Wilson decided to ask congress for a declaration of war against Germany. After some debate, Congress decided that the nation had to defend its rights if it wished to remain a world power. Congress passed a declaration of war, and Wilson signed it on April 6. -
War ends
While Germany struggled on the Western Front, its allies faced defeat elsewhere. In late 1918, the Ottoman Empire was on the brink of collapse. Austria-Hungary broke apart, as protests in major cities helped bring down that centuries-old empire. For example, in October 1918, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia declared independence. By early November, the governments of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire had surrendered to the Allied Powers. -
The treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles is a treaty that was signed by Allies and Germany. The terms of the treaty said that Germany had to accept full responsibility for the conflict, it also had to pay the Allies billions of dollars, and it had to disarm completely and give up its overseas colonies and some territory in Europe. The treaty also made new nations to renew the old ones.
