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The Triple Alliance is formed between Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy
Before World War I had officially begun, Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy formed an alliance. This was one of the causes of World War I. -
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World War I Hussey
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Kaiser Wilhelm II changes foreign policy, forced Bismarck to resign
Kaiser Wilhelm forced Bismarck to resign and then he himself took over as emperor of Germany. -
Wilhelm II allows alliance with Russia to expire
Wilhelm did not renew the alliance with Russia so as a response Russia formed a defensive military alliance with France. -
Russia formed defensive military alliance with France
Russia formed a defensive military alliance with France in response to Germany's allowance of the alliance to expire. -
Britain formed entente (alliance) with France
Britain formed an entente with France and Russia. This alliance ensured that the countires would not fight against each other but also that they would not fight together. -
Ferdinand and Sophie visit Sarajevo and are assassinated by Gavrilo Princip
As Ferdiand and Sophie were riding through the streets of Sarajevo, they were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip. June 28 was the day that the Serbians were taken over by the Austro Hungarians and the fact that the couple were visiting on this day upset many Serbians. -
Austria presented Serbia with the ultimatum
The ultimatum that Austria presented Serbia had many demands. Serbian leaders agreed to most of the demands but not all of them. -
Austria declared war on Bosnia. Russia also ordered mobilization toward the Austrian border
Since Serbia didnt accept all of Austria Hungary's demands, Austria Hungary declared war on them. Russia ordered mobilization toward the Austrian border. Many european leaders pleaded with Russia and Austria to negotiate but they would not. -
Germany declared war on Russia
Germany declared war on Russia and demanded the neutrality of France who was Russia's ally. -
Germany declared war on France
Germany declared war on France because France refused the demand of Germany to stay neutral. Instead of staying neutral, France mobilized which caused Germany to declare war on them. -
Britain declared war on Germany
Germany invaded Belguim which was a neutral country in an attmept to take over France. Britain responded to this by declaring war on Germany. -
Germany counterattacked the Russians at Tannenberg. Four day battle.
The Germans surprise attacked the Russians and captured thousands of soldiers. This was a crushing defeat for the Russians and around 250,000 Russian soldiers were killed. -
Allies attack Germany at the 1st battle of the Marne
Throughout this battle the goal of the French who were assisted by the British was to throw back the German offensive and they succeeded in this goal. This battle destroyed Germany's hopes that the war would be quick. -
Ottoman Empire formally joins Central Powers
The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers because they had a lot of friction with the Triple Entente. They also joined the Central Powers because the Germans had many victories in the beginning of World War I. -
Austrians, with German assistance counter the Russians at the Battle of Limanowa
The Austro Hungarians thought that this battle would weaken Russian forces in the north which was an incorrect assumption. The Russians were forced to retreat to prevent themselves from being surrounded which stopped their advance toward the Hungarian plains. -
The Allies Launch the Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli campaign was an effort to control the Dardanelles straight which was a narrow sea straight that had easy access to the Ottoman capitol. The Allies believed that they could establish a supply line to Russia using this straight. The campaign later failed. -
Italy joins Entente
Italy joined the Triple Entente after originally being a part of the Triple Alliance. Italy joined the Triple Entente because they believed that the Triple Entente would win the war and also because they signed a treaty which promised them more land in the Adriatic Sea region. -
Germany sinks the U.S.S. Lusitania
The Germans sunk the U.S.S. Lusitania which was a British passenger ship using their U-boats. This attack killed 128 U.S. citizens. President Woodrow Wilson sent a protest to Germany and after two more attacks the Germans agreed to stop attacking passenger ships. -
Germans attack the Allies at Verdun in the Battle of the Somme
This battle was one of the largest in World War I. By the time the fighting stopped, there were more than one million casualties which makes this battle the bloodiest battle in history. The British and French forces penetrated six miles of German territory -
Germans announce their policy of unrestricted submarine warfare
The Germans knew that this policy may lead to war with the U.S. but they believed that their blockade of Britain would make them admit defeat before the U.S. got involved. The German U-boats sank three American ships. -
U.S. intercepts the Zimmermann Note
The Germans sent a note to Mexico telling them that if they allied with the Germans they would help Mexico regain the land America took from them. The British intercepted this note and gave it to America. America declared war on Germany. -
Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany
The Zimmermann note was the last straw for the U.S. and as a result president Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The U.S. entered the war on the Allies' side. -
Germany and Russia signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty ended the war between Russia and Germany. The treaty required the Russian government to surrender lands to Germany. These lands were Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and LIthuania. -
Second Battle of the Marne
In the Allied attack there were 350 tanks that smashed through German lines. There were also 2 million American troops ready to fight. They Allied forces advanced toward Germany. -
A German representative and French commander Marshal Foch signed an armistice
An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting. This armistice marked the end of World War I. Leaders of the Allied forces gathered outside Paris to make terms of peace.
