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Before WWI started, Europe's powers were divided into two:Triple Entente and Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente of Britain, France, and Russia and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. They were trying to build their military forces, arms, and battleships to regain lost territories and build empires.
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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia led to the outbreak of WWI. At the start of August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia and France.
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Also known as the Dardanelles Campaign, it was an attempt by the Allied Powers to control the sea route from Europe to Russia but failed. The naval attacked by British and French ships around February to March and continued on April 25. By mid-October, Allied forces suffered casualties.
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Nearing the end of WWI, the British, French, and American armies advanced while the alliance between Central Powers began to collapse. Turkey signed an armistice in late October and Austria-Hungary followed in November 3.
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WWI ended with the signing of Treaty of Versailles. They negotiated among the Allied powers and reassigned German boundaries and assigned liability for reparations. Germany agreed to pay reparations, however, the plans were cancelled in 1932.
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Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and the Nazi Party (Third Reich) took power and Hitler became the dictator of Germany. Germany invaded Poland in September first 1939 and WWII began.
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The U.S. gunboat Panay was attacked by Japanese warplanes in Yangtze River, China. Two U.S. sailors and civilian passenger were killed and 11 wounded leading to major crisis in U.S.-Japanese relations. Japan later apologized and payed reparations for the lost lives.
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After the lost of Pearl Harbor, U.S. declared war on Japan.
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Germany, Italy and most of France in ruins with Great Britain in bankrupt. The only two great powers left were United States and the Soviet Union.
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The defeated powers were forced by the allies to surrender and the great European colonizing nations were forced to give up their empires.
