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Bloody Sunday Massacre 1905
Bloody Sunday
Under the rule of Tsar Nicholas II, internal tension was very high. Groups of workers marched on the Tsar's palace to demand for reform, after having their demands dismissed at a conference of the zemstvos. Military forces shot into the crowd. As a result, riots swept through the country. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated
Account on the assassinationArchduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Serbian revolutionaries in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This resulted in Austria-Hungary first proposing punishment for Serbia. Then, after little response from Serbia, Austria began to mobilize its army and declared war on Serbia in July. -
"Third Balkan War" - WWI begins
MapIn the face of revolutions due to rising nationalism within the Austro-Hungarian borders, Austria declares war on Serbia. This "Third Balkan War" quickly escalates. Austria relied heavily on German support. Russia is an ally of Serbia, so they mobilize their armed forces. Germany mobilizes and declares war on Russia and Germany. Austria Hungary declares war on Russia and France, which causes Great Britain to declare war on Germany. So begins World War I. -
Tsar Nicholas orders full mobilization
Russia & World War 1After Austria declared war on Serbia, starting the "Third Balkan War," Russia was expected to enter a war against Austria. However since Russian mobilization takes longer due to its vast territory, mobilizing against either Germany OR Austria (not both) was impossible. On July 29th, 1914 Tsar Nicholas ordered full mobilization. This decision declared general war. -
1st trenches on Western front dig
Interactive mapThe trench system was put in place to protect soldiers from gunfire from enemies. Soldiers living in trenches had very awful living conditions (always wet, unsanitary, etc) and trench warfare resulted in many casualties. Territory gains made with trench warfare was miniscule, but the cost of lives was very high. -
Total War
RationingDuring total war, every aspect of economic/social life in that country is affected by the war. Free-market capitalism was abandoned. The government began to plan/control economic/social life in each country. Rationing and price controls were imposed by the government. -
First German use of poisonous gas
More about gas Before this attack, some toxic smoke and tear gas had been used. This attack by the Germans used 150 tons of lethal gas (chlorine) in Belgium. Following this attack, the French and British began to develop their own chemical weapons. In 1917 mustard gas was introduced. -
Allies battle for Gallipoli
Things you may not know about the Gallipoli Campaign Gallipoli Campaign April 25 1915-January 9 1916
Also known as the Dardanelles Campaign
Britain and France attacked the Gallipoli peninsula which forms the Dardanelles and leads to Russia (an Allied power). The Ottoman repelled the attack which lead to eight months of fighting and an Ottoman victory. -
U-boat sinks Lusitania
Lusitania A new invention/weapon, the submarine violated traditional niceties of fair warning under international law. The Germans set up a counter-attack against the Allied powers after they had established a blockade at the beginning of the war. One such submarine sank the Lusitania, a British passenger ship with British and American civilians. -
Battle of Verdun
VerdunFeb. 21-Dec.18
Battle between the German and French armies on the Western Front. It was the longest battle in European history. At first the Germans made critical gains, but the battle resulted in a French victory. -
Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme interactive mapJuly 1st-November 18th
One of the largest and bloodiest military battle in history. The British casualties on the first day of the Somme offensive were more than the combined British casualties in the Crimean, Boer, and Korean wars. After July 1st, a long stalemate ensued with very little advances. -
Rasputin is murdered
After criticism of the Tsar Nicholas by the Duma (middle classes) and after the creation of the Progressive party, Nicholas traveled to the front to lead the Russian armies. While he was gone, Tsarina Alexandra (his wife) took over rule with her shady confident, Grigori or, "Rasputin"--the "degenerate." Members of the high aristocracy arranged for Rasputin to be murdered to end rumors, which lead to a worsening of food shortages, which lead to riots. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Zimmerman Telegram docs
Up to this point, the USA had remained neutral in the First World War. The British deciphered a telegram sent by Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico that offered Mexico American territory if they would join the war for the German cause. This telegram largely influenced the role we took in the war. -
Bread Riots in Petrograd
Bread RiotsAfter the death of Rasputin food shortages increased. On March 8th, women gathered in Petrograd to call for bread. They began riots which spread all throughout the city, including the factories. The Tsar sends in troops from the front but these troops join the riots/revolutionary forces. The Duma (middle classes) form a provisional government 4 days later. -
Petrograd Soviet issues Army Order No. 1
Army Order No. 1The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was a mass meeting of workers, soldiers, and socialist intellectuals. They issued the Armer Order No. 1 which stripped authority from officers and instead gave the power to elected committees of common soldiers. This led to the collapse of army discipline. -
Tsar Nicholas Abdicates
Abdication SpeechAfter the death of Rasputin and the outbreak of riots in Petrograd, the Tsar sends troops in from the front. The troops turn on the Tsar, however, and the Duma creates a provisional government 4 days later. 3 days after that, Tsar Nicholas abdicates, -
America enters war
Article With the election of Woodrow Wilson, he pledged neutrality in the war, which is what the American people favored. America, however, was close trading partners with Great Britain which caused problems with Germany. Tensions rose even higher when the Germans sank the Lusitania which carried American civilians. On April 4th the U.S. Senate votes to declare war against Germany, and two days later the US formally enters the war. -
Bolsheviks gain majority in Petrograd Soviet
Bolshevik powerBolsheviks, or "majority group" was a division of the Russian party of Marxist Socialism led by Vladimir Lenin. The Bolsheviks then attempt to seize power but fail. Lenin goes into hiding after being charged with being a German agent. (He actually was receiving money from Germany). -
Lenin accepts peasant seizure of land/worker control of factories
Peasant land seuizureAs peasant revolutions were happening all throughout the country, Lenin had no choice but to allow the peasants to keep seizing land. Workers also demanded direct control over the factories. Lenin created a law to allow these events to keep happening. At this time all banks were nationalized. -
Balfour Declaration
Balfour Declaration textArthur Balfour declared that Britain favored a "National Home for the Jewish People" in Palestine but without encroaching on the lives of the people already living in Palestine. Some supported this because it would help the British war effort and maintain control of the Suez canal. This upset the Palestinian Arabs. -
Bolsheviks seize power
Bolsheviks take powerLeon Trotsky convinced the Petrograd Soviet to put him in charge of a military-revolutionary committee. On November 6th, militants from his committee got together with Bolshevik militants and seized government buildings and members of the provisional government. The congress of soviets revealed there to be a majority of Bolsheviks and all power passed to them with Lenin as their leader. -
Lenin disbands Constituent Assembly
Dissolution of constituent assemblyThe Bolsheviks claimed a "provisional workers' and peasants' government" with an elected Constituent Assembly. This assembly was to create a new constitution. However, the elections revealed the Bolsheviks to be the losing party. The assembly met once (January 18th) but then Lenin immediately disbanded (permanently) the Constituent Assembly. -
Bolshevik Central Committee accepts peace w Germany
Necessity of PeaceRealizing that Russia had obviously lost the war with Germany, Lenin convinced the Bolsheviks to vote in favor of peace with Germany. This agreement would result in the loss of Russia's western territories (with the nationalities of Poles, Finns, Lithuanians, etc). At first the Bolsheviks would not accept this peace agreement, but Lenin's influence won the vote. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-LitovskAfter Lenin convinced the Bolshevik Central Committee to vote yes for the peace with Germany, they signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia lost 1/3 of its land, losing all of its western territories (non of which were ethnically or nationally Russian). Because there was no longer war, Lenin could focus on his goal for absolute power. -
White opposition to the Reds
MapWhite armies oppose the Bolsheviks after the destruction of the Constituent Assembly by Lenin. White armies control the fringes of Russia. However, these white forces were very divided compared to the organized Red forces. Due to this division, the White armies were weaker against the Bolsheviks, which lead Lenin and the Bolsheviks to victory. -
Hundred Days' Offensive
More infoFinal period of World War I, the Allies launched offensives against the central powers beginning with the Battle of Amiens. This offensive was followed by an armistice and the end of the First World War. -
Great Civil War
Civil War mapThe destruction of the Constituent Assembly by Lenin provoked "White opposition" to the Bolsheviks, or the Reds (especially in Southern Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, and west of Petrograd). The White armies, though previously making great advances toward triumph, were defeated. Lenin won the civil war. -
War ends on the Western front
Accounts of the end of the warFollowing the Battle of Amiens and the Hundred Days' Offensive, in which Germany was pushed out of France, Germant was forced to make peace. The Hundred Days' offensive ended with an armistice that ended the First World War on the Western front. -
Treaty of Versailles signed
Treaty of VersaillesThe peace treaty that eneded World War I. Germany's colonies were to be given to France, Britain, and Japan. The Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, but German land losses in Europe were otherwise minor. The Allies declared that Germany was responsible for the war and therefore was responsible for paying for the war. -
Lenin & Red Army are victorious
Bolsheviks win civil warLenin and the Bolsheviks (Red army) won the war against the White armies. This can be contributed to the fact that the Reds controlled the middle while the Whites controlled the fringes of Russia. The White army also wasn't as united as the Red army was. The Bolsheviks established war communism, or the application of the total war concept to a civil conflict. The Cheka also instilled fear in people--the Cheka hunted down and executed enemies.
