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Triple Alliance is formed
In order to weaken France, Otto van Bismarck formed an alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. The purpose of their alliance was to protect Germany from France's revenge from the Franco-Prussian War. Later Italy joined their alliance. This was now called the Triple Alliance. It was also known as the Central Powers. Germany was the strongest of the countries in the Triple alliance -
Triple Entente is formed
The Triple Entente was an alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia. It was made mostly to defend themselves against the powerful Triple Alliance or Central Powers. It was created when Britain feared Germany's new, more powerful navy. The alliance almost ensured that Russia and France would not go to war with Great Britain. -
Austria declares war on Serbia
Because a Serbian man shot Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Austria blamed their deaths on the country of Serbia and resented them for the crime. Austria demanded many things from Serbia and they agreed to most. However, the Austrian government was still angry and declared war on Serbia. This led to Russia and many other countries interfering to help Serbia. -
Battle of the Marne
This was one of the first major battles of World War 1. It was between the Germans and the French. It was the result of the Schleiffen Plan. The Germans expected an easy and quick victory, however the French army made this difficult. The plan was destroyed and Germany was now fighting wars on two fronts. -
Battle on the Eastern Front
This battle took place on the eastern front on the border of Germany and Russia. The Russian and Serbian armies battled the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. This war, compared to the war going on at the Western front at the same time, was more mobile. The war was at a stalemate in which neither country was close to winning, but neither gave up. -
Gallipolli Campaign
The Gallipolli Campaign was a strategy created by the Allies in order to capture the Dardanelles strait. If they conquered the strait, they would have access to the Ottoman Empire. From there, they could then take over the capital, Constantinople. Finally, taking over Constantinople the Aliies could reach Russia easily to give them supplies. -
Russia Pulls out of the war
In 1917, civil unrest in Russia, due mostly to shortages of fuel and food, caused Czar Nicholas to step down. A new government came in. They vowed to continue to fight in the war. By 1917 though, almost 5.5 million Russian soldiers had been killed, taken prisoner, or wounded. Therefore, the war-weary soldiers refused to keep fighting. -
Americans joined the war
In 1917, the Germans intensified the submarine warfare that had raged in the Atlantic Ocean. They were sinking ships without warning (unrestricted submarine warfare). They had tried this before. They sunk the passenger ship. It left 1,198 people dead, including 128 U.S. citizens. It left the Americans outraged. They returned to it in 1917. The Germans started to sink U.S. ships, ignoring warnings from the President. The last straw was when officials intercepted a telegram written by Germany’s fo -
Fourteen Points
In January of 1918, the war was still going on but President Wilson had several peace proposals drawn up. They were called the Fourteen Points and they outlined a plan for just and lasting peace. The guiding idea behind these points was self-determination. Self-determination is allowing people to decide for themselves under what government they wished to live. -
Women helped the War effort
This was the first time government turned to women for help. The women replaced men in factories, offices, and shops; built tanks and munitions; plowed fields; paved streets; ran hospitals; kept troops supplied with food, clothing, and weapons. Women were also exposed to the horrors of war, working as nurses for the troops. -
The Second Battle of the Marne
By this time, the German military had weakened. The effort it took to reach the Marne had exhausted the men and supplies. The Allies, upon seeing the weakness, attacked with their fresh U.S. soldiers. The Allies came at them steadily, with lots of supplies from their U.S. allies. -
Armistice signed
November 9, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm stepped down. Germany declared itself a republic. A German representative of the new government met with a representative of France in a railway car near Paris. They signed an agreement (armistice) to stop fighting. On November 11, 1918, World War I came to an end.
