World War I timeline

By andreacolavito7

  • Revolution overthrows Austria-Hungrarian Emperor

    A set of revolutions took place in the Austrian Empire from March 1848 to November 1849.

  • Germany officially unified

    The final act of German unification was the Franco-Prussian War. With the French defeated the German Empire was unified in 1871 in the Palace at Versailles, France.

  • France loses Alsace and Lorraine to Germany

    Alsace and Lorraine were incorporated into the German Empire after Frances defeat in the Franco-German War. France suffered economically from the loss of Alsace-Lorrain's useful iron ore deposits and other industries to Germany.

  • Triple Alliance formed

    The Triple Alliance was a secret agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.The Treaty made it so Germany and Austria-Hungary would help Italy if it were attacked by France and Italy would help Germany if Germany were attacked by France.

  • Russo-Japanese War

    This war was fought between Russia and Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The Japanese victory transformed the balance of power in East Asia.

  • Triple Entente alliance formed

    The Triple Entente was an association between Great Britain, France, and Russia. It developed from the Franco-Russian alliance.

  • Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia

    The Bosnia Crisis was the annexation by the Austria-Hungarian Empire of the Balkan regions also known as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ottoman Empire protested its loss of land and other countries became involved in this crisis. In 1909 the Ottomans and Austria-Hungary came to an agreement on the annexation. The Ottomans accepted the Austrian takeover in exchange for a financial settlement.

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated

    The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the outbreak of World War I.

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

    Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand beginning the First World War.

  • Ottoman-Germany alliance formed

    The Ottoman-Germany Alliance was an alliance between the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire. This alliance helped strengthen the Ottoman military and provide Germany safe passage to the British colonies.

  • Schlieffen Plan put into action

    The Schlieffen Plan was a plan for Germany to attack France and Russia. The execution of this plan led to Britain declaring war on Germany.

  • Japan declares war on Germany

    Japans military seized German possessions in the Pacific and East Asia. The Japanese Navy captured Germany's territories north of the equator. The Navy then gained political influence over national and international affairs.

  • Battle of Marne

    The Battle of Marne was between the French Army and the British against the Germans who had invaded Belgium and France. The French forces were able to stop German advance through Belgium and France.

  • Lusitania sinks

    The sinking of the Lusitania is what triggered the U.S to get involved in World War I. It turned the U.S against Germany.

  • Battle of Verdun

    The Battle of Verdun was one of the largest battles of WWI on the Western Front between the German and French armies. Both sides were left with more than 600,000 casualties.

  • Battle of Somme

    This battle was fought between the armies of the British and French against the German Empire. It was one of the largest battles in WWI. More than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed.

  • Zimmerman Telegraph found

    The Zimmerman Telegraph was a form of communication between Germany and Mexico. It was a military alliance in the event that the US enters the war against Germany. The telegraph was decoded by the British and it influenced American public opinion and helped get support for the United States declaration of war on Germany.

  • Unrestricted submarine warfare commences

    Germany's navy attacked all merchant ships in the area around the British Isles during World War I. Because of the attacking of the US ship the Lusitania, Germany 's navy had to suspend the U-boat warfare.

  • Tsar Nicholas II abdicates

    Tzar Nicholas II was the ruler of Russia. He was forced to resign from throne by the Petregrad insurgents and a provincial government was installed in his place.

  • Vladimir Lenin seizes power in Russia

    Under his power, Russia and the Soviet Union became one party communist state governed by the Russian Communist party.

  • Bolsheviks emerge as a political group

    The Bolsheviks became the communist Party of the Soviet Union.

  • Fourteen Points proposed

    The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for world peace that would be used to end WWI.

  • Russia signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

    The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers, that ended Russias participation in the war.

  • Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates

    Wilhelm abandoned the nation because Germany was seeking an armistice and revolution. With the threat of the revolution pending and fear his own armies would turn on him, he was forced to abdicate the throne and go into exile.

  • Treaty of Versailles signed

    World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty reassigned German boundries and assigned liability for the reparations.

  • Germany stops reparation payments to France

    Germany made its last reparation payment for WWI on October 3rd settling their debt from the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.

  • Stalin takes over Russia

    Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed into an industrial and military superpower.

  • US declares war on Germany

    The US declared war against Germany in order to "make the world safe for democracy".