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The beginning
World War I began after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. -
The Eastern Front
Russian forces invaded the German-held regions of East Prussia and Poland, but were stopped short by German and Austrian forces at the Battle of Tannenberg. -
America Enters World War I
The United States remained on the sidelines of World War I, adopting the policy of neutrality favored by President Woodrow Wilson while continuing to engage in commerce and shipping with European countries on both sides of the conflict. -
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Russian Revolution
Russia’s army mounted several offensives on World War I’s Eastern Front, but was unable to break through German lines. -
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German troops
German troops crossed the border into Belgium. In the first battle of World War I, the Germans assaulted the heavily fortified city of Liege, using the most powerful weapons in their arsenalto capture the city. -
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First Battle of the Marne
French and British forces confronted the invading Germany army, which had by then penetrated deep into northeastern France, within 30 miles of Paris. -
Gallipoli Campaign
After a failed attack on the Dardanelles (the strait linking the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea), Allied forces led by Britain launched a large-scale land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula. -
World War I at Sea
After the Battle of Dogger Bank in which the British mounted a surprise attack on German ships in the North Sea, the German navy chose not to confront Britain’s mighty Royal Navy in a major battle for more than a year, preferring to rest the bulk of its naval strategy on its U-boats. -
The Battle of the Somme
German and French troops suffered close to a million casualties in the Battle of Verdun alone. -
United States in the war
Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to make the United States ready for war. -
Second Battle of the Marne
German troops launched what would become the last German offensive of the war, attacking French forces (joined by 85,000 American troops as well as some of the British Expeditionary Force) in the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies successfully pushed back the German offensive and launched their own counteroffensive just three days later. -
Toward Armistice; The end of World War l
Austria-Hungary, dissolving from within due to growing nationalist movements among its diverse population, reached an armistice on November 4. Facing dwindling resources on the battlefield, discontent on the homefront and the surrender of its allies, Germany was finally forced to seek an armistice, ending World War I.
