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Between 1871 and 1913, Germany surpassed Britain to become Europe’s leading industrial power. These developments dramatically altered the balance of power in Europe.
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In 1882, to protect itself against France, Germany formed an alliance with Italy and Austria-Hungary, known as the Triple Alliance.
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A rival bloc took shape in 1893, when France and Russia formed an alliance
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In the early 1900s, Russia seized Chinese Manchuria and established a protectorate over Mongolia, which had declared independence from China.
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In 1904 Russia and Japan went to war over Manchuria and Korea—another area of rivalry between the two nations.
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In 1904, France & Britain signed an entente (nonbinding agreement to follow common policies - not a treaty, but led to close military & diplomatic ties)
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Russia, France, and Great Britain formed the Triple Entente in 1907.
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Bosnian terrorists attacked the motorcade of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914.
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By 1914, Germany had surpassed Britain as the leading industrial power in Europe. Germany’s increasing industrial strength destabilized Europe’s balance of power.
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in June 1914, an act of Serbian nationalism led to the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
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The war started in August 1914 and ended in 1918
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Britain declared war on Germany on Aug 4
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In February 1915, Germany responded by establishing a blockade of Britain.
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In May 1915, a U-boat sank the British passenger ship Lusitania, which was also carrying 173 tons of ammunition from New York to London.
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By late 1916, however, German leaders had become concerned about how much longer Germany could continue to fight. They decided to tighten their blockade, gambling that this would force Britain to surrender before the United States could enter the war. In February 1917, Germany resumed its previous policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Furthermore, Germany made an offer of an alliance with Mexico.
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Russia’s withdrawal from the war at the end of 1917 allowed Germany to move troops from the Eastern to the Western Front. With more than 500,000 more soldiers now on the Western Front, German commanders hoped to defeat the British and French forces there and end the war before a large number of American troops could arrive.
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In 1917, huge number of lives and resources lost cause of Russia government collapsed.
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n February 1917, Germany resumed its previous policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Furthermore, Germany made an offer of an alliance with Mexico.
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The United States to declare war on Germany in April 1917
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The United States’ entry into World War I was the turning point of the war. Like Germany and Austria-Hungary, Britain and France were nearly exhausted by 1917.
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In June, some of these troops helped French forces stop the German advance at Château-Thierry.
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Fighting separately for the first time, the American army defeated German forces at Saint Mihiel in September 1918. Then, the Americans joined British and French forces to defeat the Germans in the month-long Battle of the Argonne Forest.
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On November 9, the Kaiser abdicated and then fled to the Netherlands. In Berlin, the monarchy came to an end. Civilian political leaders took control and declared Germany to be a republic.
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In late March 1918, the Germans launched a massive attack on the British at the Second Battle of the Somme.
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At 11:00 a.m. on November 11, the “war to end all wars” was finally over.
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In January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson issued a statement of war goals called the Fourteen Points.
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By June, the German army was again within artillery range of Paris. Casualties on both sides were massive.
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By 1918, the German people were enduring terrible hardships.
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With Germany on the verge of revolution and Allied armies poised to invade, German leaders knew that only surrender could save their nation. On November 11, 1918, they signed an armistice, an agreement to stop fighting.
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The Fourteen Points also strengthened the peace movements in Germany and Austria-Hungary, an effect Wilson had hoped for. The Fourteen Points contributed to Germany’s decision to surrender in November 1918.