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He was assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist -
Austria and Hungary declare war on Serbia.
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Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium. France invades Alsace. British forces arrive in France. Multiple countries allied up against Germany later on. -
Britain declares war on Germany.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.
France and Britain declare war on Austria-Hungary.
Japan declares war on Germany.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium. The United States declares its neutrality. -
Germany invades Belgium, but is stopped at the First Battle of the Marne. The Schlieffen Plan fails. -
Attempting to outflank each other, Allied and German troops were unable to win a decisive victory, leading to the onset of trench warfare. -
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Raids on Great Britain begin, bringing the war home to British civilians. Germany initiates a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, whereby all merchant ships, including those of neutral countries, would be subject to attack. -
Second Battle of Ypres: Germans launch the first successful gas attack in history. This meant these troops had to fight. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies.
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A combined force of Austro-Hungarians and Germans (and later Bulgarians) invade Serbia. After weeks of stubborn fighting, the Serbian Army was forced to retreat through Montenegro and Albania.
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Battle of Verdun: Hoping to “bleed France white,” the German Army launches a major offensive against the symbolic fortress of Verdun. Fighting will not end until December. -
After a seven-day artillery bombardment, Allied troops launch an offensive meant to divert German troops from Verdun. The British suffered around 50,000 casualties on the first day and fighting continued until November. -
A secret communication from Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico should the United States enter World War I. -
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson delivers a war message to Congress, famously stating that “the world must be made safe for democracy.”
Following passage of the war resolution by the Senate and House, the United States is officially at war with the German Empire. -
Congress passes the Espionage Act, making it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country’s enemies.
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After many battles, having been given 72 hours to agree to Allied demands, Germany signs the armistice. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch orders that all hostilities on the Western Front cease at 11 a.m. Paris time.