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Triple Alliance is formed between Germany, A-H, Italy
Each member promised mutual support in the event of an attack by any other great powers, or for Germany and Italy, an attack by France alone. In a supplementary declaration, Italy specified that its undertakings could not be regarded as being directed against Great Britain. -
Germany joins Russia in an alliance
This action was taking another option for an ally for France, which then made Germany more powerful with Russia on their side. Bismark strived for powerful nations to be on his side to ensure Germany as a world power. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II changes foreign policy, forced Bismarck to resign
Kaiser Wilhelm II and Otto Von Bismarck had opposing political views. When Wilhelm took power he forced Bismark to resign because he wanted more power for himself. -
Wilhelm II allows alliance with Russia to expire
He broke off the treaty with Russia making them an enemy to Germany. Germany was also France's enemy because France and Russia were in an alliance. Now two strong nations were at odds with Germany and if war broke out Germany would be forced to a two-fronted war. -
Russia formed defensive military alliance with France
This hurt Germany the most because it would create a two fronted war. Bismark became terrified because Russia and France were both big enemies of Germany, making his country a main target agaisnt two strong nations. -
Britain formed entente (alliance) with France
Whilhelm began building up Germany's navy ships, in efforts to be as strong if not stronger than Bristish fleets. Great Britian became worried and formed an alliance with France out of fear. -
Britain made another entente with France and Russia, forming the Triple Entente.
Triple Entente was an informal alliance among Great Britain, France, and Russia in the period before World War I. It opposed the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. -
Ferdinand and Sophie visit Sarajevo and are assassinated by Gavrilo Princip
While riding in an open carriage, the Archduke and his wife were fired at by Gavrilo Princip, one of the group of seven Bosnian Serbian conspirators. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, hit in the neck and his wife Sophie, hit in the abdomen died within a few minutes thereafter. -
Austria presented Serbia with the ultimatum
On July 23,
Austria presented Serbia with an ultimatum containing
many demands. Serbia knew that refusing the ultimatum
would lead to war against the more powerful Austria. Serbian leaders had no choice but to agree to most of Austria’s demands or they would be deafeated by Austria.
They offered to have several others settled by an international conference.
Austria, however, w -
Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia also ordered mobilization toward the Austrian border
On July 28, 1914, exactly one month after the Archduke’s death, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia that started the devastating World War 1. -
Germany declared war on Russia
When Russia moved its army to the Russian-Austrian border, they also expected Germany to join Austria, so Russia also mobilized along the German border as well. As a result, the German goverment declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914. They saw Russia's envasion as start of war. If the German Government had failed to guard against this peril, they would have compromised the safety and the very existence of Germany. -
Germany counterattacked the Russians at Tannenberg. Four day battle
The first major battle on the eastern front occurred when German forces surrounded and destroyed Alexander Samsonov's Russian army at the Battle of Tannenberg. This early 1914 battle proved to be Germany's greatest victory of the war. -
Germany declared war on France
German troops poured into Belgium as directed under the Schleiffen Plan, drawn up in 1905. The British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding their withdrawal from the neutral Belgium. -
Britain declared war on Germany
Britian declared war on Germany because Germany did not withdraw from Belgium. Now all of Europe now seemed to be involed in WWI. -
Allies attack Germany at the 1st Battle of the Marne
The attack stops Germany from invading France. When Germany retreated after only four days, it gave hope to everyone that this would be a short war. -
Ottoman Empire formally joins Central Powers
Ottoman Empire hoped to gain back all of the land they lost. Now the Central Powers seemed to have more nations and a stronger group. -
Austrians, with German assistance counter the Russians at the Battle of Limanowa
Ended Russian plans to invade Germany through Austria-Hungary. -
December the Allies launch the Gallipoli campaign
The Allies attempted to control the sea route from Europe to Russia. They failed because the lacked knowledge of the terrain, along with harsh Turkish resistance. After, Allied forces had suffered heavy casualties and had made little headway from their initial landing sites. -
Italy joins Entente
Italy left Central Powers and joined the Entente because they blieved Austria-Hungray was wrong in starting the war and in their agreement it never said they could not leave. -
Germany sinks the U.S.S. Lusitania
There outraged protests from the United States at the German U-boat campaign, when the Lusitania, which had many American passengers aboard, was sank. The Germans moderated their U-boat campaign. -
Germans announce their policy of unrestricted submarine warfare
Unrestricted submarine warfare was Germany’s policy of attacking any ship that tried to get through its U-boat blockade of Great Britain. They would attack any ship, whether it was military, passenger, or merchant. -
U.S. intercepts the Zimmermann Note
The Bristish intercepted a telegram from Germany's foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, to the German ambassador in Mexico. The message said that Germany would help Mexico reconquer the land they had lost to the United States if Mexico would ally itself with Germany. The Bristish decoded it and gave it to the U.S. -
Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany
President Wilson delivered a powerful speech asking Congress to declare that a state of war existed with Germany, a request Congress and the general public embraced. American neutrality was at an end. -
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ended Russia’s involvement in WWI
The British took a large force of tanks across the barbed wire and machine gun posts at Cambrai. -
Germany and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Germany and Russia agree to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which officially ended the war between them and was the first of act of Lenin.
