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Assasination of Franz Ferdinand
In 1908 Austria- Hungary annexed Bosnia Herzegovina. The different ethnic groups of Boznia Herzegovina did not want this to happen and the Serbian nationalists protested for independance.The Emperor of Austria- Hungary believed that the people of Boznia Herzegovina would be charmed by a royal visit of his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. They were both assasinated on arrival by a Serb nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip. This event triggered the outbreak of WW1. -
Austria- Hungary Declares War On Serbia
One month after the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Austra-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
Serbia turned to its ally Russia for support. Russia promised to protect Serbia from Austria-Hungary and its ally in the Triple Alliance, Germany. -
Germany Declares War On Russia
After Germany declared war on Russia they asked the French government what their intentions were. France did not wish to support Germany as the French were already allies with Russia in the Triple Entente -
Germany Declares War On France
The Germans used a military plan also known ad the Schlieffen Plan (devised by Alfred Von Schlieffen). The objective was that German troops could place an all out attack on France by passing through neutral Belgium. Instead of having to fight both countries France and Russia at once, this allowed the Germans to defeat France before Russia was ready to go to war. -
The United Kingdom Declares War On Germany
The issue regarding the Schlieffen Plan was that it voilated Belgium's neutrality.
In 1839 Britain had signed a treaty with Belgium which gauranteed Britain to come to its defences if another country invaded Belgium's borders. After Germany did so, the British declared war. -
Battle of Ypres Begins
Near the Belgian city of Ypres, allied German forces began the first of what would be three battles to control the city and take its advantageous positions along the North Coast of Belgium. -
Russia Declares War On Turkey
On the 29th October 1914 Turkey entered the war on the side of the Central Powers and helped with a German naval bombardment of Russia. Because of Turkey's help to the Germans, Russia declared war on Turkey. -
The Second Battle of Ypres begins
German forces shocked allied soldiers along the Western Front by firing more than 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas against two French colonial divisions at Ypres in Belgium.The offensive began with artillery bombardment along the enemies line. The allies were then sent into panic when poision gas was filled into the air and crossed down into all of the trenches. -
The Battle Of Gallipoli
In the attempt to break the stalemate that had developed on Winston Churchill, argued for an attack on Turkey. Turkey being part of the Ottoman empire was an ally of Germany. The Gallipoli Campaign became known as the first major battle of WW1 for Australian troops. The ANZAC's were part of The Gallipoli Campaign because Britain and France needed to move troops, equipment and weapons to allies in Russia. The beginning of the campaign involved a naval attack through the Darnadelles. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest single battle of WW1. The attack on verdun occured because of a plan by the Germsn Chief of General Staff von Falkenhayn, who wanted to 'bleed France white' -
The Battle of Jutland
The battle of Jutland was considered the only major naval battle fought because Britain had naval supermacy not only in Europe but across the world. So the Germans and British battled with their warships. -
The Battle of The Somme
The first battle of the Somme was one of the most costly events to break the stalemate of the trenches in areas along the banks of the Somme river. The allied forces tried to break through German lines. The battle was fought because the French had been taking severe losses at Verdun. -
USA Declares War On Germany
The USA contributed to the war by transporting supplies because of its allies in the Triple Entente. In attempt to stop this trade the Germans used submarine warfare and sunk many American ships which killed a large number of American people. The USA then declared war on Germany. -
The Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres) was known as the 'Battle of Mud'. Sir Douglas Haig had an attempt to break through Flanders. His aim was to destroy the German submarine pens after the breakthrough of Belgium. -
The Bolsheviks Overthrow The Russian Government During The Russian Revolution
There were two revolutions which changed Russia. This was known as the Russian Revolution. The February Russian Revolution toppled the Russian monarchy, allowing a Provisional Government to be established. In October, the second revolution crested the worlds first communist country. The Bolsheviks were placed as the leaders of Russia. This became official on November 7th 1917. -
Russia Reaches Armistice With The Central Powers
After the accession to power in Russia the Bolsheviks (led by Vladmir Lenin) approached the Central Powers. This was to enable a withdraw from a war which they saw as an obstacle to their plans of providing food, nourishment and land to the Russian peasant population. Britain and France were forced to open peace negotiations because of the threatening demands by Leon trotsky who was in charge of foreign affairs. -
Russia Signs The Treaty of Brest Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest Litovsk was a peace treaty which was signed between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany. which meant that Russia was no longer part of WW1. -
Germany Launches The Spring Offensive
The Spring Offensive was ordered by Luderndorff. It's goal was for the Germans to launch a huge attack on the Western Front.This was Germany's attempt to end WW1. In just five hours of the offense, the Germans had fired one million artillery shells at the British lines held by the Fifth Army. This attack was the biggest breakthrough in three years of warfare on The Western Front. The British gave up the Somme region to the Germans. -
The Second Battle of The Marne
The Second Battle of The Marne marked the turning point of WW1. It began with the last German offensive, followed by the first allied offensive victory in 1918. -
End of World War One
At 5am on the 11th of November 1918, the head of the German delegation (Matthais Erzberger) signed the armistice that marked the end of 'the war to end all wars'. The war ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This day was a momentous and happy day for those whos lives had been effected in the war. It was also a very sad day as people who were not celebrating instead mourned the deaths of the millions of soldiers who had lost their lives fighting in World War One.
