WW1 timeline

  • The Austro-Greman Treaty

    Tied Austria-Hungary and Germany together as part of Bismark's desire to avoid war. They would fight together in WW1
  • The Triple Alliance Established

    Germany Austria and Italy formed a central European power bloc. Italy would not accept this as binding when the war began.
  • The Austro Romanian Alliance

    A secret agreement that Romania would go to war if the Austro-Hungarian empire was attacked
  • Wilhelm II becomes Emperor of Germany

    He was basically incompetent
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    Anglo-German Naval Race

    Britain and Germany should, have been friends, but the race created an air of military conflict, i fnot an actual desire for military action
  • Franco-Russian Alliance

    encircles Germany, much as Bismarck feared
  • The Franco-Italian Agreement of 1902

    A secret pact in which France agree to support Italy's claims to Tripoli (modern Libya)
  • The Entente Cordial

    Agreed between France and Britain. This was not a binging agreement to fight together but moved in that direction.
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    The Russo-Japanese War

    An important nail in the coffin of the tsarist regime.
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    The First Moroccan Crisis

    also known as the Tangier crisis, over who controlled Morocco: France or the Sultanate, supported by the Kaiser
  • The Anglo-Russian Convention

    A pact between England and Russia relating tp Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, another pact which encircled Germany
  • Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina

    This caused a significant rise in tensions in the Balkans.
  • The Russo-Italian Agreement

    Russia now controlled the Bosporus, and Italy retained Tripoli and Cyrenaica.
  • The Second Moroccan (Agadir) Crisis

    Otherwise known as Panthersprung in German, in which the presence of French troops in Morocco led Germany to demand territorial compensation: the upshot was Germany was both embarrassed and militant.
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    Turkish-Italian War

    a fight between Italy and the Ottoman Empire, resulting in Italy's capture of a province in Africa.
  • Anglo-French Naval Agreement

    The last of the Entente Cordiale which began in 1904 and included discussions of who controlled Egypt, Morocco, West and Central Africa, Thailand, Madagascar, Vanuatu and part of Canada.
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    The First Balkan War

    A European war could have been triggered any time after this point
  • Woodrow Wilson was sworn in as US president

    Wilson wanted peace.
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    The First Albanian Crisis

    Included the Siege of Scutari, between Montenegro and Serbia against the Ottoman Empire; the first of several crises in which Serbia refused to give up Scutari.
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    The Second Balkan War

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    The Second Albanian Crisis

    Military leaders and Serbia and Russia continue to battle over Scutari.
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    Liman von Sanders Affair

    Prussian general Liman headed a mission to take control of the garrison at Constantinople, effectively giving Germany control of the Ottoman empire, which the Russians objected to.
  • War Begins

    By now the "Great Powers" of Europe had already come close to war several times thanks to the Balkan, Moroccan and Albanian disputes; passions ran high and the Austro-Russo-Balkan rivalry remained deeply proactive.
  • Austro-Hungarian Archduke Assasinated

    Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist. Austria suspects Serbia is responsible.
  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

  • Great Declarations of War

    Germany declares war on Russia, France and Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany. Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. France and Britain declare war on Germany. Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium. The United States declares it's neutrality.
  • Germany invades Belgium

    They are stopped at the first battle of the Marne. The Schieffen Plan fails.
  • First battle of Ypres

    Attempting to outflank each other, Allied and German troops were unable to win a decisive victory, leading to the onset of trench warfare.
  • Britain and France declare war on the Ottoman Empire

  • German zeppelin raids

    Zeppelin raids on Great Britain began, bringing the war home to British civilians.
  • Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

    Germany initiates a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, whereby all merchant ships, including those of neutral countries, would be subject to attack.
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    Second Battle of Ypres

    Germans launch the first successful gas attack in history. By the end of the war, both Allied and Central Powers will have used chemical weapons.
  • Landing on Gallipoli

    British and French troops, including Australians and New Zealanders (ANZAC) land on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire.
  • Lusitania Sunk

    German U-boat torpedoes the Lusitania, a British passenger liner. 128 Americans are killed.
  • Italy enters WWI

    Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies.
  • Baghdad Captured

    Allied troops move through Mesopotamia to capture Baghdad from the Ottomans.
  • Serbia invaded

    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.
  • 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 after December.
  • French Women Deported

    Around 20,000 French women and girls are deported from industrial cites like Lille to perform forced agricultural work in other parts of occupied France.
  • Syke's-Picot Agreement

    Great Britain and France secretly sign the Syke's-Picot Agreement. Assuming they will defeat the Ottoman Empire, they divide the Middle East. France claims Syria and Lebanon. Britain claims Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf states and the Palestine Mandate.
  • Battle of Jutland

    In the largest naval battle of the war, Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet and he German Navy's High Seas Fleet fought to a draw.
  • Great Arab Rising

    Arab nationalists revolt against Ottoman rule in the "Great Arab Rising."
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    Battle of Somme

    After a seven-day artillery bombardment, Allied troops launch an offensive meant to divert German troops from Verdum. The British suffered around 50,000 casualties on the first day and fighting continued until November.
  • U.S. servers diplomatic relations with Germany

    After Germany resumes its campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, the U.S. servers diplomatic relations with Germany
  • Zimmermann Telegram

    British intelligence intercepts the Zimmermann Telegram, a secret communication from Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico should the United States enter world War I.
  • Germany sinks the SS Aztec

    A U.S. cargo ship bound for France called the SS Aztec, sunk by Germany
  • Wilson delivers War message to Congress

    U.S. President Woodrow Wilson Delivers a war message to Congress, famously stating that "the world must be made safe for democracy."
  • U.S. Declares War

    Following passage of the war resolution by the Senate and the House, the Unites States is officially at war with the German Empire.
  • Lenin Returns to Russia

    Having traveled on a sealed train from Switzerland, Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) after a decade of exile to personally lead the Russian Revolution.
  • U.S. Military draft begins

    The U.S. Congress authorizes the Selective Service Act, initiating the first military draft since the Civil War.
  • Pershing takes Command

    General John J. Pershing selected as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces.
  • Espionage Act

    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.
  • Third Battle of Ypres

    Allied troops, largely those from the British Empire, launch an attack to seize key ridges near Ypres. They achieve victory, but only after months of fighting in horrific conditions and sustaining heavy casualties.
  • Balfour Declaration

    Britain issues Balfour Declaration, a statement of support fo rthe establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine.
  • Lenin Seizes Power

    Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks assume complete control over the new Soviet Russian state.
  • French Munitions Ship Accident

    A French munitions ship collides with a Belgian relief ship resulting in 11,000 casualties.
  • British Capture Jerusalem

    The British capture Jerusalem from the Ottomans.
  • Wilson Outlines Peace Plan

    U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points for peace.
  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

    Russia and Germany sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, officially removing Russia from World War I.
  • Spanish Flu

    Camp Funston at Fort Riley, Kansas makes the first report of influenza. The disease spreads overseas to the Western Front. Over the next year this "Spanish Influenza" kills 20 million worldwide.
  • Battle of Cantigny

    In its first major battle of World War I, American troops captured the town of Cantigny, depriving the Germans of any important observation point.
  • Czar Nicholas II killed

    Bolsheviks murder the former czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family
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    Aisne-Marne Offensive

    Marks a major turning point in the fighting on the Western Front. Two days after its conclusion, the British attack at Amiens is called the "Black Day of the German Army."
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    Battle of Saint-Mihiel

    The First major offensive operation by General John J. Pershing's American Expeditionary Forces.
  • Meuse-Agonne Offensive

    After a short artillery bombardment, American and French troops advance toward German positions in the Argonne Forest and along the Meuse River. The largest offensive in U.S. history, it played a major role in bringing about an end to the war.
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    Battle of Vittorio Veneto

    Austro-Hungarian forces are severely defeated by the Italian Army, ending the war on the Italian Front and ushering in the final dissolution of the Austro-Hingarian Empire.
  • German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates

    German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates and flees to Holland. German Republic (later the Weimar Republic) proclaimed.
  • Armistice Day

    Having been given 72 hours to agree to Allied demands, Germany signs the armistice. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch orders that all hostiles on the Western Front cease at 11 a.m. Paris time.
  • Occupation of Germany Begins

    Allied troops move into Germany and begin occupation.
  • Yugoslavia Proclaimed Independent

    Yugoslavia, a kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is proclaimed and independent state.
  • Paris Peace Confrence

    At the Paris Peace Conference, Allied nations propose constitution for the League of Nations to promote international cooperation.
  • Treaty of Versailles

    Germany is forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Germany cedes Alsace-Lorraine to France, recognizes Belgian sovereignty, disarms and agrees to pay war reparations.
  • Senate Fails Tor Ratify Treaty of Versailles

    Based on objections to the League of Nations, the Senate refuses to ratify the treaty. The U.S. would never ratify the treaty or join the League of Nations.
  • Treaty of Severs

    The Treaty of Severs officially ends the war between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire and marks the beginning of the latter's partitioning. Only the territory that becomes Turkey is independent of British and French control.