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Assasination of Franz Ferdinand
Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia when their archduke was assassinated there. Serbia claimed their government was not involved in the assassination and wouldn't let Austria investigate. The Austrians sent an ultimatum, the demands of which Serbia disagreed with, leading Austria-Hungary to break off relationship and eventually started a war. -
Alliances
By 1914, nations had formed two major conflicting groups of alliances: the Central Powers, and the Allies. These groups of alliances were so complex and entangled to each other that even a small problem could cause a global war. -
Period: to
WWI
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Japan Enters War
Japan enters the war after the British ask them for assistance against the Germans on one condition: they got to gain some German territory from it. After sending Germany an ultimatum and getting no response, on August 23, 1914, Japan declares war on Germany. -
US Enters War
The US was going to remain neutral in the war before Germany started to sink their ships and offered to help Mexico regain land lost in the US Mexican War. This caused the US to declare war on Germany and also Austria-Hungary since they were allies -
Europe is Weakened
After the war, the US rose up as a new superpower, proving it a worthy ally or opponent. This was also because all its rivals had been destroyed or weakened in the war. Europe was going through an economic crisis since most of its money went to the war. -
Great Depression
The war left all countries with huge economic losses, which became a global economic crisis known as the Great Depression. -
Japanese conflict with China
Japan invades Manchuria after a staged incident so they could purposefully start a war -
Hitler Invades Italy
Hitler invades Italy, which causes Britain and France to declare war on Germany -
Period: to
WWII
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Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, causing the US to declare war on Japan. -
Surrender at Stalingrad
The Germans surrender, marking their first defeat. -
Decolonization
After the war, many great nations were weakened, leading to their colonies rebelling and becoming independent -
Cold War
After the second World War, the United States and Russia had a Cold War in which they fought each other indirectly using other countries.
