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An alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary is formed to provide mutual support of attacked by Russia, and to prevent Germany's isolation.
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A defensive military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy is formed to provide mutual support if attacked by France or Russia. It was renewed periodically until 1915.
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In indirect response to the Triple Alliance, Russia, France, and Britain formed the Triple Entente in 1907 from a gradual formation of alliances. They countered the Triple Alliance in terms of European powers, and peace rested upon an unsteady balance.
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The Balkan peninsula had been ruled by the Ottoman Empire, but their failed seige of Vienna was the turning point to their territorial expansion, leading to the start of their decline. In 1906, Russia's minister of foreign affairs, Izvolsky, gave the proposition that they would support Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (under the rule of the Ottoman Empire at the time) if they could gain access to the Dardanells straits, to which Aehrenthal (Of Austria) orally agreed.
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The agreement between Izvolsky and Aehrenthal had no written account, leading to serious misunderstandings. The Bosnian crisis erupted when Austria-Hungary announced its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina very close to Bulgaria's declaration of independence, both from the Ottoman Empire. This sparked strong opposition and outrage in Russia and Serbia, to which Izvolsky was forced to support. This damaged relations between Austria-Hungary, Serbia, and Russia, which laid the grounds for WW1. -
The archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist. He was part of The Black Hand, who aimed to liberate Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austro-Hungarian rule. Seen as a provocation, Austrio-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia with outrageous requests that Serbia was unable to fulfill. This was the initial spark that ignited World War I. -
Serbia's inability to fulfill the issued ultimatum proved to be Austria-Hungary's justification for its declaration of war. This triggered a complex system of alliances, starting with Russia, and then drawing Germany, France, and Great Britain into the conflict, turning regional dispute into a global war. -
As part of Germany's Schlieffen Plan, in which they aimed to quickly defeat France before turning to Russia, their forces pushed towards Paris. However, the French and British forces successfully drove them back and thwarted Germany's plan for a swift victory, and initiated a prolonged period of trench warfare on the Western Front.
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After the successful resistance of France to German forces, a prolonged attritional stalemate occurred when neither the Allies (France, UK, US) nor the Central Powers (led by Germany) could achieve victory. Advances in defensive technology and extensive trenches dug from the North Sea to Switzerland created defensive barriers that favoured defense over attack, making attacks nearly impossible. It was the development of offensive tactics and technology that ended the stalemate in 1918.
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The sinking of the RMS Lusitania arguably marked a turning point in WW1. The British ocean liner was torpedoed by a German U-boat (submarine), killing 1,195 people, including over 120 Americans. Although the US had pledged neutrality, the attack outraged the public and solidified their opposition towards Germany. The attack was described as brutal and signified the start of a vicious era of total warfare. It also became a key factor in the US's entry into the war 2 years later. -
America officially joined the war in 1917. Prior to the war, they had remained neutral but supported the Allies economically and through huge loans to Britain and France. The German U-boat attack on the Lusitania among other events of Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and telegrams of an alliance between Mexico and Germany for Mexico to get back ceded territory to the US were behind Woodrow Wilson's decision to declare war against Germany. This gave the Allies strength to defeat Germany. -
Russia exited WW1 because the war had caused massive military losses, economic collapse, and public unrest. Shortages of food and fuel, putting many into poverty, led to the 1917 Russian Revolution. After the Bolsheviks seized power, they prioritized peace to focus on internal problems and in March of 1918, Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, officially ending its involvement in the war. -
During the stalemate, Germany launched the Spring Offensive, to try and break the deadlock before before US entry could tip the balance towards the Allies. Using elite "storm-trooper" units and mobile tactics, early gains were made. However, logistical issues, exhausted troops, and overextended supply lines ultimately led to the failure to deliver a decisive victory, and left Germany weakened for the counteroffensive that followed. -
Beginning on August 8 1918, the Allies launched a series of coordinated attacks known as the Hundred Days Offensive, aimed at undoing the gains made by Germany's Spring Offensive. The invasion was powered by significantly improved mobile tactics and key victories, including the breakthrough at the Hindenburg Line, forced the German army into retreat and seek an armistice, leading to a decisive Allied victory that brought the war to an end. -
The Armistice that ended World War I was signed on November 11, 1918, between Germany and the Allied Powers. It marked a ceasefire that ended the fighting on the Western Front. The Allies -led by Britain, France, and the United States- won the war, while Germany and the Central Powers were defeated.