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Franco Prussian War (May 10, 1871)
France declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870. Prussia was not alone in this war, as many of the southern German states backed Prussia in the war. The climax of the war was fought around the town of Sedan in northern France. France lost, and Napoleon III was captured. When the war ended, a treaty was signed that included the annexation of two French towns by Germany, and the French had to pay 5 billion francs. -
Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed between Britain and France. These agreements regarded control of Africa, a diplomatic understanding, and informal alliance. One such agreement was that Britain gets Egypt and France gets Morocco. The two nations became friendly because they were both scared of Germany who had the largest army in the world at the time. It allied the two nations but did not force military support of each other. -
Moroccan Crises
The Moroccan Crises stemmed from a visit from Kaiser Wilhelm in Morocco in 1905. During this visit he declared that Morocco should be independent and that Germany should have the same trade advantages as anyone else there. He did this to put stress on the Entente Cordiale but this move only strengthened it. A second Moroccan crisis began in April 1911 when french troops pushed into the country saying they were defending the sultan. Germany responded by sending a warship intensifying tension. -
Bosnian Annexation Crisis
Lots of international tension because Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Balkan province. The Ottoman Empire and Russia did not approve, but soon a coup was staged in the Ottoman Empire. As a result, Austria-Hungary successfully annexed Bosnia, with a population of Slavic ethnic peoples, creating more tensions in the Balkan states between Austria-Hungary and all the other Slavic countries like Serbia. -
Balkan Wars (July 18, 1913)
The first Balkan War was the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro) fighting the Ottoman empire. The League along with Russia wanted to take Macedonia from the Ottomans. In the second Balkan War Greece, Romania, and Serbia fought Bulgaria for the territory of Macedonia. Bulgarian troops attacked that alliance in Macedonia, and lost. As a result, they got only a small portion of Macedonia. This war created tension between the region and Bulgaria looked to Austria for help. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
This is the event that started WWI. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot and killed by a Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip, a member of an organization called The Black Hand. The assassination caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia, which led to the central powers and allies of Serbia to also declare war on each other. -
The July Crisis
Austria-Hungary saw Franz Ferdinand's murder as a reason to invade Serbia. Austria-Hungary met with Germany to discuss the possible consequences if they attacked Serbia. Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, and Serbia went to Russia for help. They knew Austria-Hungary and Germany were allies, so they were careful. Serbians disagreed with the part of the ultimatum stating the Austria-Hungarians could investigate of the murder of Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary declared war. -
Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia
In reaction to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia which began WWI. Austria-Hungary and the other central powers had felt threatened by Serbia because of their nationalist attitude and their expansion into Ottoman territory, and the assassination gave them a reason to declare war. A chain reaction of allies of both countries declaring war on each other followed, which started the great war. -
German invasion of Belgium (October 31, 1914)
The invasion of Belgium started when Germany sent Belgium an ultimatum on August 2, 1914, which threatened invasion if Belgium did not surrender. Belgium, backed by British and French troops, declined and the German invasion began. The Belgian Government was defeated and forced to retreat to France, while Germany conquered Belgium as a staging point for invasion of France. -
Mobilization of Russian Troops
France encouraged Russia to mobilize because they feared Germany would attack. When Russia entered World War I they had the largest standing army so they need a lot of artillery. The French gave money for the Russians to build railroads allowing them to be mobilized. This allowed for the transportation of troops and artillery. This gave power to Russia because they had the largest military and could easily transport them and their artillery. -
Battles of Marne (August 6, 1918)
First Battle of the Marne: Sep 5, 1914 – Sep 12, 1914.
Second Battle of the Marne:Jul 15, 1918 – Aug 6, 1918. Last major German offensive on the western front during WWI. The first Battle of the Marne included the first radio intercepts and automotive transportation of troops in battle. The battles occurred north of Paris. France was alerted of German movements through radios and air reconnaissance. This victory halted the rapid German advance and was a turning point in the invasion of France. -
Battles of Ypres (October 2, 1918)
The Battles of Ypres were a series of battles surrounding the Flanders town of Ypres in Belgium. A major turn of power was during the Second Battle of Ypres, during which the Germans introduced chlorine gas as a weapon against the allies. This led to Britain and France both developing their own gas masks and chemical weapons. These weapons would shape the war and take thousands of lives. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British ocean liner that was carrying over 1,900 passengers from New York to Liverpool when a german U-boat hit it with a torpedo and sank it on May 7, 1915. Over 1,100 of the passengers died, which included over 120 Americans. Although the U.S. waited two more years before formally entering the war, this tragic event played a large role in portraying Germany in a negative light around the globe. -
Battle of Somme (November 18, 1916)
Fought by the British and French Empires against the German Empire, largest battle of WWI fought on the Western Front. The battle was near the end of victory for the Allies, and intended to quickly end the war in their favor. The Allies were able to win their most successful victory up to that point. Over one million people were either killed or wounded in the battle. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Internal diplomatic communication from Germany that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States entering the war. Germany promised that mexico would conquer Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Document was intercepted by British intelligence. The message helped draw the United States into war against the Germans and their allies, further complicating the war. -
Beginning of the Russian Revolution
Russian people were unhappy with a corrupt government and the many casualties suffered by Russia as a result of the war. Protests led to revolt and displacement of the Czar. This meant Russia was out of the war. Because of Russia’s exit, Germany was able to withdraw thousands of troops that were fighting against the Russians and put them on the western front, strengthening their army by 3.5 million. The new government was soon overthrown, which led to Russia becoming a Communist state. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act was passed authorizing the president to temporarily increase the United States’s military establishment by drafting men. This made the United States military much larger than before. With a larger United States military it gave them more power in World War I. -
First Tanks
The first tanks were created in England in response to trench warfare. The first prototype for the tank, named Little Willie, failed. It was first used in September 1915, and it was unable to cross enemy lines. Eventually, in 1917, after a series of failed prototypes, the Mark IV was a success. At the battle of Cambrai in November, 400 of these tanks captured 8,000 enemy troops and 100 guns. The tank soon became a staple in warfare because of its resiliency and its ability to pass over trenches. -
Armistice Day
An Armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany that was an agreement to stop the fighting on the Western Front. This marked a complete victory for the allies and a defeat for Germany. This agreement stopped the fighting however it did not end the war. -
Wilhelm's abdication
Kaiser Wilhelm II was abdicated (forcibly removed from power) because Germany was losing and thus the german nobility was removed as legally defined class. This caused all germans to be equal by law. This is also important because after this communism was popularly decided to be a fairer way to govern and protect the people after this event. -
Anglo-French Naval Agreement
Britain and France recognized the rising power of the Germans and thus put their differences aside to limit the German threat. One principal idea of the negotiations was that the French would install their navy in the Mediterranean and the British would guard the North Sea. The final result of the convention was that both governments agreed that they would immediately communicate with each other and discuss war measures if they believed Germany was going to attack.
