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Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie
This is known as the event that sparked World War I. The heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, Archduke Ferdinand, and his wife were in Sarajevo and were shot by a Serbian nationalist -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged Germany's unconditional support for whatever action Austria-Hungary chose to take in its conflict with Serbia. This pledge, often referred to as a,“blank check", marked a decisive moment in the chain of events leading up to the outbreak of WWI. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. World War I begins.
The Austrian government believed that the Serbian government was to blame for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife. So they declared war on Serbia. Although Russia was allied with Serbia, Germany did not believe that Russia would mobilize and offered to support Austria if necessary. However, Russia did enter the war, and France being an ally of Russia, caused France to mobilize also. Germany would later on declare war on Russia. -
Germany declares war on France
Germany declares war on France. Germany sends troops into Belgium. The British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding their withdrawal from the neutral Belgium. -
The British declare war on Germany
Since Germany did not withdraw its troops from Belgium, they declared war. -
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German U-boat campaign
After the sinking of the passenger ship, Sussex, Woodrow Wilson again threatened breaking off relations with Germany. To avert the threat of America entering the war on the side of the Allies, the Germans call off their campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The passenger ship Lusitania sinks in British waters. It was attacked by a German U-boat. A total of 1,198 drown, including many women and children and 128 U.S. citizens. This would later cause the U.S. to enter the war. -
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
The Germans feel that the only thing they have left are their submarines. It is the only weapon that gives them an advantage over their enemies. -
Zimmermann Telegram
Intercepted weeks earlier by the British intelligence service, the United States is alerted about the Zimmermann Telegram. This was a secretive coded message that German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann promises the return of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico as reward for siding with Germany if the U.S. enters the war. -
USA declares war on Germany
The United States of America declared war on Germany in response to the sinking, by German U boats, of US ships. The United States quickly puts the entire country on the road to war, preparing themselves to be ready for combat. -
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Effects of WWI
WWI had about 37 million casualties. The war made people more open to other ideologies, like communism, and changed modern warfare forever. The war also left the U.S. the leading industrial power and creditor in the world. This also caused the founding of the League of Nations. Six new countries were formed as a result of WWI and they were Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Estonia. -
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Hitler's rise
Hitler's rise to power was based upon long-term factors such as resentment in the German people, the weakness of the Weimar system(which he exploited through propaganda), terror, and the brilliance of his speeches. During the 1920s, Germans ignored him. But when the Great Depression happened, they voted for him, wanting change. -
Treaty of Versailles
This treaty made Germany lose lands, had to pay millions of dollars of reparations, was demilitarized and the economy went down. The German people were left vulnerable and in poverty. -
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The Dawes and Young plan
The U.S. came up with two plans to help settle Germany's reparations. The Dawes Plan money was cycled through Germany and France to eventually be paid back to the United States. The Young Plan was designed to cut down the amount of Germany's war reparations through a scale model. This plan made the German people feel degraded. -
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Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that originated in the United States. The causes of the Great Depression were the stock market crashing, bank failures, the American Economic policy with Europe, drought conditions, and reduction in purchasing.
