Unit 2 World History - Important Dates and Facts

• Germany had 4.5 million soldiers by 1914
• Russia had 5.9 million soldiers by 1914
• France had 4.2 million soldiers by 1914
• Austria-Hungary had 3 million soldiers by 1914
• Britain's navy was nearly as large as all other navies combined by 1914
• Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
• Triple Entente consisted of Great Britain, France, Russia
• June 28th, 1914: Heir to Austria-Hungarian, Archduke Ferdinand & his wife Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip of the Black Hand, a secret society aiming to rid Bosnia of Austrian rule
• July 23, 1914: Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum asking for the end of anti-Austrian activity and allowing Austrian officials to investigate the assassinations
• July 28th, 1914: Austria rejected Serbian offer and declared war on Serbia
• August 1st, 1914: Germany declared war on Russia because Russia mobilized
• August 3rd, 1914: Russia sought help from France, leading Germany to declare war on France as France was allied with Russia
• August 4th, 1914: Britain declared war on Germany because Germany crossed through neutral Belgium
• September 3rd, 1914: Germany reached the edge of Paris due to the Schlieffen Plan
• September 5th, 1914: Allies attacked Germans at Marne River
• September 13th, 1914: Germans were driven back 60 miles, creating a two front war
• December 1914: Germany helped Austria defeat Russia in a 17-day battle and pushed Russia out of Austria-Hungary
• February 1915: Gallipoli campaign by allies
• May 1915: Bloody stalemate with more trenches
• December 1915: Allies gave up with 250,000 casualties
• 1916: Slaughter at its peak
• February 1916: Verdun - Germans attacked French
• July 1916: British attacked Germans in the valley of Somme River
• November 1916: Battle ended with over 800,000 casualties on both sides (Western Front)
• 1916: Russia's war effort was near collapse
• May 7, 1915: German U-boat sank British passage ship Lusitania, killing 128 US citizens
• February 1, 1917: Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare
• February 1917: Zimmerman telegram intercepted by Britain
• April 2, 1917: US declared war on Germany
• March 1917: Start of Russian Revolution with civil unrest and 5.5 million casualties
• November 1917: Lenin seized power and wanted a truce with Germany
• March 1918: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended the war between Russia and Germany
• Late May 1918: Allies regained Marne River with Paris in sight
• July 1918: Second Battle of Marne with tanks and 2 million more fresh U.S. troops
• November 9, 1918: Wilhelm II stepped down and Germany declared itself a republic
• November 11, 1918: World War I ended at 11 am
• June 28, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles was signed
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Serbia, and Russia could be blamed for World War I
• The main causes of the war were Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism
• The Big Four were Wilson, Clemenceau, Lloyd George, and Orlando