World War I Timeline
significant dates during wwi
Dates in the late 1800's
1870 - Prussia forced France to give up territory along German border
In 1870, as part of its plan to unify Germany, Prussia forced France to give up territory along Germany's border. As a result, France and Germany became enemies. To protect itself, Germany signed alliances with Italy and Austria-Hungary. They became known as the Triple Alliance.
1894 - Franco-Russian Alliance
A common interest in opposing Germany and Austria-Hungary led Russia and France to sign the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894. These two nations promised to come to each other's aid in a war against the Triple Alliance.
1898 - Germany began building large navy
Dates in the early 1900's
August 31, 1907 - Triple Entente
1908 - Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia
Dates in 1914
June 1914 - Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Seven conspirators, who were part of the Black Hand, were involved in the plan to assassinate Ferdinand. One conspirator threw a hand grenade at the archduke's car when he was on his way to Sarajevo's city hall. The grenade bounced off the car and exploded near the following car. The archduke was able to escape injury.
When Franz Ferdinand arrived at city hall, the Austrian commander warned the archduke that the city was about to erupt into rebellion. He convinced the archduke to escape quickly. After the reception, the archduke's car sped away from city hall, traveling fast enough to make it difficult for another attempt on his life, until the car had to make a sharp turn. The curve before the bridge over the river forced the car to slow down. There, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip was able to approach the car and shoot the archduke and his wife.
July 28, 1914 - Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Dates in 1915
February 1915 - announcement of German submarines
May 7, 1915 - Sinking of the Lusitania
Dates in 1917
January 1917 - Zimmermann Telegram
February 1, 1917 - Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare
Therefore, German U-boats sank 6 American ships between February 3 and March 21. Because of this, Wilson petitioned to Congress to go into war on April 2, 1917.
March 1917 - Russian Revolution
As a result of this, Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik Party seized power and established a Communist government in November 1917.
May 18, 1917 - Selective Service Act
Not all American soldiers were drafted. Even though about 2.8 million were drafted, approximately 2 million men volunteered for military service. This was a good boost for moral for the allied forces.
June 15, 1917 - Espionage Act
July 4, 1917 - AEF arrived in Paris
Dates in 1918
March 3, 1918 - Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
March 21, 1918 - Launch of German gas attack
May 16, 1918 - Sedition Act
June 1, 1918 - Block of German Drive
September 26, 1918 - Battle of Argonne Forest
By early November of 1918, the Americans had opened a hole in the eastern flank of the German lines. All across the western front, Germans began to retreat.
October 1918 - independence of Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia
November 9, 1918 - Germany became a republic
November 11, 1918 - end of fighting
Dates in 1919
January 1919 - Peace conference at the Palace of Versailles
The Big Four leaders that were there were Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, George Clemenceau, and Vittorio Orlando. Russian representatives were not invited to the conference because the allies did not see the government under Lenin to be legitimate