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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Wife Sophie
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, while touring Sarajevo in the Austrian province of Bosnia. The reactions of different countries tied in alliances to this set off World War I. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
On July 5, Germany agreed to support Austria-Hungary no matter what if they were to go to war with Serbia to punish them for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, even if Serbia's ally Russia got involved. This helped to give Austria-Hungary the confidence to go into war and also helped to pull other nations with alliances into the dispute, turning it into a World War instead of a local conflict. -
World War I Begins
World War I began with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 because Serbia did not act on an ultimatum set in response to the assassinations. Germany, Austria-Hungary's ally, declared war on Russia, Serbia's ally, on August 1 in response to Russian mobilization. They then attacked France, Russia's ally, by way of Belgium. Great Britain had pledged to protect Belgium's neutrality, so they declared war on Germany on August 4. The declarations of war set World War I in motion. -
Alliances
There were many alliances that turned WWI into a world war. One of them, the alliance between Britain and Belgium, drew Britain into the war when Belgium was invaded by German troops trying to get to France on August 4, 1914. The alliance, in which Britain pledged to protect Belgium, was first made in the Treaty of London of 1839. Britain was a major trade partner with the US, and continuing to trade with Britain as they entered the war caused US ships to begin to go awry of German U-Boats. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
At 2:10 in the afternoon, German U-boats fired torpedoes and sank the Lusitania, which had been secretly transporting war supplies to Great Britain. However, it was also a passenger ship, and its sinking killed 1,119 people including 114 Americans. In response, the US government pressured Germany to stop its unrestricted submarine warfare policy. This event began to turn Americans against Germany, although more would have to happen before the Americans entered the war on the side of the Allies. -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
On February 1, 1917, Germany resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare which it had suspended due to US pressure after the sinking of the Lusitania. They hoped it would let them win the war within the next year. As a result, US stopped diplomacy with Germany in response, and Congress began to prepare the US for war. As Germany sunk American ships under the policy and the Zimmerman telegram surfaced, the US was ready to declare war against Germany. -
Zimmerman Telegram
On February 24, 1917, British intelligence passed on a telegram that was originally sent to Germany to Mexico to President Woodrow Wilson. The Zimmerman Telegram said that if Mexico joined the war and attacked the United States, Germany would help them gain US territory. The telegram outraged US citizens, and on April 6th of the same year, the United States declared was on Germany. It caused the US to enter the war, which had major repercussions on it. -
US Entry into the War and Her Impact on It
On April 6, 1917, the US declared war on Germany in response to the sinking of neutral American ships and the Zimmerman Telegram. As the US entered the war, they brought fresh troops to the front lines, which countered German troops coming in from Russia, who had stopped fighting. Overall, the US helped the Allies to win WWI with its supply of fresh troops and economic support. When the war ended, President Wilson helped to negotiate a peace, which led to the formation of the League of Nations. -
Effects of World War I
The fighting in WWI ended with the armistice in 1918. Altogether, 8,528,831 men from many countries had died fighting, with 116,516 American soldiers dying, of which 53,402 died in battle. Several new countries were formed in its wake: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. In addition, disillusionment spread as people lost faith in the government leaders who had led them to war, which had cost them high casualties without much reward. -
Nationalism
Nationalism remained strong after WWI, although in some instances it went to extreme terms. In Italy, the Fascist Party was founded on 23 March, 1919 by Mussolini. It supported extreme Italian nationalism, with an emphasis in military matters, which helped to win it some support among the Italians. Mussolini was able to become a dictator of Italy in a few years, and he eventually allied with Hitler at the outbreak of WWII. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28 in 1919, was the peace treaty that officially named the terms of peace after World War I. It was harsh on Germany, and they were forced to give up territory, admit guilt for the war, and pay reparations among other things. It made the Germans angry at other countries for forcing them into a humiliating situation and devastating their economy because of reparations. Their anger ended up helping to fuel Hitler's rise and in the end begin World War II. -
The Dawes and Young Plans
On August 16, 1924, the Dawes Plan, made by a group of people led by US banker Charles Dawes, was ratified. It curved repayments to make them less harsh on Germany's economy, changed their national currency, and loaned them money to help their economy. The Young Plan, made by a group led by the American Owen Young to reorganize payments, was approved on June 1, 1929, and became effective on September 1, 1930. These plans helped Germany's economy but eventually failed due to the Great Depression. -
Great Depression
Several things caused the Great Depression. The middle class of America could only spend so much on products and had reached their limit. Countries in Europe could not keep paying back war debts, which meant less money flowed into the US. Also, the stock market was bubbling as a result of policies that made it easy to buy stock, as long as the prices continued to go up. Finally, on October 29 after much decrease, the stock marked crashed and the Great Depression began, hurting the entire world. -
The Rise of Hitler
Hitler became chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. He was a part of the Nazi Party, which had risen to power as a result of the Great Depression devastating the German economy. Hitler and the Nazi party promised change and to bring back German glory, so they were elected to a majority in the German parliament. As a result of inter-party negotiations, Hitler was named chancellor of Germany, and he went on to seize more power from there, leading down the path to World War II. -
Militarism
In the wake of WWI, militarism continued to be an influence. On March 16, 1935, Germany under the rule of the Nazi Party began military conscription despite being forbidden to by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler declared at the same time the the army's size would increase to half a million men. Militarism was coming back, and armies would be built again like they had before WWI, further leading to the inevitability of WWII. -
Imperialism
Imperialism continued to shape the world after WWI. On October 3, 1935, Italy under the fascist rule of Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in an act of imperialism, and took it over before the following year was halfway over. This event showed the flaws of the League of Nations, for although they officially condemned the war, they could not take effective actions to stop Mussolini. The failure of the League of Nations to be effective helped to lead down the path to WWII.
