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Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance that promised they would give each other military support in case of war. The Triple Alliance were the central powers in World War I. This was the opposing force of the Triple Entente, or the allies. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/causes1_01.shtml and Note Packet pg 2). -
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's war strategy created by Alfred von Schlieffen at the request of Kaiser Wilhelm II.The plan was to invade Belgium and get to Paris before the English cross the Channel. Then they would move to the Eastern Front and fight the Russians. This was one of the causes that helped bring Germany into the war. (Note Packet pg 2) -
Blank Check
Kaiser William II of Germany gave the blank check to Austria. This means that Austria now relies on full German support. Since Austria invaded Serbia, Germany is forced to declare war on all of its allies. -
Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was fought between the Germans and the Russians. It resulted in the complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and caused the suicide of the commanding general. The Germans only suffered 12,000 casualties of the 150,000 soldiers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg). -
The First Battle of Marne
The battle of Marne was fought between Germany and the allies of France and Britain. General Helmuth von Moltke led 1,400,000 German soldiers. While the Germans were advancing, their armies grew a large gap, which their allies took advantage of. The charged between the two armies splitting the German forces, and attacked from all sides. Around 220,00 Germans were killed. Around 220,000 Germans were injured or killed.
http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/first_battle_of_the_marne.php -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was fought between Germany and France. By the time French reinforcements arrived on Feb. 25, the German army had seized Fort Douaumont. Germany continued to advance through the area, making further gains. The allied forces began their offensive and as a result, the German army no longer had the resources to commit to both fronts, forcing them to retreat. Around 430,000 men were lost on each side, making it one of WWI's most costly battles (https://www.reference.com/history). -
Battle of Somme
The battle of Somme was fought between the Allies (British and French) and the German Empire. Thousands of British soldiers got out of their trenches and began to advance to the German lines. They were gunned down by the Germans, and they suffered around 60,000 casualties including 20,000 on the first day of battle. The Allies continued to attack and the Germans soon lost 50,000 casualties (http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/battle_of_the_somme.php). -
Treaty of Brest- Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest- Litovsk was signed between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russia's participation in World War I. It was forced on the Bolshevik government by the threat of further advances by German and Austrian forces. In the treaty, Bolshevik Russia ceded the Baltic States to Germany (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Brest-Litovsk). -
Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson created a peace proposal, the Fourteen Points, to show how he wanted every nation to be in peace and happiness. He didn't want the blame for the entire war to be on Germany. Without this the Belgian territories would not have been restored in Germany. It also ensured that there would be no secret alliances between countries, freedom of the seas in peace and war, and reduced trade barriers between nations (https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/b and Note Packet pg 8). -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to take full responsibility for the war. The German's had to pay $33 billion in reparations. It also limited the German Army to 100,000 people, which made them much weaker than the rest. Germany lost a lot of territory but not as much as the Russians (Note Packet pg 8).
