TIMELINE

1912    First Balkan War

1913    Second Balkan War

1914    Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated by Serbian nationalist

1914    Germany invades Belgium - England declares war on Germany over Belgium invasion

1915    Italy joins war on side of Entente Powers

1917    Tsar overthrown (March)

1917    US declares war on Germany (April 6)

1917    Russia withdraws from war

1918    Russia signs treaty of Brest-Litovsk

1919    Germany signs treaty of Versailles (June 28)

I. Underlying Causes of the War

Political – alliance system weakens power of Congress of Vienna, Germany upsets balance of power

Attitudes – militarism, Pan-Slavism, expansion (imperialism)

Sigmund Freud

Claude Monet

II. Who fights on which side?

Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

Entente Powers - Russia, England, France

III. New Tactics and weapons

Aerial Superiority

Naval Superiority

Encouraging Nationalism

IV. Events leading to the Great War

Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated June 28, 1914

The Domino Effect

Russia and Germany mobilize

planning for two front war

German invasion of Belgium used by Britain as excuse to join war

V. End of the War

1917   Russia withdraws from war because of two different revolutions

1917   United States declares war on Germany

1918   Germans launch offensive with troops from eastern front

VI. The Versailles Treaty

Wilson and his Fourteen points, “peace without victors”

League of Nations

Long term effects

France has short term protection but loses allies for long term defense

dissolution of Austria Hungary into nationalist groups

Turkey and Russia lose lands

German war debt and blame for war cause rancor and fuel desire to strike back

lays groundwork for World War II

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