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Germany gives Austria blank check
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged his country’s loyal support to whichever action Austria-Hungry takes in its conflict with Serbia. The "blank check" or Kaisers pledge, was considered a movement towards the outbreak of the very first World War 1. Without the support from Germany it could have stayed local but instead threatened to become a general European war. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Mutual defense alliances were a cause for World War 1. A month to the day after a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Austria-Hungary decides to declare war on Serbia, beginning the First World War. You can see a Serbian-Russian alliance in this event, when Russia steps in to defend Serbia. -
Britain enters WW1
Britain entered WW1 in honor of their treaty with Belgium and their promise to protect it. The Germans had attacked Liege, Belgium and then went on to attack France. Britain stepped in just days after Germany had came into Belgium. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
Not more then a year after World War 1 had spread across Europe, a German boat torpedoed the RMS Lusitania, sinking it. The ship was on route from New York to Liverpool, England, and carried more then 1,900 passengers. This upset Americans greatly and played a role in turning the public against Germany, not only in America but abroad as well. This event only inched Americans closer to entering the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram gets deciphered by British cryptographers
In January of 1917, a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann which was sent to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, was deciphered by British cryptographers. It was offering United States territory to Mexico if they agreed to join the German cause. This message had such an impact on the United States, causing them only to be upset at the secret message, and further drawing them into World War 1. -
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare
Germany announced the renewal of unlimited submarine warfare in the Atlantic, preparing to attack all ships even if they carry civilians, in "war zone" waters. This caused many ships, including the American ships "Housatonic" and "Lusitania" to be sunk. Germany's submarine warfare had a huge impact on America entering WW1, due to the many loss ships and civilians, and it finally put the U.S. over the edge and into the war. -
United States entry into WW1
America joined WW1 two and a half years after it had begun. The two main reasons America joined was the unrestricted German submarine attacks on the U.S, and the telegram British cryptographers picked up and deciphered which showed Germany hoping and trying for an alliance with Mexico. American entry was very effective and beforehand the war seemed neutral, but after the U.S. joined it seemed to lean towards a victory for them and their allies. American war production was strong and helpful. -
Hitler hears of the war ending
After being blinded by a British chlorine gas attack near Ypes during his participation in the war, Hitler laid in a hospital bed as he was told about the war ending. He grew hatred for the people responsible for "this deed" and described his reaction in "Mein Kampf". He didn't have any military in mind though, just the politics back home and specifically the Jews. These feelings of anger soon were shown through Hitlers actions when he rose to power in 1933. -
End of WW1
By the end of WW1 there had been a total number of at least 38 million military and civilian casualties. There were over 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. At the end, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles created nine new nations: Finland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania. WW1 caused the U.S. to crave a peaceful pursuit and made them less interested in the progressive reform movement. -
The 19th Amendment was passed
The 19th Amendment was passed, giving any gender the right to vote. This was a positive effect from WW1 on America and in establishing the country as a whole. The next year in 1920, the Women's suffrage clause was ratified, and gave the women a right to vote. -
The Treaty of Versailles signed
The Treaty of Versailles was an important peace treaty that helped bring WW1 to an end. It ended the state of war between Germany and Allied powers. The treaty established guidelines for continued peace, and put strict treaty obligations on Germany in hopes of preventing any further war. It also assigned the country liability for damage done during the war. It even forced Germany to take responsibility for starting World War 1. This treaty helped officiate the end of the war and bring peace. -
The Great Depression
The stock market crash of 1929 was just the beginning of the Great Depression. This crash was caused due to consumer spending dropping, and unsold goods piling up and slowing down production completely. By the year 1933, almost half of America's banks failed, and unemployment was reaching 15 million people, or 30 percent of the workforce. -
Young plan went into affect
After being revised in 1929, the Young plan went into affect in 1930. This plan was a program used for settling German reparations debts after World War I. In an attempt to solve the World War I reparations problem, the Dawes plan was created. After being devised, it established payments and arranged a loan of 800 million marks by US banks to stabilize the German currency. Although the plans were used to help Germany, it was clear they wouldn't willingly make the payments over a period of time.
