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The Assignation of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. They were shot to death by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian student and member of the Serbian secret society "Black Hand". The US bears no consequence from this event other than to take notice of the conflict that is present due to the rise of Capitalism. -
The breaking of the Treaty of London
The United Kingdom declaration of war upon Germany occurred on 4 August 1914. The declaration was a result of German refusal to remove troops from neutral Belgium. President Woodrow Wilson declared Neutrality with the intent to maintain Commerce in the Territories affected by the conflict. -
The Lusitania Disaster
The German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. 123 Americans died and the US took notice that the War directly affected American Citizens abroad. -
Woodrow Wilson is elected to a second term
Woodrow Wilson barley wins the Presidency showing the division of the Country in regard to US involvement in the War. The 1916 Presidential election was viewed as a reflection of the US position to stay Neutral in the conflict. -
U.S. Entry into World War I
President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson cited Germany’s violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States -
The US goes to War
the United States declared war on the German Empire, joining France, Great Britain, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Italy. They were arrayed against Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Americans started to change their opinion on the war after the Zimmerman Telegram stating that the Germans would give parts of the US to Mexico if they aligned with the Axis powers. -
US Troops land in France
First US troops arrive in France. The first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France at the port of Saint Nazaire. The entrance of America’s well-supplied forces into the conflict was a major turning point in the war. -
The Sedition Act
The Sedition Act covered a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. This destroyed trust within the US and caused thousands to be convicted and deported. -
Armistice on the Western Front.
After more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. The Germans contacted President Wilson directly to surrender. -
The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I
The treaty required Germany to disarm, make territorial concessions, extradite alleged war criminals, agree to Kaiser Wilhelm being put on trial, recognize the independence of states whose territory had previously been part of the German Empire, and pay reparations to the Entente powers. Wilson's 14 point for peace was a determining factor in the terms.