WWI

1.    World War I began on June 28, 1914 after a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia, which began the war. The war was fought between the Central Powers of Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria-Hungary, and the Allied Powers of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, and three years later, the United States.

2.     The US entered the war in February of 1917 due to German submarine aggression in the Atlantic. After the sinking of the British ship Lusitania in May of 1915, American public opinion turned against Germany. Congress passed an appropriation to prepare for the war and following, Germany sunk four more US merchant ships on their way to Britain.

3.     The war ended because central powers began losing battles on the two fronts. Ottoman land was destroyed by war and they were forced to sign an armistice in October 1918. In 1918, Austrian-Hungary signed an armistice on November 4 because of growing national movements within the border of their land. Following, Germany signed an armistice on November 11, which ended the war. The German ceased supporting the war and the loss of all allies left German with no choice but to give up and lose.

4.     Following signed armistices, the Versailles Treaty was what officially ended the war on June 28, 1919, under terms that Germany give back all lands it took from Russia and the land they divided up including France, Belgium, Poland, Denmark and Czechoslovakia. Germany had to take full responsibility for the war and had to pay tons of money to their former allies. Woodrow Wilson negotiated the treaty and the League of Nations was to be formed with all allies, except Germany. The US did not join the league of nations because it would result in giving up a considerable amount of power that they did not want to lose.

5. Because of the way Germany was treated in the Versailles treaty, at the ceasing of WWI, led to hatred and problems with Germany that would lead to creating the second world war.