World War I Timeline

Germany and Austria concluded the "Alliance Treaty," which had a clear anti-Russian character.

The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria, and Italy was officially established, with Germany becoming the core.

France, the United Kingdom, and Russia
formed the Triple Entente.

Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The First Balkan War was a war of national liberation.

The Second Balkan War.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian youth named Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This event was the catalyst for World War I.

The German army invaded France, advancing towards Paris; the Russian army attacked East Prussia, and the German army began to be forced into a two-front war.

The Battle of the Marne. The largest battle of World War I, it marked the bankruptcy of the German policy of "quick victory." By the end of 1914, the Western Front had entered a stalemate phase.

The German-Austrian offensive focused on the Eastern Front, aiming to crush Russia in one fell swoop and end the battle, but the plan failed. In 1916, the focus of the war shifted back to the Western Front, and the strategic initiative of the great battle gradually turned to the side of the Allies.

Germany launched the Battle of Verdun. The French army resisted fiercely and then counterattacked, recapturing most of the lost territory.
The Battle of Verdun was a decisive battle in the Great War, where the French army gained a foothold and the German forces began to decline in strength and morale.
In the same month, Germany declared the implementation of "unrestricted submarine warfare".

The Anglo-French forces launched the Battle of the Somme to tie down the German army and support Verdun, which was the largest battle of World War I. It was also the first time the British used tanks. It was a massive消耗战, but still, no decisive victory was achieved.

The largest naval engagement between the British and German fleets—the Battle of Jutland.

The United States joined the Allied Powers in fighting against Germany. The economic and military strength of the Allied Powers significantly increased.

The Beiyang Government of China declared war on the Allied Powers.

The October Revolution broke out in Russia. A treaty was concluded without ceding territory or paying indemnities.

The Soviet Union and the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, withdrawing from the imperialist war.

The Allied forces launched the first large-scale counteroffensive in the late stages of the war on the Western Front, advancing the front line to the Marne River.

The Allied forces broke through Germany's "Hindenburg Line."

German sailors at the port of Kiel launched a mutiny.

The November Revolution led to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

A train carriage in the outskirts of Paris signed the armistice, ending World War I.

The Paris Peace Conference officially opened in the Palace of Versailles.