WWI Key Battles, Treaties, and European Political Changes

France (Western Europe)

Served as the main battlefield for the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) and site of major U.S. military action during WWI.

Château-Thierry (Northern France)

May 1918 battle where U.S. troops helped stop the German advance toward Paris.

Second Battle of the Marne (Northeastern France)

July 1918 Allied victory that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allies.

St. Mihiel Offensive (Northeastern France)

September 1918; first major offensive led entirely by American forces.

Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Northeastern France)

September-November 1918; largest and bloodiest American operation involving 1.2 million U.S. soldiers.

Paris Peace Conference (Northern France)

1919 meeting where Allied leaders negotiated terms to end WWI.

Treaty of Versailles (Northern France)

June 1919 treaty that officially ended WWI and created the League of Nations.

Belgium (Northwestern Europe)

Neutral country invaded by Germany in 1914, sparking international outrage and helping cause WWI.

Germany (Central Europe)

Central Power that fought against the Allies and lost 1.8 million soldiers.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (Germany, Coastal Regions)

German policy of sinking ships without warning, including those with Americans aboard.

German Armistice (Germany)

Signed November 11, 1918; officially ended fighting on the Western Front.

Austria-Hungary (Central/Eastern Europe)

Central Power allied with Germany; lost 400,000 soldiers and collapsed into separate nations after WWI.

Great Britain (Northwestern Europe, British Isles)

Major Allied nation that lost 765,000 men and maintained a naval blockade of Germany.

British Blockade (North Sea, Northern Europe)

Blocked Germany's trade routes and weakened its war effort.

Lusitania (Off southern coast of Ireland, Northwestern Europe)

British passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat in 1915, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans.

U.S. Financial Involvement (Great Britain, Northwestern Europe)

Britain's blockade forced the U.S. to extend credit, linking U.S. finances to the Allied cause.

Ireland / Atlantic Ocean (Northwestern Europe)

Site where the Lusitania was torpedoed on May 7, 1915, intensifying American calls for war.

Russia (Eastern Europe/Northern Asia)

Lost 1.7 million soldiers; withdrew from WWI after internal revolution.

Bolshevik Revolution (Russia, Western Russia)

1917 uprising that overthrew the czar and led to Russia's exit from the war.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Western Russia / Eastern Europe)

1918 peace treaty between Russia and Germany, freeing German troops for the Western Front.

European Suffrage Movements (Various, Europe-wide)

After WWI, women gained the right to vote in many nations including Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Russia, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain.