WWI, Russian Revolutions

Battle of the Somme

July-November 1916

deadliest battle (1 million deaths)

inconclusive

Battle of Verdun

February-December 1916

longest battle in the war

Germans planned to cut off transportation to the city

Very heavily defended by France

France pushed out the offense

Sinking of the Lusitania

May 7, 1916

Germans torpedoed an American passenger ship

Changed American opinion on Germans

Battle of Jutland

May-June 1916

Only naval battle

Germany lost

Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

June 28, 1914

Serbian terrorists killed heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne

Caused Austro-Hungary to invade Serbia and start the war

Zimmerman Telegram

Jan 17, 1917

Germany sent a telegram to Mexico asking them to attack USA to keep them out of the war

Mexico refused, America found out and joined WWI

Battle of Gallipoli

Feb 1915-Jan 1916

Allies tried to take the Turkish strait from the Ottoman empire

Allies retreated after a year of no progress

Battle of the Marne

Sep 1914

Part of the Shlieffen Plan

France and England on defense, pushed Germany back to the Asine river

Caused the first trench battle

if Germany had won this battle, WWI would have been over quickly

Battle of Tannenberg

August 1914

Eastern Front

Germany vs Russia

Russia lost badly and showed that there was no need for the Shlieffen plan

Armistice

Nov 11, 1918

Treaty to end WWI

Stopped fighting and released war prisoners

Treaty of  Brest-Litovsk

March 3, 1918

Treaty between Russia and Central powers

Made Russia lose a bunch of land

Causes of WWI

Militarism: Countries competed to build the best militaries and wanted a return

Imperialism: Empires had advantages and other countries felt cheated

Social Darwinism: People wanted to prove their superiority to other countries

Nationalism: Opportunity to start new countries

Rasputin

became popular in Russian court by helping the Czars son not die

Became the main advisor

1st Russian Revolution (1917)

Czar Nicholas abdicated because everyone hated him

Dumas (Alexander Kerensky) ruled Russia

Didn’t pull out of WWI

2nd Russian Revolution (1918)

Lenin encouraged peasants(Reds) to kill their nobles(Whites)

first successful communist revolution

American soldiers sent to fight the Whites (briefly)

Lenin dies and Stalin became ruler

Whole Czar family murdered

communism

process of overthrowing the government (to achieve socialism)

Vladimir Lenin

Joseph Stalin

“Communist“ ruler

takes everyone’s rights

NEP

Lenin’s New Economic Plan to turn capitalism into socialism