Chronology Of World War 1
PRELUDE TO WAR
1870
July 19-Franco-Prussian War begins
Sept. 2-French surrender at Sedan
Oct. 27-French surrender at Metz.
1871
Jan. 18-William I is proclaimed German emperor.
May 10-Treaty of Frankfurt; French lose Alsace and part of Lorraine;
vow war of revenge.
1878
July 13-Treaty of Berlin; Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro
become independent, and Bulgaria partly independent; Russia acquires
Bessarabia, Batumi, Kars, and Ardahan, and Rumania Dobruja; Bosnia and
Hercegovina are placed under Austrian administration.
1879
Oct 7-Austro-German alliance is formed
1881
June 18-Three Emperors' League (Germany, AustriaHungary, Russia) is
formed; lasts until 1887.
1882
May 20-Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy form Triple Affiance.
1883
Feb. 4-German colonial expansion begins with note to Great Britain on
South West Africa.
1887
June 18-Reinsurance Treaty between Russia and Germany replaces Three
Emperors' League; lasts until 1890.
1890
July 1-Great Britain cedes Helgoland to Germany.
1894
Jan. 4-Franco-Russian affiance is completed. Aug. 1-Sino-Japanese War
begins.
1895
April 17-Treaty of Shimonoseki ends Sino-Japanese War after Chinese
defeat.
May 8-Cession of Liaotung Peninsula to Japan is reversed in final Treaty
of Shimonoseki as a result of intervention of the powers, particularly
Germany, who arouses Japanese emnity.
1899
May 18-First Hague Conference opens; ends July 29.
Oct. 11-South African (Boer) War begins; there is an outbreak of German
Anglophobia.
1900
June 12-German Reichstag passes bill to double fleet. 1902
Jan. 30-Anglo-Japanese alliance is formed.
May 31-South African War ends with Boer defeat. Nov. 1-Italy and France
secretly agree that the former will remain neutral if the latter goes
to war with Germany as a result of -a German attack on Russia.
1904
Feb. 8-Russo-Japanese War begins.
April 8-Entente Cordiale is concluded by Great Britain and France.
1905
Schlieffen Plan is formulated for war against France.
March 22-Emperor William II states at Bremen: "God has called us
to civilize the world; we are the missionaries of human progress. .
. [We are] the salt of the earth."
March 31-Visit of William II to Tangier precipitates Moroccan crisis.
June 6-German pressure forces removal of French foreign minister, Theophile
Delcasse.
Sept. 5-Treaty of Portsmouth ends Russo-Japanese War. 1906
Jan. 16-Algeciras Conference on Morocco opens; ends
April 7 with an agreement favoring French position, which was supported
by Great Britain.
1907
June 15-Second Hague Conference opens; ends Oct. 18.
Aug. 31-Anglo-Russian agreement completes Triple Entente.
1908
Oct. 5-Bulgaria becomes independent.
Oct. 6-Austria-Hungary proclaims annexation of Bosnia and Hercegovina.
European crisis ensues; ends March 1909.
1909
August- German Chancellor Theobald von BethmannHollweg makes overtures
to secure British neutrality in the event of a Continental war.
Oct. 24- Italy and Russia conclude a secret agreement on Balkans and
other areas.
1911
July 1-German gunboat at Agadir provokes a new Moroccan crisis.
July 15-Germany demands territorial compensation from France, including
all of French Equatorial Africa and French preemptive rights to Belgian
Congo.
July 21-A speech by David Lloyd George in London serves as a warning
to Germany.
Nov. 4-France cedes two strips of French Equatorial Africa to Germany
in return for recognition of its protectorate in Morocco.
1912
March- Germany endeavors to obtain an unconditional pledge of neutrality
from Great Britain during any war into which Germany "might be
forced." British offer a naval holiday, but a new bill is published
that increases the Germany Navy.
May-June- Italy occupies the Dodecanese.
Oct. 8-First Balkan War begins.
1913
May 30-Treaty of London ends First Balkan War; Turkey cedes territory.
June 1-Greece agrees by treaty to send troops to Serbia if the latter
is attacked by Bulgaria.
June 29-Second Balkan War begins; ends Aug. 10 with Treaty of Bucharest;
Rumania gains territory at expense of Bulgaria.
Aug. 7-Three-year military service bill is enacted in France.
Dec. 14-Gen. Otto Liman von Sanders arrives in Turkey as head of German
military mission.
1914
June 28-Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife are
assassinated by a Serb at Sarajevo, Bosnia.
July 5-William II assures Austria-Hungary that he will support her and
wage war against Russia and France if Russia aids Serbia.
July 7-Austro-Hungarian Council of Ministers decides to send Serbia
a 48-hour ultimatum.
July 20-French President Raymond Poincare and Premier Rene Viviani arrive
in St. Petersburg; state visit ends July 23.
July 22-Germany warns Great Britain against outside
interference between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
July 23-Austria-Hungary sends its ultimatum to Serbia.
July 25-Conciliatory Serbian reply is rejected; Austria-Hungary breaks
off relations with Serbia and orders partial mobilization.
July 26-British propose a conference; proposal is rejected by Germany
July 27.
July 28-Austria-Hungary and Serbia are at war.
July 29-Russia begins to mobilize.
July 31-Russia orders general mobilization; Germany proclaims state
of the danger of war; Austria-Hungary orders general mobilization.
Aug. 1-Germany mobilizes.
Aug. 2-Germany sends ultimatum to Belgium; secret treaty between Germany
and Turkey provides for subsequent entry of latter on side of Central
Powers.
Aug. 3-Italy proclaims neutrality.
Aug. 4-Great Britain sends ultimatum to Germany.
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