prep for IB History exam. Move to Global War. Authoritarian Regimes. European 20th Century.
| Front | Timeline: WWI |
| Back | 1914: The outbreak of war June 28: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb nationalist triggers diplomatic crises.July 28: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, marking the start of WWI.August 1–4: Germany declares war on Russia and France. Britain declares war on Germany after its invasion of Belgium.August 23: Japan declares war on Germany and seizes German territories in Asia and the Pacific.September 5–12: The First Battle of the Marne stops the German advance, leading to static trench warfare on the Western Front.November 5: The Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers. 1915: Stalemate and new fronts April 22: Germany uses chlorine gas at the Second Battle of Ypres.April 25: Allied forces begin the costly Gallipoli Campaign against the Ottoman Empire.May 7: A German U-boat sinks the Lusitania, increasing anti-German sentiment in the U.S..May 23: Italy joins the Allies and opens a front against Austria-Hungary.October: Bulgaria joins the Central Powers and overruns Serbia. 1916: Massive battles and attrition February 21: The Battle of Verdun begins, resulting in over 700,000 casualties over 10 months.May 31: The Battle of Jutland, a large naval battle, ends inconclusively.July 1: The Battle of the Somme begins, with nearly 20,000 British soldiers killed on the first day. 1917: Shifting alliances and revolutions March 15: Tsar Nicholas II abdicates, and the Russian Revolution begins.April 6: The U.S. declares war on Germany due to unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram.November 7: The Bolsheviks overthrow the Russian Provisional Government.December 15: Russia signs an armistice with the Central Powers, withdrawing from the war. 1918: The final yearMarch 3: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk formalizes Russia's withdrawal.March 21: Germany's Spring Offensive on the Western Front fails.July 15: The Second Battle of the Marne leads to the Allied counter-offensive.September 29: Bulgaria signs an armistice.October 30: The Ottoman Empire signs an armistice.November 3: Austria-Hungary signs an armistice.November 9: Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates.November 11: The Armistice of Compiègne ends fighting on the Western Front. 1919: The peace settlementJune 28: The Treaty of Versailles is signed, officially ending WWI and imposing penalties on Germany. |
| Front | Timeline: Mussolini's Rise |
| Back | Pre-war years1901–1914: Mussolini begins his career as a socialist journalist, becoming a prominent member of the Italian Socialist Party and editor of its newspaper, Avanti!.1914: After supporting military intervention in World War I, Mussolini is expelled from the Socialist Party, and his political views shift towards fervent nationalism. Rise of fascism1919: Following Italy's disappointment with the Treaty of Versailles ("mutilated victory"), Mussolini forms the Fasci di Combattimento ("Italian Fasces of Combat"), a paramilitary movement composed mainly of disgruntled war veterans.1920–1921: The movement, now known as the "Blackshirts" (squadristi), uses systematic violence and intimidation against political rivals, particularly socialists and trade unionists. Local authorities largely ignore or tolerate the violence.1921: The Fasci di Combattimento is formalized into the National Fascist Party (PNF). Mussolini wins a seat in parliament for the first time.1922 (October): Facing growing political and economic unrest, the PNF organizes the "March on Rome," a demonstration of force. King Victor Emmanuel III, fearing civil war and lacking confidence in the current government's ability to restore order, refuses to sign a declaration of martial law. He instead appoints Mussolini as Prime Minister. Consolidation of dictatorship1924 (April): An election, held after the passage of the Acerbo Law (which gave two-thirds of seats to the party with the most votes), returns a large Fascist majority amidst intimidation and violence.1924 (June): Socialist politician Giacomo Matteotti is kidnapped and murdered by Fascist thugs after publicly denouncing Fascist electoral fraud. The murder provokes a national scandal, but Mussolini is not removed from power.1925 (January): Mussolini delivers a fiery speech to parliament, taking personal responsibility for the murder. The speech is a key turning point, marking the end of democratic pretense and the beginning of outright dictatorship.1925–1926: The Fascist regime passes the Leggi Fascistissime ("most Fascist laws"), which abolish all opposition parties and unions, grant Mussolini unprecedented powers, and dismantle local democracy.1927: The secret police, OVRA, is established to monitor and suppress political opposition.1929: Mussolini signs the Lateran Treaty with the Vatican, which grants the Catholic Church special status and further bolsters his image. End of Mussolini's rule1943: After a series of military setbacks, including the Allied invasion of Sicily, Mussolini is arrested and removed from power by order of the king. |
| Front | Timeline: Germany (1900-1960) |
| Back | The German Empire (1871–1918)1900–1914: Germany is a rapidly industrializing monarchy ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The country's expanding economy and military create rivalries with Great Britain and France.1905: The First Moroccan Crisis, initiated by Germany to challenge French influence, ends in diplomatic defeat for the Germans, solidifying the Anglo-French Entente.1911: The Second Moroccan Crisis over Germany's gunboat diplomacy in Agadir once again fails to break the Entente, increasing international tensions.1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated. Germany's backing of Austria-Hungary, along with a complex web of alliances, triggers the outbreak of World War I.1918: The German Spring Offensive fails. In October, the Kaiser abdicates as the November Revolution begins, and an armistice is signed on November 11. The Weimar Republic (1918–1933)1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed, imposing harsh reparations and territorial losses on Germany. The Weimar Constitution is adopted, establishing a democratic republic.1923: The Ruhr is occupied by French and Belgian troops in response to Germany defaulting on reparations, which triggers hyperinflation. Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich signals the rise of radical right-wing nationalism.1925: The Locarno Treaties, negotiated by Gustav Stresemann, normalize Germany's relations with Western powers.1926: Germany joins the League of Nations as a permanent member of the council.1929: Stresemann dies, and the Great Depression hits Germany, causing massive unemployment and creating an environment ripe for extremism.1933: Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg on January 30, marking the end of the Weimar Republic. The Third Reich (1933–1945)1933: The Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act grant Hitler dictatorial powers. The first concentration camp at Dachau is established.1934: Hjalmar Schacht's "New Plan" focuses on trade controls and public works projects like the Autobahn to reduce unemployment.1935: The Nuremberg Laws codify antisemitic policies and strip Jews of their citizenship.1938: Germany annexes Austria (Anschluss). The anti-Jewish pogrom of Kristallnacht is perpetrated throughout Germany and Austria.1939: Germany invades Poland on September 1, initiating World War II.1941: Germany invades the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.1942: The Wannsee Conference formalizes the "Final Solution," the plan for the systematic genocide of Jews.1944: A military resistance group fails to assassinate Hitler in the July 20 Plot (Operation Valkyrie).1945: The Soviet Red Army takes Berlin, Hitler commits suicide, and Germany surrenders in May. World War II ends in Europe. Post-war Germany (1945–1960)1945: Germany is divided into four zones of occupation controlled by the US, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. The Potsdam Conference establishes the basis for occupation and denazification.1946: The Nuremberg Trials of major Nazi war criminals begin.1948: The Soviets impose the Berlin Blockade, which is countered by the Allied Berlin Airlift.1949: The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) is founded, followed by the establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany).1953: The June 17 uprising in East Germany is brutally suppressed by Soviet troops.1955: West Germany joins NATO.1957: The Saarland, which had been under French control, is reintegrated into West Germany.1958: West Germany becomes a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European Union. |