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Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne in the early 20th century. Tension arose when Austria-Hungary annexed a predominantly Slavic territory called Bosnia-Herzegovina, against their and the Serbians' wishes to establish a unified Slavic state. Upon learning of the Archduke's upcoming visit to Bosnia, a revolutionary Slavic group comprised of students Gavrilo Princip, Trifko Grabez and Nedeljko Cabrinovic plotted his assassination. The Black Hand, a terrorist group associated with the Serbian army, armed the boys with a large quantity of arsenal to fulfil their mission. Cabrinovic failed to assassinate Ferdinand in a motorcade in Bosnia, though Princip, who happened to be on the same street as the Archduke, later succeeded, killing him and his wife.

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Trench warfare was a military tactic that grew popular throughout the Western Front; areas in northern France and Belgium, during World War 1. Trenches were a system of tunnels that allowed soldiers to avoid the line of fire during attack. The area above the trenches was called "No Man's Land" and was often flooded simultaneously by soldiers as an extension to the tactic. This was typically unsuccessful and resulted in many casualties. Conditions in the trenches were unfavorable, especially since troops were expected to reside there for weeks and months on end. They were unhygienic, infested with rodents and disease, damp, and extremely cramped. If soldiers didn't die from trench foot or fever, they most certainly suffered from PTSD or 'shell shock' in the aftermath.

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The Battle of the Marne was fought by Germany and French and British allies to prevent German advances into Paris. General Joseph Joffre of France and Sir John French of Britain united to counterattack the Germans. They managed to split the German army upon their advance and surround them from all sides. The Germans were forced to retreat to Aisne River where they built trenches and warded off the Allies for four years. Though both sides suffered major casualties, the Marne was considered a victory for the Allies as the Germans had to fight the French, British, and later, the Russians.

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In 1906, the construction of a British luxury cruise, the Lusitania, was completed. It was intended to carry passengers along Transatlantic trips. It was known that the ship would be used for military service if war broke out. In 1914, the British and the French fought against the Germans who tried to intercept war goods by gaining control of shipping lanes with their navy. The Germans soon began using submarines and declared British waters a war zone. As the Lusitania departed New York for Liverpool in 1915, a German submarine spotted the ship and fired torpedoes. 1,198 people were killed, and the U.S. soon joined the war effort against Germany.

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The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest World War I battles. It was fought between the British and the French on one side, and the German's on the other. Both sides were involved in trench warfare for years since the first Battle of the Marne to no avail. To break the stalemate, the allies plotted to launch a major attack. This didn't entirely work in their favor, though, as German's attacked the French at the Battle of Verdun. The allies countered by bombarding the Germans for over a week straight. They refused to understand that this did not work, and as they were ordered to advance, the Germans had an easy advantage over them, killing nearly 20,000 on the first day. The battle continued until November 18, 1916 with over 1,000,000 total casualties.

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Verdun was of symbolic and militaristic significance to the French. In an effort to weaken the French army, The Germans, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, aimed for Verdun. They bombarded Verdun for days on end and captured key forts with little resistance from the French. Later, the French counterattacked, and the battle continued in a cycle of bombardments and opposition from both ends. They had reached a stalemate when both suffered major losses and the landscape turned barren and unideal for battle. In July, the British launched the Somme offensive to divert Germany from Verdun. By December 18 of that year, the French had suffered nearly 400,000 casualties, but regained most of the territory lost during the battle.

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Sent on January 17, 1917, Published in America on March 1, 1917

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While the United States had remained neutral for years since the beginning of World War I, the Zimmerman telegram sparked its involvement. The U.S. had slowly been gaining a negative opinion of Germany since the war's start, and was strengthened by Germany's bombardment of passenger ships. Germany agreed to protect passengers during sinking, but proceeded to bombard ships without warning. When Arthur Zimmerman, who supported submarine warfare, rose as Germany's foreign secretary, he proposed an alliance to Mexico, should the U.S. decide to join the war as a result of bombardment. This telegram promised to return Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico if Mexico became Germany's ally. This message was intercepted by the British and sent to President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson declared war on April 6.

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Though the United States had entered the war in 1917, it had done so reluctantly. They had been pulled in by incessant submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram from the Germans. Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points aimed to outline a plan to withdraw and end the war by highlighting how to maintain peace throughout the conflict and what the United States truly was fighting for. It established an open diplomacy, safe international navigation, territorial adjustments, and the formation of a League of Nations. Other nations, including those that the 14 Points worked in favor of, believed that Wilson was being unrealistic. These points ultimately brought the Germans to negotiation towards the end of the war, however, the Treaty of Versailles, which followed, was much more harsh towards them. This led to further conflict in the future.

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The armistice was a truce or agreement reached to temporarily cease fire. In the fall of 1918, Germany lost morale as its economy and social structure grew devastated. Its allies had left them to fight alone, which placed significant strain on the German army. They were desperate to accept any terms of truce. Negotiations were led by German Secretary Matthias Erzberger and Ferdinand Foch. The terms were brutal and forced Germany to return territories, weapons, and cease all military action. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the armistice agreement was signed by representatives for the Allies and Germans. This did not immediately end the war though, as many were still killed in the final moments before the agreement officially took effect. The armistice was originally meant to last 36 days, but was extended on multiple occasions until the war's official end on January 10, 1920.

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Several countries gathered for a conference in Paris in January 1919 to discuss the terms for peace after the war. This was dominated by the 'Big 3': Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of Britain, and Woodrow Wilson representing the United States. It was difficult to reach an agreement on how harshly Germany should be punished, as each had participated in the war for different durations with varying consequences. The terms in the Treaty of Versailles primarily reflected those of France, which were the harshest of the three. On June 28, 1919, Germany was presented with the document without discussion or negotiation. They had to take it or leave it. Delegates met in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles to sign the document. The treaty forced Germany to accept blame for the war and pay various war reparations. This stirred resentment in Germany, and is thought to have led to World War II shortly after.