In 1914 the Archduke of Austria was assassinated by a nationalist organization in Serbia. The Austrians declared war on Serbia and Serbia received support from its ally Russia. France and England backed Russia and the Germany supported Austria Hungary. World War 1 had begun. The war was fought primarily in trenches on the western front, stretched between France and Germany. New weapons were used including: poison gas, the machine gun, and the first airplanes.The US hoped to stay neutral, but the US entered the war in 1917 as an Allied Power. In the same year, the Russian Revolution toppled the Czar and the new communist leaders withdrew Russia from the war. Finally, in 1918 the Central Powers signed an armistice with the Allied Powers. All parties met in Versailles, where a treaty was signed, blaming the Germans for the war. They were forced to give up colonies and pay war reparations. The resentment the Germans felt, would contribute to the rise of Hitler and the second great World War.
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