If WW1 were separated in phases, what would they be?

by JohnnyBigD
_v2

This depends greatly on what historians can agree on to be the important chapters of WWI -- whether it be the very declarations of war, the introduction and application of certain technologies or military tactics on the battlefield, political backgrounds, and so on.

I see the war happening in FIVE distinct parts, with the appropriate subchapters.

The Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand

  • July 28th, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

  • July 31st: Russia enters war/unconditionally allies with Serbia

  • August 1st: Germany mobilizes her troops against Russia

  • August 3rd: Germany declares war on France ... etc.

The Eastern and Western Fronts Form

  • August 4th: Germany declares war on Belgium/Schlieffen Plan

  • August 22nd: 27,000 French troops are killed in a single day

  • August 26th: Germany gains victory at Tennenberg ... etc

Trench Warfare Becomes a 4-year Reality

  • September 15th: First trench dug on Western Front

  • February 21st - December 18th, 1916: Longest battle of the war (Battle of Verdun), which resulted in an estimated 1 million casualties

  • May 31st - June 1st: Battle of Jutland

  • July 1st - November 18th: Battle of the Somme, also results in near 1 million casualties ... etc

The U.S. Becomes a Belligerent, Russia Withdraws

  • April 6th, 1917: Pres. Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany

  • December 3rd: Leon Trotsky and the new Russian government sign armistice with Germany ... etc

Wrapping Up the War

  • March 21st, 1918: Germany advances in an all-or-nothing attack to win the war before Americans appear on the battlefield; offensive is a failure

  • August 8th: Americans push Germany out of The Somme

  • November 11th: Allied forces and Germany sign Armistice

The pre-war and post-war events are also important, and you should read (or watch) about them to learn this war's context in history. So many lives were lost for so little.

EDIT: Sources used are here, here and here.