Timeline

1914

 * Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated by the Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist organization.
 * Austria sends an ultimatum to Serbia intentionally making it outrageous to cause a war.
 * This leads to Russia getting involved and a chain reaction of Russian and Austrian allies declaring war on each other.
 * Germany attempts to execute the Schlieffen Plan by invading Belgium, but is stopped before they can get to Paris. The Western Front skids on the brakes.
 * Germany is much more successful in the Eastern Front, gaining more land from their Russian opponents.
 * The Ottomans join the Central Powers in October after a naval dispute with the UK.
 * Most of the German African colonies are occupied by the end of the year.
 * Japan joins the war to gobble up Germany’s East Asian colonies.

1915

 * The Western Front stagnates and gaining inches of land is seen as a major victory for either side.
 * In an allied attempt to destroy the Ottomans, the Gallipoli Campaign proves to be a massive failure.
 * Tsar Nicholas II, in an attempt to empower his troops and generals, plans the Vilnius Conference to draw up a massive offensive that would cripple the German Empire. (Point of Divergence)
 * Italy joins the war against Austria to take more land, but the front devolves into a similar situation in the west with brutal trench warfare.
 * Serbia capitulates to the Austrian offensive.
 * During the Vilnius Conference in September, a German surprise attack leads to chaos within the meeting. Although the Russian leadership attempts to flee, most of them are killed by shells or German fire, including Tsar Nicholas II himself. This event is dubbed the “Grizzly Assassinations”.
 * Bulgaria joins the war to aid the Ottomans and Austria in the Balkans.
 * News of the death of the Tsar spreads throughout the world and Russia is thrown into disarray.
 * All great powers create plans to secure their leaders, but still mock Russia for such a foolish and risky maneuver.
 * The Vengeance Offensive organized by lower-ranking tsar loyalists as revenge on Germany proves to be faulty as the lack of leadership gives the Germans the upper hand in their defense.
 * The massive move of troops from the south to the north for the Vengeance Offensive gives an opening for Austria, which crushes Russian defenses and causes Russia to further collapse, with warlords vying for domination of the country.
 * The revolutionaries of Russia see this as an opportunity to fully bring upon a revolution. With the absence of Vladimir Lenin and the convincing arguments of Leon Trotsky, the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks merge to form the United Socialist Front (USF) with Julius Martov at its head.
 * Despite the sinking of the Lusitania, the Germans continue unrestricted submarine warfare in hopes to cripple Britain like they did Russia.
 * As an insurance policy, the German Empire sends a diplomatic telegram to Mexico offering a military alliance in exchange for American lands lost during the Mexican-American War.

1916

 * America, outraged over Germany’s continued policy, joins the war and begins sending troops to the Western Front.
 * Mexico, although tattered by a revolution, joins the central powers and invades America.
 * The Battle of Verdun proves to be a hefty loss for both sides.
 * The Mexican offensive is quickly crushed by the border forces and a counter-attack from America is in place.
 * Romania never joins the war after the Austrian Dominance of Russia.
 * Russia has devolved into anarchy, with massive guerilla attacks against Central Power occupied areas. However, an anti-german sentiment starts to bring the Russian people together under Grigory Semyonov, one of the survivors of the Vilnius Conference massacre. Martov's front attracts more people wanting Russia out of the war and anarchy.
 * A joint operation between the British and French called Operation Sidewinder proves to be effective in the middle east against Ottoman forces pushing them deep into the Ottoman mainland.
 * Mexico City is captured by the doughboys, knocking Mexico out of the war.
 * Portugal joins the war after refusing to allow German submarines near their coasts.

1917

 * The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed between Germany and the United Socialist Front, which allows most of the central power forces to head to the west, combating the new waves of American soldiers. The Baltic Region is given to Germany as puppet states.
 * The Ottoman Empire capitulates and remains occupied under American and British troops.
 * Italy launches an offensive into Dalmatia, but is crushed by Austrian defenses.
 * The Entente in the west attempts to push through German lines, but is stopped as fast as Italy.
 * Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg now seem to be in complete control of the German Empire.

1918

 * To the surprise of the world, the USF wins the civil war with little resistance creating the first communist country on the planet. They honor the treaty with the Central Powers.
 * Serbian resistance flares up and the Austrian empire lacks the forces to deal with them, as they are dealing with the Italians in the west and Entente-backed forces in the south.
 * The Entente completely controls the Mediterranean Sea.
 * America and Japan hold the Honolulu Conference. It is here where America, representing the Entente, pressures Japan to send troops to Europe or it will not be entitled to the German East-Asian colonies. Japan ultimately agrees and America promises to provide the ships for the journey.

1919

 * The period of stagnation continues on all fronts.
 * The Entente awaits the Japanese troops’ arrival, now with other European colonial forces, as all remaining Central Power forces are in Europe.
 * The Central Powers begin to lose hope and contact the Soviet Union to join the war against the Entente in exchange for the annexation of the now independent Ukraine and Finland. The Soviets refuse and instead send 4 volunteer “Maroon Divisions” to reinforce the Southern front.
 * A new political movement in Greece called the “Final Victory Campaign” aims to form a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain, with increased parliamentary power.
 * Woodrow Wilson is assassinated by a leftist terrorist organization called the “Crimson Boots” which is mostly comprised of draft dodgers and active revolutionaries in the US who split from the Socialist Party of America following the victory of the USF in the civil war. The world has flashbacks to the Tsar and now believes that communism is actively attempting to become the new world order.
 * Thomas Marshall takes control of the presidency and begins instituting the first instances of preventionist policy, which is aimed at containing and preventing new wars. It has a stark contrast to the previous Wilsonian Interventionism, which aims to threaten war to install new democracies rather than preventing a greater world conflict.

1920

 * In January the Pacific Entente forces arrive in the Middle East, now fully neutralized by the Entente, and are sent to the Balkans to make a final push.
 * Bulgaria, seeing the end in sight, switches sides and betrays the Austrians.
 * Forces in Serbia overwhelm Austria causing a massive break in command lines.
 * Germany, eager to save its ally, pulls troops to reinforce the Balkan Front. This proves to be a fatal mistake, however, as Entente troops flood through the front and march to Berlin.
 * Austria collapses from Serbian pressure and succumbs to Italian and Southern enemies.
 * The war ends in March and the treaty of Versailles is signed in the Hall of Mirrors as a final smear against Germany.
 * Germany is forced under a democratic government, however, they are allowed to keep their baltic puppets and a small Western African colony.
 * Austria is never fully dissolved because of the lack of Wilson’s self-determination policies. Instead, they adopt a democratic style of governing championed by Archduke Franz Ferdinand before he was assassinated. Ethic minorities within the empire could now have a say in the new democratic government.