Written by: Remoon Gorkhali - 2023008, Grade IX
Posted on: 08 December, 2020
World War I, also known as the Great War, began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—lost their lives.
Tension had been brewing between a lot of European countries especially between Austria-Hungary’s Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina. Several alliances were made involving the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties for years but these three states threatened the alliances and at last, a person from Serbia assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary along with his wife. Naturally the Austria-Hungary and many countries blamed the government of Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. They used that to justify the question of Serbia’s nationalism once and for all.
There were a lot of agreements made before the war had started. Serbia and Austria began a war when Russia had to send troops to their allies the Serbians then Germany came into the picture telling the Russians to back off but they didn’t listen so the germans attacked the Russians then Germany asked franc to stay neutral but franc had agreed to send more than a million troops to russia’s ade if they were attacked by either Austria or Germany so Germany attacked them and France returned the favour by attacking them back later Italy helped the allied force and attacked Austria but to help Austria the Germans had to take over Belgium but there was an agreement between Belgium and Britain so Britain attacked Germany.
References:
October 29, 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/ludendorff-offensive
October 29, 2009 https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history
