World war 1 began in western Europe going from 1914 to 1918. The spark that ignited the fire of World War One took place on June 28, 1914, when an assassin who worked for the Black Hand named Gavrilo Princip murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austro-Hungria. When Austro-Hungria heard about this they Immediately declared war against Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian empire allied with Germany, and Turkey. This alliance was called the Central powers. After the Central powers were constructed, Great Britain and the British Empire took to action and allied with France and the Russian Empire, this alliance was made by the Treaty of London. World War 1 (also known as the “Great War” during the time) raged on for a whole four years, killing millions.
Tensions Rising before Ww1
Many parts went into play leading up to the Great War. Such as Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism. During 1912-1914 armies began to grow all around the world becoming a threat to other countries and their power. Other countries started to force alliances to protect their land and their power. After the Balkan Wars (fought during 1912-1913) Serbia had to undergo extreme economical problems. Citiciants of Serbia started to protest, they wanted peace and recognition. Food, water, and shelter were scarce. There were very few jobs available to the citizens and even then the jobs paid the least amount of money they could. Serbia was coming crashing down from the inside out. When a terrorist group realized that if they didn’t do something soon they would come crashing down with Serbia too, things got out of hand.
The spark that ignited the beginning of Ww1
In 1901 a secret military society was formed, this group was known as the Black Hand. Their goal, Unification or Death. A young nationalist of Serbia, named Gavrilo Princip came to the Black Hand in search of recognition. He introduced the idea of doing something big that would hopefully benefit Serbia and bring unification across the western European countries. His idea was to murder Archduke Franz Ferdinand. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip murdered both Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie. When Austro-Hungria heard about this they were outraged. In Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand assassinated – HISTORY it says, “Austria asked for assurances that Germany would step in on its side against Russia and its allies, including France and possibly Great Britain.” The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a turn of events that eventually led to the outbreak of Ww1.
Central Powers and the Allies
When Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia, they immediately realized that they required an alliance with powerful countries to help take down Serbia. Austro-Hungary created an alliance with Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. This alliance was called the Central powers. When the Central powers were formed Brittan made its alliance, through the Treaty of London. The Treaty of London consisted of many countries. Britain itself, Russia, Serbia, France, Italy, Romania, and Japan. Later in 1917 after the US had realized the struggles that the Allied powers had been going through, they joined the war themselves. The US mobilized over 4 million soldiers, losing 65,000 men by the end of the war. By the end of the war the allies had lost up to 5.7 million soldiers, and the central powers lost around 4 million soldiers. In the article Armistice Day: World War I ends – HISTORY it says, “ The first world war left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded.” No one won World Ww1; they only ended it and that was a victory itself.
Conclusion
World war 1 began in Europe and ended in Europe millions of soldiers lost their lives. Millions of people sacrificed themselves for the greater good. But in the end, no one is one. Both sides, good and bad, suffered many casualties both soldiers and civilians. It started quickly with what you could call an act of bravery. Gavrilo Princip made a decision that greatly affected the world and himself. Some historians say even if Gavrilo Princip didn’t murder the Archduke of Austro-Hungarian Ww1 would still have been inevitable. Armies were growing and countries were collapsing, power was wanted by people all over Europe. Gavrilo Princip showed us that one small act can set off just the smallest chain of events bringing to some of the largest conflicts, not only changing countries but the entire world.
