Since it ended, there has been discussion about the reasons behind World War I, or the Great War. Officially, Germany bore a large portion of the blame for the war’s four years of unprecedented carnage. However, a number of intricate factors contributed to the war, including a brutal assassination that sparked the biggest conflict Europe had ever seen.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s murder infuriated Austria-Hungary.
In June 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie paid a state visit to Bosnia, which had been annexed by Austria-Hungary.
The couple visited Sarajevo’s capital on June 28 to look over the imperial forces stationed there. They narrowly escaped death when Serbian terrorists threw a bomb at their open-topped car as they were traveling to their destination.
Later that day, however, their luck ran out when their driver unintentionally drove them past Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist who fatally shot Franz Ferdinand and his wife at point-blank range. On July 28, Austria-Hungary, shocked, and Germany supported its declaration of war against Serbia.
Within a few days, Germany invaded France via Belgium after declaring war on Serbia’s ally, Russia. This prompted Britain to declare war on Germany.
Imperialist expansion was fueled by a lack of industrial resources.
The desire of a state to expand its empire was not new in European history, but by the early twentieth century, the Industrial Revolution was in full force.
The need to control new lands and their natural resources, including oil, rubber, coal, iron, and other raw materials, was sparked by new industrial and manufacturing technologies.
Germany desired a larger share of the continents due to the British Empire’s expansion to five continents and France’s control of many African colonies. Countries formed alliances to position themselves for European dominance as tensions increased as they competed for position.
As nationalism increased, diplomacy suffered
Europe experienced a rise in nationalism during the 19th century. As people’s pride in their nation and culture grew, so did their desire to be free of imperial rule. However, in some instances, nationalism was fueled by imperialism as some groups asserted their superiority over others.
For example, after Germany dominated France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, France lost money and land to Germany, which then fueled French nationalism and a desire for vengeance. This widespread nationalism is thought to be a major contributing factor to World War I.
When Princip, a member of a Serbian nationalist terrorist organization fighting against Austria-rule Hungary’s over Bosnia, assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and his wife during World War I, nationalism played a particular role in the conflict.
Entangled alliances created two competing groups
Germany and Austria-Hungary formed an alliance against Russia in 1879. Italy joined their alliance (The Triple Alliance) in 1882, and in response, Russia allied with France in 1894.
The Triple Entente was established in 1907 by France, Russia, and Great Britain as a means of defense against the growing threat posed by Germany. The Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Allies, which included Russia, France, and Britain, soon divided Europe into two groups.
Though not every alliance was set in stone—Italy later switched sides—as war was declared, the allied nations encouraged one another to fight and uphold their treaties. By the end of August 1914, the so-called “entangled alliances” had led to the spread of what should have been a localized conflict to all of Europe’s major powers.
Militarism sparked an arms race
Many European nations strengthened their militaries at the beginning of the 20th century and were prepared to use them. The majority of the European powers, who were engaged in an arms race and had military draft systems, were methodically building up their war chests and honing their defensive tactics.
France, Russia, Britain, and Germany all saw significant increases in their defense budgets between 1910 and 1914. But at the time, Germany was by far the militarist nation in Europe. It had massively increased its military spending by 79 percent by July 1914.
Additionally, Germany and Britain were engaged in a clandestine naval conflict. As soon as the British Royal Navy created the first Dreadnought battleship, which could outgun and outrun any other battleship in existence, they doubled their naval battle fleet. Not to be outdone, Germany built its own fleet of Dreadnoughts.
The European powers were not only ready for war when World War I broke out; some even looked forward to it as a way to advance their international standing.
Despite the fact that Austria-Hungary struck first after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, all the other European powers quickly lined up to defend their alliances, maintain or grow their empires, and show off their military strength and national pride.
A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console
Sony's PlayStation was never meant to be an actual product. Instead, it was intended to be a CD-ROM console that would support Nintendo games. However, when Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute, Sony went ahead and launched what soon became one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
Marion Stokes recorded 30 years of television
Marion Stokes, a Philadelphia woman began taping whatever was on television in 1979 and didn’t stop until her death in 2012. The 71,000 VHS and Betamax tapes she made are the most complete collection preserving this era of TV. They are being digitized by the Internet Archive.
Jack the Baboon operated a railroad, earned a living, and never made a mistake
A baboon worked as a signalman for the railroad in the late 1800s. He never made a mistake and worked for the railroad until the day he died.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world's atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years. A volcanic explosion's effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history.
Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint
This clay tablet, written in cuneiform, is the oldest known written customer complaint about the delivery of poor quality copper ingots. Originally from ancient Babylon, the tablet dates back to 1750 BCE, and it was written by a customer named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-Nasir. It is currently housed in the British Museum.
The Day an Israeli F-15 Landed with One Wing: Zivi Nedivi’s Unbelievable Mid-Air Survival
Discover the astonishing true story of Israeli pilot Zivi Nedivi, who safely landed an F-15 after a mid-air collision tore off its entire right wing. Learn how skill, quick thinking, and the F-15’s unique design turned a disaster into a legendary feat in aviation history
The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era
Archaeologists were shocked to discover that a series of camels carved into desert rock faces in north-western Saudi Arabia are actually prehistoric, dating from 7,000-8,000 years ago - before either the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge were built.
Moondyne Joe: The story of Australia's most notorious prison escapee
A man named Joseph Bolitho Johns (A.K.A Moondyne Joe) broke out of Australian prisons so many times that the police were compelled to build a special cell just for him. He escaped from that as well.
Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt
When Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs first opened in 1916, the owner hired people to dress as doctors and eat hot dogs outside his shop, to convince people his hot dogs were healthy.
How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.
History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill
Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet
In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women's feet to keep their feet small
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, fossils of the world’s largest species of snake
In 2009 in a coal mine of Columbia, scientists discovered fossils of the world’s largest species of snake. The species is called “Titanoboa cerrejonensis,“and it is from around 60 million years ago. It would have had measured about 48 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds
Mother who spent entire life savings for daughter’s cancer treatment won the lottery
A mother won $2 million from a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket after she spent all of her entire life savings to pay her daughter’s cancer treatment. She bought the winning ticket after her daughter’s last cancer treatment.
Archaeologists Uncover 2,000-Year-Old Amazonian Cities Using Lidar Technology
Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient network of urban settlements once inhabited by the Upano people about 2,000 years ago. Using cutting-edge lidar technology, these discoveries reveal a highly organized society featuring sophisticated agricultural systems, drainage canals, and extensive road networks. This transformative find challenges long-held assumptions about ancient Amazonian societies and sheds light on a complex civilization thriving in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina. It took only ten minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.
William James Sidis: The smartest person yet forgotten by people
William James Sidis, who was only 11 years old when he enrolled in Hardvard, finished his primary and secondary schooling in less than a year. He knew eight foreign languages by the age of eight and even invented his own language, "vedergood."
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
The Bizarre (And Magical) Duel Between Chung Ling Soo And Ching Ling Foo
Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo were two magicians from the early 20th century who were bitter rivals. While Ching Ling Foo was genuinely Chinese, Chung Ling Soo was actually a New Yorker named William Robinson.
Terry Fox, a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 143 days before dying
Terry Fox was a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 3,339 miles across Canada in 143 days before dying.
