World War I: How the dominoes fell

The Balkans: Three dogs, one bone!

The Austrian Empire, 1914…

…Includes the nation of Bosnia… But neighboring Serbia wants to annex Bosnia and “liberate” the Serbs who live there

Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph, is visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia

Emperor Franz Joseph, Austria-Hungary

On June 28, 1914… Young Serb nationalists, to dramatize their cause, assassinate this man, the heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife

The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, is arrested

At that time (1914), Europe is divided into Alliance systems…

…which are intended to keep the peace

TRIPLE ALLIANCE: Austria, Germany and Italy

TRIPLE ENTENTE: Great Britain, France and Russia

BUT these alliances will fail once the assassination happens: They will instead drag the great powers of Europe into the most important war of the 20th Century. Watch what happens…

1. One month after the assassinations… Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, blaming them for Franz Ferdinand’s death

2. On July 28, the day war begins… Russia, pledged to defend Serbia, mobilizes its army for war

Four days later… Germany, pledged to defend Austria-Hungary, declares war on Russia (August 1)

3. The same day… France warns Germany to lay off its ally, Russia

4. Two days later (Aug. 3)… Germany, expecting an attack from France, declares war on the French!

5. The next day (Aug. 4)… Germany launches an attack through Belgium to take out France

6. Britain has pledged to defend Belgium… So, on Aug. 4, Great Britain declares war on Germany

The Western Front 1914

Four years later…

…10 million young men will be dead in a war nobody wanted that began with the assassination of a man nobody’d heard of by nationalists from a nation nobody could locate on a map.

It’s the most important war of the 20th Century Because it will ultimately lead to this…