How Did World War 1 Start?

It was called the war to end all wars.

Unfortunately, World War I didn’t deliver on that promise.

It was however the first time in the history of planet Earth that nations from around the

world fought in a single war.

It started with an assassination and a series of questionable decisions.

We can point fingers and play the blame game, but really there is no single person or country

that holds all of the responsibility.

Could the war that killed millions have been prevented?

Most definitely.

Let’s take a look at what caused the Great War, explore how it could have been prevented,

and learn how to not repeat the mistakes of the past.

World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918 and included countries in Europe, Russia, the United States,

and countries in the Middle East.

The two main sides of the war were the Central Powers which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary,

Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria, who fought against the Allied Powers of France,

Britain, Russia, Portugal and Japan.

Later in the war the United States would also join the side of the Allies.

But what happened?

Why did all of these nations get involved in one of the most disastrous wars in history?

Let’s explore the mechanisms and missteps that led to the first World War.

Although there were many players in World War 1, the conflict started with Serbia and

Austria-Hungary.

The Serbian government was eager to claim more territory for the nation.

Serbia was already in a state of aggression due to the Balkan Wars that ended just a year

before the start of World War I.

After the Balkan War, Serbian nationalists wanted to liberate the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary,

thus unifying the Slavic peoples under one nation.

This extreme nationalism led to the assissnation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was heir

to the Astro-Hungarian Empire.

At 11:15 AM on June 28, 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg,

were shot to death in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip.

Princip was a Serbian extremist who had connections to a secret society called the Black Hand.

The assaisnation was the match that ignited the first world war, however, there were many

other factors that led to the powderkeg that would explode.

Should the assassination of Franz Ferdinand have led to an all out War?

Probably not.

There is more to the story here.

In the shadows lurked Kaiser Wilhelm II, who may be as much to blame as Gavrilo Princip

in starting World War I. Wilhelm II was the leader of Germany and he was diabolical.

Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted a strong Germany that dominated Europe both economically and

militarily in strength.

He did not want Russia or Great Britain to have more influence and power than he did.

Therefore, Wilhelm II allied himself, and Germany, with Austria-Hungary.