Module 3: Outbreak of the War

Outbreak of the War

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 can be traced back to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which ignited long-standing tensions in the Balkans. Franz Ferdinand was killed by a Serbian nationalist, a member of a group seeking to challenge Austro-Hungarian authority in the region. In response, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which included demands that were deliberately stringent and nearly impossible to meet. When Serbia's response failed to satisfy Austria-Hungary, the empire declared war on July 28, 1914. This localized conflict quickly escalated due to the existing alliance system, which interconnected the fates of major powers across Europe.

As Austria-Hungary moved against Serbia, Russia, which viewed itself as the protector of Slavic peoples, began to mobilize in support of Serbia. This mobilization prompted Germany to declare war on Russia, invoking its own alliances and obligations. France, allied with Russia, found itself drawn into the conflict, and Germany's subsequent invasion of Belgium to reach France brought Britain into the war as well. The once regional dispute rapidly evolved into a global conflict, as the alliance system effectively pulled multiple nations into hostilities. The combination of nationalism, militarism, and intricate diplomatic entanglements transformed the assassination of a single figure into a full-scale war that would engulf much of the world and reshape international relations for years to come.