![]() ![]() On 4 August 1914, Canada, as a member of the British Empire, was at war.Britain, fulfilling its obligations to support Belgian neutrality, declared war the next day. German troops moved on France by invading Belgium, a country that had been neutral for nearly one hundred years, on 3 August.When Russia mobilized its military forces at the end of July, Germany sought to avoid a two-front war by a quick invasion of France, Russia’s main ally.Germany supported Austria-Hungary, while Russia sided with its traditional ally, Serbia.The Austro-Hungarian Empire attacked Serbia in response.The assassination was traced to a Serbian extremist group that wanted to increase Serbian power in the Balkans by breaking up the Austro-Hungarian Empire.The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 set off a chain of events that led to war in early August 1914. Smaller European powers picked sides during the war, dominions and colonies contributed soldiers to their mother countries, and powerful non-European powers such as Japan and the United States would later enter the war on the Allied side. In May 1915, Italy joined the Entente hoping to acquire territory from Austria-Hungary and new colonial possessions, mainly in Africa. Italy, initially allied to the Central Powers, refused to be drawn into what it viewed as their war of aggression. The consequence of these alliances and treaties meant that if one country or power bloc went to war, the others would likely go to war too. Resentment from the legacy of past grievances.Ĭomplicated military alliances and treaties between the European powers divided much of Europe.Dissatisfaction with the balance of power in Europe.Arms races to build bigger and more powerful armies and navies.Key factors in the build-up to war included: The situation was so tense before the war that many called Europe a powder keg waiting to explode. The major powers in Europe had been preparing for war for years. In the same time period the war and other violent conflicts would kill an estimated twenty million civilians. Varga says that seven conspirators attempted to kill Ferdinand during his trip to. It would last for more than four years, and kill about nine million people in uniform. Varga’s opening line on Fargo sells the story: The first world war was started by a sandwich. The First World War started in August 1914. ![]()
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