Origins of the First World War

In June 1914, Franz Ferdinand the Arch Duke and heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary and his wife, were assassinated while on an official visit to Sarajevo. The group responsible for this was a Serbian Nationalist movement which had ties with the Serbian government. The Austrian government saw this as an opportunity to crush Serbian nationalism. On July 23rd, they served an ultimatum to Serbia. About three hours before the deadline was due, the Serbian government …

…More on the origins of this resentment can be traced back to the unification of Germany and its growth in wealth and power. Another point of focus is Franco-German grievances over Alsace-Loraine after the Franco-Prussian wars. Ideological differences too played an important role. It created a Europe where militarism and authoritarianism triumphed in the centre and the east, which compelled the liberal and parliamentarian regimes in the west to defend themselves against their ideological enemies.