By the end of this lesson, you'll solve:
"World War I started because of one assassination. How did one bullet lead to 40 million deaths?"
World War I (1914–1918)
Imagine a row of dominoes — push one, and they all fall. That is exactly what happened when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in 1914. Alliance systems pulled every major power into war.
Key Points
- 1Triggered by assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914)
- 2Causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism (remember M.A.I.N.)
- 3Allied Powers (Britain, France, Russia) vs Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire)
- 4Ended with Treaty of Versailles (1919) — punished Germany harshly
Pro Tip
Remember the causes with M.A.I.N.: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism. The assassination was just the trigger, not the real cause!
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