World War 1 started in 1914 and ended in 1918. The Central Powers which include Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary fought against the Allied powers, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, France, Romania, the United States, and Japan. Before World War 1, fighting in war was seen as an honorable act. Every boy and man wanted to serve in war because they wanted to serve the country they love, but World War 1 changed all of that. The new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare made World War 1 saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. The question is how did such a horrific war start? What was the final straw? Tensions arose throughout Europe years before World War 1 actually began. A number of alliances involving European powers, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and other parties existed for year. The political instability in the Balkans threatened to destroy these agreements. The last straw was drawn when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated along with his wife Sophie on June 28, 1914. They were killed by the Serbian …show more content…
Austro-Hungarian leaders were afraid that a Russian intervention would involve France, Russia ally and most likely Great Britain as well. On July 5th, Wilhelm secretly pledged his support and gave back Austria-Hungary a “blank check’ assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of the war. Then, the Dual Monarchy gave Serbia an ultimatum that included harsh terms, making it impossible to accept. Serbia’s government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28th, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The peace between Europe’s great powered immediately disappeared. The Allied Power countries came together and found against Austria-Hungary and Germany. World War 1 had officially