What year did the First World War begin?
The First World War killed 17 million people, traumatised a generation, overturned old empires and changed the world's political order – and yet its origins often seem obscure. The immediate cause was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary. His death at the hands of Gavrilo Princip – a Serbian nationalist with ties to the secretive military group known as the Black Hand – propelled the major European military powers towards war. When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position favored by the vast majority of Americans.
More Info:
www.theweek.co.uk
What are your thoughts on this subject?
37 Comments
Denny Quigley
Why are three pictures of nuclear explosions fir a question about WW1?
Kevin D. Ramkissoon
Why are there pictures of the two atomic bomb explosions from WWII when the question is about the First World War?
Louise C.
I wonder why they don't say that Franz Ferdinands wife was also killed at the same time as her husband.
Gold Toy Box
We are still today dealing with the aftermath of WWI. Not only did the "armistice" terms cause WWII, the cutting up of the Ottoman Empire by the French & British politicos doom us to the mess we are still dealing with in the Middle East.
Ian Swindale
Many decades before the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Bismarck the then German Chancellor said that he was of the view the next great war would start with an incident in the Balkans - very prophetic
billyboy915
Keith Richard Mears,
Save your scolding and disdain for someone else. You've got to cut others some slack. It's surprising that you don't considering your record of only 68.8 % correct answers!
Irene Townsend
Wow my mind went completely blank on this question, the worst part was I knew it
Marianne Frederick Halterman
Yes, but the neutrality didn't last, obviously. Do you know who the Doughboys were?
Wayne Linburg
Val Wilkinson, Yes...but they didn't come into the war until it was almost over !
Wayne Linburg
Ian Swindale, Even the Roman's said " There's always problems in the Balkans " !
Carroll Price
Kevin D. Ramkissoon, Maybe because the questioner understands that WW2 resulted from WW1.
William Perkins
Kevin D. Ramkissoon, I wondered the same thing.
Annie
WWI deaths are estimated at 21.3 million. A direct result of the War was the Spanish Flu - 1918 epidemic killed 20 to 50 million people World Wide. Some sources say the flu originated in military camps and spread due to deployment world wide.
Julie Ham
Denny Quigley, wondering the same thing
Andrew Thompson
R.I.P. Tasha the Cavalier, They don't mention the chauffer either!
Val Wilkinson
Yeah thank you for the support chaps. Generally you are warmongers- starting unnecessary wars. Much respect to the Yanks who joined up and supported, at great personal cost
John W Shreve
matthew rosa, Wow. You started about a hundred sentences..
John W Shreve
R.I.P. Tasha the Cavalier, If she had been the arch-duchess, the story would be about her.
John W Shreve
R.I.P. Tasha the Cavalier, Hey, why not put pictures of catapults and battering rams on?
Peter Robertson
R.I.P. Tasha the Cavalier, She wasn't important?????
Evangeline Phillips
I can easily remember the year and the month the first world Bagan,. My mum was born in June 1914 and my grandad joined up in October 1914,.when according to family tradition my mum started to sleep through the night.