In 1914, Europe was a powder keg, needing only a spark to ignite the continent. This spark came on June 28 of that fateful year, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist. This murder set off a chain reaction of events, revealing a fractured world beset by political rivalries, imperial ambitions, and a relentless arms race.

Tensions had been simmering for decades. Nationalism fueled resentments, especially between France and Germany, still marked by the loss of Alsace-Lorraine in 1871. The major European powers were divided into two opposing blocs: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, the United Kingdom, and Russia). When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, this system of alliances quickly drew all of Europe into a conflict of unprecedented scale.

A global conflict

What began as a European conflict rapidly escalated into a world war. The main participants were, on one side, the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria) and, on the other, the Allies (France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy—joining in 1915—Japan, and later the United States in 1917).

The First World War also marked a radical shift in the nature of warfare. Modern weapons such as machine guns, tanks, chemical gas, and airplanes turned battlefields into veritable hellscapes. Soldiers were entrenched in horrific conditions, enduring a war of attrition where battles resulted in unprecedented casualties.

Key battles

Among the most significant engagements was the Battle of the Marne in September 1914, where the German advance was halted just kilometers from Paris. In 1916, two of the deadliest battles in history took place: Verdun, a symbol of French resilience, and the Somme, where the Allies attempted to break through German lines. These battles claimed millions of lives without achieving decisive victories.

In Southeastern Europe, the Gallipoli campaign (1915-1916) saw the Allies clash with the Ottoman Empire in an effort to control the Dardanelles. This campaign ended in a costly failure for the Allies, particularly for Australian and New Zealand forces.

A catastrophic human and material toll

The human toll of the First World War was staggering: approximately 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians lost their lives, while 21 million soldiers were wounded. The material destruction was equally immense, obliterating villages, infrastructure, and entire economies.

The end of fighting: the armistice

After four years of horror, the Central Powers collapsed under the weight of Allied offensives and their own economic weaknesses. On November 11, 1918, at 5:15 a.m., an armistice was signed in a railway carriage in Rethondes, France. At 11:00 a.m., the guns fell silent, marking the end of combat. However, peace was far from assured.

Lasting consequences

The First World War reshaped the face of Europe. The peace treaties, particularly the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919, imposed heavy reparations on Germany, which was also forced to cede Alsace-Lorraine to France and drastically reduce its military power. These sanctions fostered deep resentment among the German population, paving the way for the rise of Nazism and another global conflict.

Once-mighty empires such as Austria-Hungary, Russia, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire collapsed. New states, such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, emerged, disrupting the political balance in Central and Eastern Europe.

In 1920, the League of Nations (LN) was created to maintain peace and prevent future wars. However, its lack of authority and the absence of major powers like the United States undermined its effectiveness.

A war that changed everything

Beyond borders, the First World War marked a turning point in human history. It inaugurated an era of industrial-scale conflicts, transformed societies, and left millions of families grieving. The world, hoping never to endure such a tragedy again, referred to this war as “The War to End All Wars.” However, history would show that it was merely a prelude to an even more destructive global cataclysm.

This war, with its scale and consequences, remains a stark reminder of the impact of division and violence on a global scale. It redefined borders, mentalities, and the course of 20th-century history.