World War I: Difference between revisions

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Increasing diplomatic tension between the European great powers reached a [[July Crisis|breaking point]] on 28 June 1914, when a [[Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian Serb]] named [[Gavrilo Princip]] [[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand|assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand]], heir to the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] throne. Austria-Hungary held [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]] responsible, and declared war on 28 July. [[Russian Empire|Russia]] came to Serbia's defence, and by 4 August, [[German Empire|Germany]], [[French Third Republic|France]], and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] were drawn into the war, with the [[Ottoman Empire]] joining in November of that same year. [[Schlieffen Plan|Germany's strategy in 1914]] was to first defeat France, then transfer forces to the Russian front. However, this [[First Battle of the Marne|failed]], and by the end of 1914, the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] consisted of a continuous line of [[Trench warfare|trenches]] stretching from the [[English Channel]] to [[Switzerland during the World Wars|Switzerland]]. The [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] was more dynamic, but neither side could gain a decisive advantage, despite costly offensives. As the war expanded to more fronts, [[Bulgaria during World War I|Bulgaria]], [[Military history of Italy during World War I|Italy]], [[Romania in World War I|Romania]], [[Greece during World War I|Greece]] and others joined in from 1915 onward.