From Peace to Slaughter

Europe, 1914

It is June. All is quiet in the city of Sarajevo. The Black Hand, a Serbian Nationalist group, prepared to achieve their aims by way of terror, await the arrival of their sworn enemy, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Astro-Hungarian Throne. His assassination would be one of triumph for Serbia. However, this seemingly isolated event sparked a conflict that, within a week of Austro-Hungary's declaration of war, spread to the entire continent of Europe.

How could something like this escalate so quickly?

The answer to this is one that is rooted decades before the war even began. In 1871, Germany, a newly organized nation emerging from the Franco-Prussian war, began immediately establishing itself as a powerful nation with their rapid industrialization and growing economy. By the end of the 19th century, Germany was in no doubt a nation of considerable strength. However, there were two things that kept it from achieving the status of a Great Power it strived for. Germany had no large navy, and no territories overseas under its control. So Germany began preparations for the construction of a huge naval fleet.

This rapid militarization at sea caught Britain's eye. For so many years, Britain's navy ruled the oceans, but now Germany was constructing a fleet capable of challenging their naval forces. This was a threat that could not be ignored. Britain, in response to Germany's aggressive move, formed an alliance with France, signing the Anglo-French Entente in 1904. Theirs wasn't the only alliance formed. From 1878 to 1907, nine completely separate and secret alliances were formed between countries all over Europe. This, along with the severely unstable relations between the European nations, made it clear that Europe was on the brink of war.

Some countries welcomed the prospect. In fact, in Germany, the Schlieffen plan, a plan which drew out how the Germans would fight a two-front war if they were to attack France and Russia, was proposed in 1905. Nearly a decade before the war even began! As the major European powers lay in wait, they knew it was only a matter of time before the fuse would be lit. All it needed was a spark, and Serbia provided. On June 28th, 1914, the assassination at Sarajevo caused the continent of Europe, within a week of the first declaration of war, to spiral into a vicious and bloody conflict, the likes of which had never before been witnessed by mankind.