World War I (The Unexpected Kingdom)

World War I (WWI), also known as the First World War, was a global war centred in Europe and the Americas that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. From the time of its occurrence until the approach of World War II in 1939, it was called simply the World War or the Great War, and thereafter the First World War or World War I. (In America it was initially called the European War.) More than 9 million combatants were killed: a scale of death impacted by industrial advancements, geographic stalemate and reliance on human wave attacks. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in world history, paving the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved.

The July crisis
In 1914 the nation of Austria-Hungary had established a new archduke known as Franz Ferdinand, who was in Turn assassinated by the Black Hand. A radical Serbian group which brought about massive diplomatic maneuvering between Europes great powers. Demands by Austria-Hungary to Serbia were made intentionally unacceptable and wished to end Serbian influence in Bosnia.

The Russian Empire, unwilling to allow Austria-Hungary to eliminate its influence in the Balkans, and in support of its longtime Serb protégé, ordered a partial mobilisation one day later. Germany mobilised on 30 July. Germany's war plan, the Schlieffen Plan, relied on a quick, massive invasion of France to eliminate the threat on the West, before turning east against Russia. Simultaneously with its mobilisation against Russia, therefore, the German government issued demands that France remain neutral. The French cabinet resisted military pressure to commence immediate mobilisation, and ordered its troops to withdraw 10 km (6 mi) from the border to avoid any incident. France only mobilised on the evening of 2 August, when Germany invaded Belgium and attacked French troops. Germany declared war on Russia on the same day. Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, following Germanies poor reply on Belgiums neutrality.