Social Sciences and History / Unit 4 SSH 0332 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Why 1914, and Why It Lasted
Captions available
The idea
Great-power rivalry and alliances meant no one wanted war and all risked it. Franz Ferdinand's assassination in nineteen fourteen by a Serbian nationalist lit it. Trenches, machine guns and mines made defense stronger than attack.
In practice
Every socialist party voting for its own nation's war.
Where people slip
Over twenty million died, in the anchor's count, and three empires ended. Unit six carries the global war.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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