The First World War began on August 1, 1914 with Germany’s declaration of war against Russia. The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungary throne, and of his wife in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb nationalist, was the pretext that led the great powers into an all-out war. As a result of earlier unresolved rivalries, two major alliances were formed: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente regrouped France, the United Kingdom and Russia, who succeeded in resolving their differences thanks to the Franco-British agreements known as the Entente Cordiale, ...
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