Part 3/11:
The Prelude to War: Tensions in Europe
By the summer of 1914, tensions in Europe had reached a boiling point following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28. This incident unleashed a barrage of nationalistic sentiments and military alliances, remnants of historical conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars, which had left Europe fractured and wary of each other's motives.