Note sull'episodio
On June 28, 1914, two gunshots in Sarajevo killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. Just five weeks later, Europe’s great powers were at war.
But one assassination did not cause the First World War by itself.
In this episode, we explore how rival alliances, nationalism, imperial competition, military mobilization plans, and fear of national decline transformed a regional crisis into a global catastrophe. We examine Austria-Hungary’s confrontation with Serbia, Germany’s “blank cheque,” Russia’s decision to mobilize, the invasion of Belgium, Britain’s entry into the war, and the imperial networks that carried the conflict across continents.
This is the story of how leaders who believed they were defending their nations created a war that destroyed empires, killed millions, redrew borders, and changed the modern world forever.