Germany was
not the instigator of , but it was a key player in the war. Germany signed a treaty with
Austria-Hungary promising support if the nation was threatened. After the assassination of the
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary gave
Serbia a list of unreasonable demands to meet or else it would be invaded. Serbia, a Slavic
nation, appealed to Russia, as Czar Nicholas II claimed to defend all of the Slavs. Russia
started to mobilize in an attempt to intimidate Austria-Hungary into backing down.
Austria-Hungary secured German backing for its own mobilization. Germany feared Russian
mobilization as well and it declared war on Russia. France, bound by treaty to defend Russia,
then entered the war against Germany.
The Central Powers included Germany,
Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Italy, and Bulgaria. The Ottoman Empire was in this
coalition because it was angry at Russia after the Balkan Wars and wanted...
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