South African forces occupy Lüderitz

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The killing became the trigger for a diplomatic crisis, but the wider war grew from...

Vienna delivered a severe ultimatum to Serbia, including demands that Serbian officials permit Austro-Hungarian participation in the investigation. Serbia accepted most demands but not all....

Austria-Hungary declared war after receiving Germany’s support. Mobilizations and declarations followed across Europe. The chain was not an automatic mechanical effect of alliances: political...

Germany invaded neutral Belgium as part of its western campaign. Britain declared war on Germany the same day. Belgium’s resistance and occupation became central to Allied war narratives, while the...

Fighting spread to German colonies in Togo, Cameroon, and German East Africa. African soldiers served in colonial forces, while large numbers of civilians were recruited—often forcibly—as carriers....

Indian Army units reached France in September 1914 as Britain faced a manpower crisis. Around 1.4 million people from India served in military and support roles across the war, while India also...

Lieutenant-Colonel Manie Maritz defied the Union government’s order to participate in the invasion of German South-West Africa and aligned his force with Germany. The rebellion reflected Afrikaner...

Ottoman naval forces attacked Russian Black Sea ports, drawing the empire into the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The conflict opened campaigns in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia, Sinai,...

After a siege involving Japanese and British forces, the German garrison at Qingdao surrendered. Japan’s occupation of the German concession in China gave Tokyo a stronger position in East Asia. The...

Japan presented China with demands that would expand Japanese control over German rights in Shandong and privileges in Manchuria and elsewhere. China negotiated under pressure and rejected the most...