A Distant Corner of the Eastern Front, 1914

Two Jews stand disconsolately among the ashes of wooden houses burnt to the ground in their Galician town in 1914, only brick chimney stacks left standing. A photograph that was probably taken in August or September during or shortly after what was known as the Battle of Galicia, which ended in a crushing Russian victory…

How the first world war changed the world

“ON JULY 28th 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, beginning the first world war. In the following four years, millions would lose their lives. What else changed? Economies shrank, stagnated and hyperinflated. It took over a decade for the German economy to recover to its size in 1913. Industry was weakened across Europe. As the continent splurged…

94th Commemoration of the Treaty of Trianon (1920-2014)

Today marks the ominous and tragic anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon. Ninety-four years ago, in the turmoil and chaos of post-war Europe, the Treaty of Trianon (signed June 4, 1920) forever altered the regional ethnic structure of Central and Eastern Europe. A treaty designed for peace destabilized a continent already mired in violent historical…

Sarajevo: the crossroads of history – FT.com

Sarajevo: the crossroads of history – FT.com On a street corner here 100 years ago, a 19-year-old Serb nationalist shot the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and triggered the first world war. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, is still a potent and divisive symbol.

10 interpretations of who started WW1

BBC News – World War One: 10 interpretations of who started WW1 As nations gear up to mark 100 years since the start of World War One, academic argument still rages over which country was to blame for the conflict.