First Great War

TBD: Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania, everyone in the Americas, Iran

The First Great War, often abbreviated as FGW or 1GW, was a major global conflict that began on __ and ended on __. Its belligerents included much of Europe, __, and __, with fighting taking place across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia(?). New technology, including the recent invention of the airplane, trench warfare, and especially chemical weapons made it one of the deadliest conflicts in history. An estimated 9 million soldiers died in combat, with another 5 million civilian deaths as a result of military actions, hunger, and disease.[2] Millions more died in genocides within __ and the __ pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war.[3][4]

By 19__, the European great powers were divided between the __, comprising __, and the __, containing __. Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian heir, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia, which led to the July Crisis, an unsuccessful attempt to avoid conflict through diplomacy. Russia came to Serbia's defence following Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on the latter on 28 July, and by 4 August, the system of alliances drew in Germany, France, and Britain, along with their respective colonies, although Italy remained neutral. In November 1914, the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria-Hungary formed the Central Powers, and in April 1915, Italy joined Britain, France, Russia, and Serbia as the Allies of World War I.