Two wars that redrew the map
In one generation Europe stumbled into two wars so vast they pulled in the whole planet and left empires in ruins. The World Wars remade borders, toppled monarchies, and set the stage for the modern world you live in.
1914 and 1939
World War I (1914–1918) grew from tangled alliances, militarism, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Its harsh aftermath helped set the stage for World War II (1939–1945), after which Europe was rebuilt and divided between Western democracies and the Soviet bloc.
WWI: 1914–1918 · WWII: 1939–1945
Lab · Spark vs. cause
- Note the immediate spark of WWI (the assassination).
- List deeper causes: alliances, militarism, imperial rivalry.
- Distinguish the trigger from the underlying causes.
What you should see: The assassination was the spark, but alliances and militarism were the deeper causes that turned it into a world war.