The leadup to the Great European Conflagration.

On July 28, 1914, ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand II was assassinated in Sarajevo. This provoked perfect opportunity for Austria-Hungary to gain public support for a war against the Serbs. The assassination is probably the most important event which led to WWI. After Austria-Hungary went to war on Serbia, Russia declared to stand by the Serbs. This made Serbia less willing to agree to Austro-Hungarian demands that might otherwise have been the case.The tzar escalated the crisis by …

…uphold the traditional supermacy of the Royal Navy. The Anglo-German naval race produced pain and tension in both countries, and deeply soured their relations. It was the naval race, Sir Edward Grey claimed, which was the most significant reason why British public opinion turned sharply against Germany, and which encouraged Britain to draw closer to France. All these things led to the overreaction that occurred exactly a month after 'the shot heard around the world."