Part 9/11:
By the dawn of the 20th century, the world stood on the brink of immense conflict, armed with the tools of industrialization. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914 set off a chain reaction that plunged Europe into war. Initially, soldiers marched off, confident of a quick resolution, but the reality would be one of unprecedented destruction and horror.
As World War I unfolded, it became clear that the defensive advantages inherent to industrial warfare had increased. The efficiency of machine guns and fortified trench systems transformed tactics on the battlefield. Innovations in artillery, tanks, and eventually airplanes contributed to a staggering scale of human loss, underpinning the conflict's brutal reality.