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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJune 28, 1914. 100 years ago today...
Last edited Sat Jun 28, 2014, 09:40 AM - Edit history (1)
100 years ago today, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia-Herzegovinia. This set in motion an exercise of alliances that resulted in the greatest war ever in the history of the world. This would be a war that would continue on as a cold war from November 11, 1918 until the hot war resumed on September 1, 1939. Today marks the centennial of the most impacting event of the 20th century. More people were killed by acts of war between June 28, 1914 and September 2, 1945 than during any other period of time of equal length in human history, before or since.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)That is the qualifier. There were greater slaughters of war in history but not of equal length. It does make that an horrific period in human history.
This could only to be eclipsed over a longer period of time by the Hindu Holocaust with only an estimate available of 50,000,000 to 70,000,000 human lives lost to Islamic war lords and some studies push it up to 100,000,000.
Of course 1/3 of the population of Europe (25,000,000) died over a 5 year period from the Black Death. A war waged unknowingly by a flea.
Perspectives I guess.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)Some say it was far more than that. We'll never know precisely because deaths in the Soviet Union and China are estimates at best.
That's one 6 year and 1 day period.
More than 13,000,000 dead during World War I.
I include both because truly, one lead to the other.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)You beat me to it (I posted about the anniversary a year ago and was going to do so again):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023123123
GTMA
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)That single assassination resulted in over 85 million deaths over the next 31 years.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)BKH70041
(961 posts)It was made in 1964 (50 year anniversary) and offers some of the best footage and background information on the reasons behind WW1 and the battles fought as any I've seen. It's around 30 episodes long (40 minutes each) but well worth the time if you enjoy the history of things like this.
greatauntoftriplets
(175,749 posts)Yet it's not a date with which most Americans are familiar.
BTW, you might want to edit the subject line -- it should be 1914, not 2014.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)I can remember WWI vets marching in memorial day parades. It is fading into history, there are no living participants, but we are still dealing with the consequences, for example in Iraq and Syria.
Omaha Steve
(99,700 posts)The can of beer with the photo of the Archduke Ferdinand on the label. Marta and I won a trivia game once answering the who was assassinated question. We would never have got it right without that episode!
OS