On 1st August [O.S. 20 July] 1914, the Russian Empire entered the First World War, the Great War, which became one of the largest and most tragic events of the 20th century. It not only changed the political map of the world, but also marked the end of the centuries-old era of the great European monarchical Empires.

The reason for the outbreak of war was the murder in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Duchess Sofia, on 28th (15th O.S.) June 1914 by members of the Mlada Bosna organization led by Gavrilo Princip. It is noteworthy that the assassination took place on Vidov Day, a sorrowful date for the Serbian people associated with the defeat on Kosovo Polje in 1389.

On 23rd (O.S. 10th) July, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum, and a few days later declared war on the Balkan kingdom. Russia, fulfilling its allied duty and speaking out in defense of Orthodox Serbia, began a general mobilization. In response, on 1st (O.S. August (O.S. 19th July), the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire. Following this, the largest powers of Europe, and then dozens of other nations, were involved in the armed confrontation.

The war engulfed 38 countries. About 74 million people were mobilized into the ranks of the armed forces, more than 10 million of whom died or died of wounds. In the Russian Empire, contemporaries called this conflict the Great War, the Second Patriotic War or the Great Patriotic War, emphasizing its national character and significance for the fate of the Fatherland.

The Russian Imperial Army performed its duty with honor, showing courage and dedication on the battlefields. However, the revolutionary events of February and October 1917 led to the collapse of the monarchy and historical Russian statehood. After the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was concluded with Germany and its allies, which meant Russia’s withdrawal from the war on the most difficult terms. This decision entailed huge territorial losses, became one of the reasons for the Civil War and marked the end of the Russian Empire.

On 11th November 1918, the First World War ended. The Entente states celebrated the victory, but Russia, which suffered colossal human sacrifices and made a huge contribution to the fight against the Central Powers, was no longer among the victorious powers.

One of the most tragic results of the Great War was the disappearance of four great Empires at once – Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman. Their fall meant not just a change of state borders, but the end of an entire historical epoch that for centuries determined the political, cultural and spiritual image of Europe. Instead of the long-awaited lasting peace, the continent received new contradictions, revolutions and upheavals, which two decades later led humanity to an even more terrible catastrophe – World War II.

© Paul Gilbert. 1 August 2026