1) When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in 1914, it caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia and triggered a series of military alliances that drew the major powers of Europe into World War I. 2) On the Western Front between Germany and France, opposing armies had dug miles of trenches by early 1915, resulting in brutal trench warfare that caused immense suffering for soldiers. 3) Fighting also occurred on the Eastern Front between Germany and Russia, inflicting thousands of casualties. Although Russia launched attacks into Germany and Austria, it was often hampered by shortages of supplies due to lack of industrialization and attacks on supply lines.