World War I began in 1914 and divided Europe into two alliance groups - the Allied Powers and Central Powers. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire to form the Central Powers against Britain, France, Russia, and Italy's Allied Powers. Over 30 countries were eventually involved in the war, which caused over 10 million deaths before ending in 1919. The war impacted Singapore through a decrease in trade as German warships attacked British trading ships. This caused traders to avoid Singapore and food imports decreased. The local population panicked and over-bought food, leading to inflation of food prices. The government took measures to import more rice and stop large food exports.