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Mobilisation by the army
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo. At the time nobody thought that this event at the other end of Europe could lead to wider conflict. The shifting alliances, a desire by some to go to battle and the growing strength of nationalism in Europe lead the powers to a standoff, which some consider to be the original catastrophe of the 20th century.
Germany declared war on Russia on August 1 and on France on the 3rd. On August 1, the military mobilisation order was read aloud by the Mayor of Lille on the steps of the Grand-Garde. Photos bear witness to a large, silent crowd, far removed from the enthusiasm and fervour described for so long in the official propaganda.