Explore how sophisticated leaders made reasonable decisions that collectively led to catastrophe. From Serbian nationalism to rigid alliance systems, discover how the assassination of an archduke triggered the war that created our modern world.

Teach me about the First World War - covering the main causes, key events, major battles, and how it reshaped the world.


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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco

Lena: Hey everyone, welcome back to another personalized episode from BeFreed-we're absolutely thrilled to dive into one of history's most pivotal moments with you today.
Eli: I couldn't agree more! And wow, Lena, when someone asks us to explore the First World War-the causes, the key battles, how it completely reshaped our world-there's just so much fascinating material to unpack. This isn't just ancient history we're talking about; this is the event that basically created the modern world as we know it.
Lena: Exactly! And what I find so compelling is how this wasn't some inevitable march toward war that everyone saw coming. It's actually the opposite-it's this incredible story of how an entire continent essentially sleepwalked into catastrophe.