In the First Battle of the Marne, fought from September 6-9, 1914, French and British forces confronted the invading German army, which had by then penetrated deep into northeastern France, within 30 miles of Paris. The Germans left death and destruction in their wake as they advanced through Belgium toward France, shooting civilians and executing a Belgian priest they had accused of inciting civilian resistance. In the first battle of World War I, the Germans assaulted the heavily fortified city of Liege, using the most powerful weapons in their arsenal-enormous siege cannons-to capture the city by August 15. On August 4, 1914, German troops crossed the border into Belgium. The Western FrontĪccording to an aggressive military strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan (named for its mastermind, German Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen), Germany began fighting World War I on two fronts, invading France through neutral Belgium in the west and confronting Russia in the east. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed. The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary then sent an ultimatum to Serbia, with such harsh terms as to make it almost impossible to accept.Ĭonvinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche, or “blank check” assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of war. Austro-Hungarian leaders feared that a Russian intervention would involve Russia’s ally, France, and possibly Great Britain as well. Kaiser Wilhelm IIīecause mighty Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurance from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all. Princip and other nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The spark that ignited World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand-heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire-was shot to death along with his wife, Sophie, by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. In July 2009, it was voted number 100 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time.Tensions had been brewing throughout Europe-especially in the troubled Balkan region of southeast Europe-for years before World War I actually broke out.Ī number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements. The song was voted the best single of 2004 by The Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, and number one on Australian youth radio network Triple J's Hottest 100 of the same year. In November 2004, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was a number-seven hit on the Canadian Singles Chart, and also reached number one on the UK Indie Chart. S., it reached number three on Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single reached number three in the UK Singles Chart. It was released as 7" vinyl, a CD single, and a DVD single with the music video and a short interview with the band. It was released as the second single from their eponymous debut studio album in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2004 and in the United States on 9 February, both through Domino Records. "Take Me Out" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand.
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