In Part 2 of our First World War series, we dive into the opening year of the conflict — 1914. After the long-term causes set the stage and an assassination lit the fuse in Part 1, this episode follows how Europe’s great powers mobilised for war, how armies clashed in the first battles, and how the hope for a short conflict quickly faded into a much larger and bloodier reality. From the German invasion of Belgium to the early battles on the Western and Eastern Fronts, we break down the key military developments that defined the first months of the war.