Canada Enters WWI

World War I began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June 1914. Germany backed Austria-Hungary and Russia backed Serbia, leading Germany to declare war on Russia and France. In response, Britain declared war on Germany, bringing Canada into the war as a British dominion. Over 30,000 Canadians volunteered to serve within the first month, believing the war would be short. However, new machine gun technology and trench warfare led to grueling conditions in the trenches and high casualty rates.