| World war is also known as The great War.On the | | | | First World War, it can certainly be said to have been |
| 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student, | | | | significant in terms of the wider strategic context. |
| killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the | | | | The British attempt to subjugate the tribal leaders |
| Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo. Princip was a | | | | who had rebelled against their British overlords drew |
| member of Young Bosnia, a group whose aims | | | | away much needed troops from other theaters, in |
| included the unification of the South Slavs and | | | | particular, of course, the Western Front, where the |
| independence from Austria-Hungary. The | | | | real decisive victory would be made. |
| assassination in Sarajevo set into motion a series of | | | | The reason why some Indian and Afghani tribes rose |
| fast-moving events that eventually escalated into | | | | up simply came down to years of discontent which |
| full-scale war. Austria-Hungary demanded action by | | | | erupted, probably not coincidentally, during the First |
| Serbia to punish those responsible, and when | | | | World War. It is likely that the tribal leaders were |
| Austria-Hungary deemed Serbia had not complied, | | | | aware that Britain would not be able to field the |
| declared war. Major European powers were at war | | | | required men, in terms of either number or quality. |
| within weeks because of overlapping agreements for | | | | They underestimated, however, the strategic |
| collective defense and the complex nature of | | | | importance placed on India by the British; despite |
| international alliances. | | | | being located far away from the epicenter of the |
| The casualties were: | | | | conflict, it provided a bounty of men for the fronts. |
| Military dead: | | | | Its produce was also needed for the British war |
| 5,525,000 | | | | effort and many trade routes running to other |
| Military wounded: 12,831,500 | | | | profitable areas of the Empire ran through India. |
| Military missing: 4,121,000[1] | | | | Therefore, although the British were not able to send |
| Military dead: | | | | the men that they wanted, they were able to send |
| 4,386,000 | | | | enough to resist the revolt of the tribesmen through |
| Military wounded: 8,388,000 | | | | a gradual but effective counter-guerilla war. The |
| Military missing: 3,629,000lthough the conflict in India | | | | fighting continued into 1919 and in some areas lasted |
| cannot be explicitly said to have been a part of the | | | | even longer. |