World War I

What was the conflict?
 World War One had been a fuse waiting to explode; the spark was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. Ferdinand's death at the hands of the Black Hand, a Serbian insurgency group, started series of events that culminated in the world's first world war.
Austria-Hungary's reaction to the death of their not so beloved heir was three weeks in coming.  Arguing that the Serbian government was implicated in the machinations of the Black Hand , the Austro-Hungarians opted to take the opportunity to stamp its authority upon the Serbians, destroying the nationalist movement there and brutally reinforcing Austria-Hungary's influence.

The country decreed an ultimatum to Serbia which, in the extent of its demand that the assassins be brought to justice effectively nullified Serbia's sovereignty. Austria-Hungary's expectation was that Serbia would reject terms of the ultimatum, thereby giving them a pretext for launching a war against them.
However, Serbia had long had  ties with Russia, an altogether different proposition for Austria-Hungary.  While not really expecting that Russia would be drawn into the dispute to any great extent other than through words of diplomatic protest, the Austro-Hungarian government sought assurances from her ally, Germany, that the country would come to their aid if necessary.
Who were the parties involved?
The Triple Alliance:

Austria-Hungary

Germany

Italy

The Triple Entente

Russia

France

Britain

For an authentic video that shows you Franz Ferdinand arriving at the Sarajevo Town Hall

http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/ferdinand.htm