3 August 1914: War Reaches France

3 August 1914 was a Monday on which the European order lost its footing. That evening, the German Empire declared war on France. The diplomatic formula sounded sober, almost bureaucratic. Its effect was not: between two neighbors with a long history of rivalry, trade, culture and war, a conflict began that would shape France, Europe and large parts of the world for decades.The German declaration of war reached the French government after 6:45 p.m. In the note it delivered, Berlin claimed that French aircraft had attacked German territory and violated ...