The Great War began on June 28, 1914, when a man seeking independence for Serbia assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary and its ally Germany held Serbia responsible and declared war, and Serbia's allies Russia, Britain, and France then declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Russia attacked Germany from the east while Germany invaded Belgium, hoping to reach Paris, and France attacked Germany along their mutual border. Soon the Western Front fell into stalemate as millions of soldiers lived in trenches stretching for hundreds of miles along the borders of France, Belgium, and Germany. During 1915 the conflict became a true world war as Turkey joined Germany and Austria-Hungary and colonial nations fought for Britain and France. Poison gas, barbed wire, and trench warfare made the long battles incredibly deadly and left many survivors with devastating wounds. Many Americans at first viewed the war as a European conflict and resisted joining, but Germany's provocations, including the sinking of the Lusitania, which killed more than 100 Americans, helped change opinion. In April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, saying America would fight to make the world safe for democracy. After the Selective Service Act, four million men were quickly drafted into the military, while American women served at home and in Europe as nurses and in other vital roles. The addition of U.S. troops proved overwhelming, the German Army began surrendering along the Western Front, and in the fall of 1918 the German Navy revolted and the German leader abdicated. On November 11, 1918, the war ended. During World War I, 9,000,000 soldiers died, four empires dissolved, Lenin gained control of Russia, and large parts of Europe were devastated. Despite President Wilson's effort to secure a humane peace, blockades and other punishments against Germany caused starvation and desperation. The war eventually proved to be the basis for an even more devastating second World War just 21 years later. Americans at home also took part through bond drives, Red Cross volunteer work, Boy Scout efforts, and rapidly expanded mass manufacturing in which women and African-Americans joined the workforce to produce military equipment. By the time the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, 116,000 Americans had been killed and 204,000 wounded, and the war had affected every small town, city, and rural area of the country.