Austria's Role In World War I: A Complex Question

did austria cause ww1

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in June 1914 is often viewed as the spark that ignited World War I. Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, declared war on Serbia on 28 July. Russia's support of Serbia brought France into the conflict. Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August and France on 3 August. Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality and British fears of German domination in Europe brought Britain and its empire into the war on 4 August.

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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Assassination

The assassination was carried out by a group of six assassins from the nationalist group Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnians), supplied by the Black Hand, a Serbian secret nationalist group. The assassins were Gavrilo Princip, Cvjetko Popović, Muhamed Mehmedbašić, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Trifko Grabež, and Vaso Čubrilović.

On the day of the assassination, the six assassins were positioned along the motorcade route as Franz Ferdinand and his wife rode in an open-topped car. The first assassination attempt was made by Čabrinović, who threw a grenade at the car but missed. The grenade injured some nearby people, but the motorcade was able to continue. About an hour later, when Franz Ferdinand was returning from a visit to the Sarajevo Hospital, the convoy took a wrong turn into a street where Gavrilo Princip coincidentally stood. Princip shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.

The Aftermath

The reaction among the Austrian people was mild, with historian Z. A. B. Zeman noting that "the event almost failed to make any impression whatsoever". In contrast, the assassination intensified the existing traditional religion-based ethnic hostilities in Bosnia, with Austrian authorities encouraging violence against Serb residents, resulting in the Anti-Serb riots of Sarajevo.

Austria-Hungary suspected Serbian backing for the assassination and was determined to use the royal murder to crush the Serbian threat. On 23 July, with the support of Germany, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding, among other things, the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda and the participation of Austro-Hungarian officials in the investigation. Serbia accepted most of the demands but rejected the demand for Austro-Hungarian officials to be involved. As a result, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, marking the start of World War I.

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The Austro-Hungarian ultimatum to Serbia

On 23 July 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding that the Serbian government:

  • Condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, which aimed to separate territories belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
  • Suppress all publications that "incite hatred and contempt" for the Monarchy and threaten its territorial integrity.
  • Dissolve the Serbian nationalist organisation, Narodna Odbrana, and confiscate its means of propaganda.
  • Eliminate propaganda against Austria-Hungary from schoolbooks and public documents.
  • Remove from the Serbian military and civil administration, all officers and functionaries whose names the Austro-Hungarian government will provide.
  • Accept "representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government" in Serbia to suppress subversive movements.
  • Bring to trial all accessories to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and allow Austro-Hungarian delegates to take part in the investigations.
  • Arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and civil servant Milan Ciganović, who were named as participants in the assassination plot.
  • Cease the cooperation of Serbian authorities in the "traffic of arms and explosives" across the frontier.
  • Dismiss and punish the officials of the Šabac and Loznica frontier service, who assisted the perpetrators of the Sarajevo crime.
  • Provide explanations to the Austro-Hungarian government regarding "Serbian officials" who expressed themselves in interviews in a manner hostile towards the Austro-Hungarian government.
  • Notify the Austro-Hungarian government without delay of the execution of the above measures.

The ultimatum was formulated in harsh terms, and Serbia was given only 48 hours to comply. The Austro-Hungarian government was determined to take decisive action against Serbia, despite the risk of war with Russia, Serbia's supporter. This ultimatum was a significant factor in the escalation of tensions that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I.

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The invasion of Serbia

The invasion began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip. Austria-Hungary was one of the Central Powers, along with the German and Ottoman Empires, and sought to crush the Serbian threat once and for all, believing that Serbia posed a threat to the stability of its multi-ethnic empire. The Austro-Hungarian forces were determined to take decisive action against Serbia, knowing that this risked war with Russia, Serbia's supporter.

The first invasion attempt was unsuccessful, and by the end of the year, the Austro-Hungarian Army had lost 227,000 out of a total force of 450,000 men. However, in the autumn of 1915, the second invasion attempt was launched, and Serbian forces were defeated by the Central Powers, leading to the occupation of Serbia. The defeat of Serbia gave the Central Powers temporary mastery over the Balkans, opening up a land route from Berlin to Constantinople and allowing them to resupply the Ottoman Empire for the rest of the war.

The Serbian army suffered staggering casualties throughout the invasions, falling from about 420,000 at its peak to about 100,000 at the moment of liberation in 1918. The invasion also had a devastating impact on Serbia's civilian population, with hundreds of thousands of deaths due to food shortages, epidemics, and direct clashes with occupiers. Overall, Serbia's casualties accounted for 8% of total Allied military deaths during World War I.

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The Balkan crisis

The Balkan League, comprising Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece, formed in 1912 with the aim to wage war on the Ottomans and drive them out of eastern Europe entirely. In October 1912, the League declared war, and after eight months of fighting, the Balkan states emerged victorious. This First Balkan War resulted in the Ottoman Empire losing almost all its European territories, with the exception of Eastern Thrace and Constantinople. The war also set the stage for the July Crisis of 1914, which was a prelude to World War One.

The First Balkan War was followed by a Second Balkan War in June 1913, when Bulgaria launched a surprise attack on its former allies in the Balkan League. This war further complicated the situation in the Balkans and resulted in severe penalties for Bulgaria under the Treaty of Bucharest (August 1913). The Serbs, victorious in both Balkan Wars, nearly doubled their nation's size with the acquisition of Kosovo and parts of Macedonia and Albania.

The two Balkan Wars forced the Great Powers, particularly Russia, to revisit their foreign policies in the region. The Balkan Crisis highlighted the region's strategic importance due to its geographic location between three major empires: Ottoman, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian. Additionally, the rising nationalist tensions and ethnic diversity in the Balkans confounded attempts to find lasting solutions to the conflicts in the region.

In summary, the Balkan Crisis of 1912-1913, comprising the two Balkan Wars and the ensuing political fallout, significantly contributed to the outbreak of World War One by exacerbating tensions between the Great Powers and highlighting the strategic importance of the Balkans. The crisis also led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which served as a pretext for Austria-Hungary's confrontation with Serbia and ultimately triggered a series of declarations of war that escalated into World War One.

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The alliance system

The formation of a unified Germany in 1871 disturbed the old "balance of power" in Europe. In response, Germany formed an alliance with neighbouring Austria-Hungary in 1879, which Italy joined three years later. This was known as the Triple Alliance. In turn, France and Russia, fearing Germany's growing strength, entered into an alliance in 1893.

The Triple Alliance was a complex three-way agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, driven by anti-French and anti-Russian sentiment. Each member was committed to providing military support to the others if one was attacked by two other powers, or if Germany and Italy were attacked by France.

In response to the Triple Alliance, France and Russia restored cordial relations and formed the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894. This was a military alliance that provided economic benefits to both nations, allowing Russia access to French loans and French capitalists access to Russian mining, industry, and raw materials.

Britain, which had traditionally maintained a position of neutrality and isolationism, also began to fear German domination in Europe and sought to protect its vast global empire. As a result, Britain put aside its historical conflicts with France and Russia, forming the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904 and the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907. These agreements were not military alliances but marked the end of British neutrality. Together, these agreements formed the Triple Entente, connecting Britain, France, and Russia.

The existence of these two rival blocs, effectively in opposition to each other, meant that war between two nations could lead to war between them all. Indeed, when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia in July 1914, Russia mobilised in support of Serbia, setting off a series of counter-mobilisations. Germany, in support of its ally, declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914, and on France three days later. Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality and British fears of German domination in Europe then brought Britain and its empire into the war on 4 August.

While the alliance system contributed to the rivalry, tension, and perception that war was possible, it did not make war inevitable. Ultimately, it was the decisions of national leaders that led to war.

Frequently asked questions

No, but it was one of the first nations to declare war. World War I began when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia in July 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of plotting and backing the assassination and threatened invasion.

Russia's support of Serbia brought France into the conflict. Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August and France on 3 August. Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality and British fears of German domination in Europe brought Britain and its empire into the war on 4 August.

The decisions for war were made in the context of growing nationalism, increased militarism, imperial rivalry and competition for power and influence. Europe's leaders were willing to go to war to defend or extend national interests and their choices were shaped by a combination of long and short-term foreign policy goals, political pressures at home, previous crises, and the system of opposing alliances that had developed over the previous 35 years.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire conscripted 7.8 million soldiers during World War I. The war efforts and the economic conditions on the home front led to a rapid deterioration of the empire's political stability. The empire collapsed in 1918, and the Kingdom of Hungary and the First Austrian Republic were treated as its successors de jure.

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