Serbia's Motives For War With Austria

Serbia did not want to go to war with Austria-Hungary. However, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, led to a series of events that ultimately resulted in Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia a month later.

The assassination was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist and member of a Serbian paramilitary group called the Black Hand, which desired to unite all Balkan Slavs under the Kingdom of Serbia. The assassination was met with nationalist demonstrations in Serbia, which displeased the Austrians. In the aftermath, Serbia attempted to calm tensions, but Austria-Hungary was determined to respond militarily and, with the support of Germany, presented Serbia with an ultimatum on July 23, 1914.

Serbia accepted all but one of the terms of the ultimatum, which would have allowed Austro-Hungarian law enforcement to operate in Serbian trials. Austria-Hungary found this inadequate and broke off diplomatic relations on July 25, proceeding with military preparedness measures. Serbia, with the support of Russia, began its own military mobilisation. This series of events led to a complex web of alliances and miscalculations, ultimately resulting in the outbreak of World War I.

Serbian nationalism and the desire to unite all Balkan Slavs under the Kingdom of Serbia

Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism that arose in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule. Serbian nationalism was a significant factor during the Balkan Wars, which contributed to the decline of the Ottoman Empire and, later, the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Serbian nationalism was influenced by Serbian linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and Serbian statesman Ilija Garašanin. Karadžić created a linguistic definition of Serbs that included all speakers of the Štokavian dialect, regardless of their religious affiliation or geographical origin. Garašanin was a proponent of a Greater Serbia – a Serbian state whose borders were extended to include all Serbs in the Balkan region.

After Serbia gained independence in 1878, Serbian nationalists merged their goals with those of Yugoslavists. They claimed that Serbia sought not only to unite all Serbs in one state but also to be a South Slavic Piedmont that would unite all South Slavs in a state known as Yugoslavia. This vision of a centralised Yugoslav state was opposed by Croatian nationalists, who demanded decentralisation and an autonomous Croatia within Yugoslavia.

Serbian nationalism was a significant factor in the lead-up to World War I. In 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary, supported by its ally Germany, sought to punish Serbia and demonstrate its strength, viewing Serbian nationalism as a threat to the unity of its multinational empire. This ultimately led to a clash of alliances and the eruption of World War I.

Following World War I, Serbia joined territories claimed by Yugoslav nationalists to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, informally known as Yugoslavia, in 1918. Serbian nationalists supported a centralised Yugoslav state, while Croatian and Slovenian nationalists advocated for a confederal or federal state. This antagonism between centralised and decentralised visions of Yugoslavia was a significant source of instability during the interwar period.

In conclusion, Serbian nationalism and the desire to unite all Balkan Slavs under the Kingdom of Serbia played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the Balkans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It contributed to the decline of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires and led to the formation of Yugoslavia, with ongoing tensions between centralised and decentralised visions of the state.

Austria-Hungary's suppression of ethnic nationalism in the region

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in June 1914, served as a catalyst for these tensions. The act was perpetrated by the Black Hand, a Serbian paramilitary group seeking to unite all Balkan Slavs under Serbian rule. This incident highlighted the growing Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region, which Austria-Hungary viewed as a challenge to its dominance.

In the aftermath of the assassination, nationalist demonstrations in Serbia further strained relations between the two nations. Austrians perceived these demonstrations as a collective celebration of the act, blaming the entire Serbian nation. This sentiment was echoed in a letter from Austrian Secretary of Legation Ritter von Storck to Austrian Foreign Minister Count Berchtold, where he noted the delight and jubilant remarks made by the Serbian people.

Austria-Hungary, determined to curb Serbian ambition and nationalism in the region, issued an ultimatum to Serbia on July 23, 1914. This ultimatum included demands such as the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda and the allowance of Austro-Hungarian involvement in the investigation of the Archduke's assassination. While Serbia accepted most of the demands, Austria-Hungary was not satisfied and broke off diplomatic relations on July 25, proceeding with military preparedness measures.

The suppression of ethnic nationalism within Austria-Hungary itself was also a significant aspect of the empire's policies. During World War I, the empire faced challenges from nationalist movements seeking independence or autonomy. These movements gained momentum as the war progressed and the empire's position weakened. Nationalists within the empire became increasingly embittered as the military, under expanded wartime powers, routinely suspended civil rights and treated different national groups with contempt.

The treatment of various ethnic groups within the empire varied. In the Austrian half of the Dual Monarchy, military absolutism empowered German nationalists to settle scores with their Czech and Slovene counterparts. In Hungary, the situation was slightly different due to the prevention of a military takeover of the administration. However, Hungarian nationalists indiscriminately persecuted linguistic minorities, including Serbian, Slovak, Romanian, and Ukrainian speakers.

As the war progressed, the empire's multi-ethnic army struggled to maintain morale, and nationalist movements within the empire grew stronger. The Allies encouraged breakaway demands from minorities, further contributing to the empire's disintegration. Emperor Karl I attempted to preserve the empire by proposing a federal state structure, but this effort came too late, and the national groups were determined to pursue independence.

The ultimate dissolution of Austria-Hungary resulted in the formation of new states, such as German Austria (later the First Austrian Republic) and the Hungarian People's Republic (which underwent several transformations before becoming the Kingdom of Hungary). The treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Trianon formalized the new borders, significantly reducing the size and influence of the former constituent kingdoms and countries.

Austria-Hungary's desire to prevent irredentist movements within the empire

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states, the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, with a single monarch who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The Compromise of 1867, which established this dual monarchy, was a response to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the subsequent 18-year-long military dictatorship and absolutist rule over Hungary by Emperor Franz Joseph.

The Compromise restored Hungary's territorial integrity and its old historic constitution, which included the Hungarian parliament as the supreme legislative power in the kingdom. It also re-established the Hungarian legal and judicial systems and the independent customs system, which had been abolished after the Hungarian Revolution. Additionally, it created a common Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a common finance ministry, and the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, while allowing Hungary to retain its own legal and judicial systems, as well as its own smaller army, the Royal Hungarian Honvéd.

The Compromise was unpopular among ethnic Hungarian voters, who felt that it betrayed the cause of the 1848-49 War of Independence and reduced Hungary's sovereignty. This discontent was further fuelled by the fact that the Compromise was arranged and legitimised by a small part of Hungarian society, as suffrage was very limited at the time. The continuous electoral success of the pro-compromise Liberal Party, which was popular among ethnic minority voters, caused long-lasting frustration for Hungarians.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the Central Powers in World War I, which began with its declaration of war on the Kingdom of Serbia on 28 July 1914. This was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. The assassination was carried out by a member of the Black Hand, a Serbian paramilitary group that sought to unite all Balkan Slavs under the Kingdom of Serbia.

Austria-Hungary, concerned about Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region, decided to prepare for a possible military invasion of Serbia. After securing the support of its powerful ally, Germany, it presented Serbia with a rigid ultimatum on 23 July 1914, demanding, among other things, the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda within Serbia and the allowance of Austro-Hungarian involvement in the investigation of the archduke's killing. Although Serbia accepted all but one of the demands, Austria-Hungary was not satisfied and broke diplomatic relations on 25 July, continuing with its military preparedness measures.

The empire's response to the assassination, including the ultimatum to Serbia and its subsequent declaration of war, can be understood in the context of its desire to suppress irredentist movements and maintain unity within its multi-ethnic and multi-national state.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo. The assassination was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist and member of a revolutionary group called the Black Hand. The group's political objective was to free Bosnia and Herzegovina of Austria-Hungarian rule and establish a common South Slav ("Yugoslav") state.

The assassination of the Archduke and his wife was the culmination of a series of events. In May 1914, Princip, along with Trifko Grabez and Nedeljko Cabrinovic, travelled to Belgrade, where they received weapons and training from members of the Black Hand. They then returned to Bosnia-Herzegovina, smuggling their weapons across the border with the help of Black Hand associates.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife departed for Bosnia-Herzegovina on 23 June. The Archduke's visit was particularly contentious given that Austria-Hungary had recently annexed the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, against the wishes of neighbouring Serbia, which also coveted them. The Archduke himself believed the Serbs to be “pigs”, “thieves”, “murderers” and “scoundrels”.

On the morning of 28 June, the Archduke and his wife boarded a train for the short ride into Sarajevo. The motorcade's route had been published in advance, and seven members of the Young Bosnians (a secret revolutionary society of peasant students) had fanned out along the Appel Quay, a main avenue in Sarajevo. When the motorcade passed by, Cabrinovic threw a bomb at the car, but it bounced off and rolled underneath the wrong vehicle. The subsequent explosion wounded several people but left the Archduke and his wife essentially unharmed. Cabrinovic was apprehended as he attempted to flee.

The Archduke and his wife then continued on to city hall, where they attended a reception. After finishing the event, the couple insisted on visiting the wounded officers in the hospital. In order to avoid any further bomb attempts, the motorcade zipped down the Appel Quay at high speeds. However, the first three cars turned onto a side street, and in the confusion, the car carrying the Archduke and his wife stalled. Princip, who happened to be standing nearby, seized the opportunity and fired two shots at the couple from point-blank range, fatally wounding them both.

The assassination of the Archduke and his wife set off a rapid descent into World War I. Austria-Hungary, with the support of Germany, sent an ultimatum to Serbia, which was worded in a way that made acceptance unlikely. Serbia proposed arbitration, but Austria-Hungary instead declared war on 28 July 1914, exactly a month after the assassination. Within a week, Germany, Russia, France, Belgium, Montenegro and Great Britain had all been drawn into the conflict, and other countries like the United States would enter later.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia

On 23 July 1914, the Austro-Hungarian government issued Serbia with an ultimatum, demanding a response within 48 hours. The ultimatum was designed to be unacceptable to Serbia and was indeed rejected.

The ultimatum contained six points:

• The Serbian government was required to officially distance itself from the political campaign to unite the southern Slav peoples under Serbian leadership, which was seen as a challenge to the territorial integrity of Austria-Hungary.
• The purging of the Serbian army and civil service of anti-Austrian agitators.
• The suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda in the Serbian press.
• The tracking down and prosecution of extremist secret organisations operating against Austria.
• The participation of Austrian officials in the investigation into the assassination and in the hunting down and prosecution of the ringleaders on Serbian territory.
• The suppression of publications inciting hatred and contempt of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

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