Austria-Hungary's Role In World War I

The

Austria-Hungary's alliance with Germany

The alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany was formed in 1879, known as the Dual Alliance. It was a defensive pact, with both powers promising to support each other in the event of an attack by Russia, and remain neutral if either was attacked by another European power (widely assumed to be France).

The alliance was surprising to many, as the two nations had been driven apart in the past, and the Habsburg rulers believed that Germany's promotion of nationalism would destroy their multinational empire. However, their shared distrust of Russia united them. This alliance was part of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's system of alliances, which aimed to prevent war and preserve peace.

After the formation of the German Empire in 1871, Bismarck wanted to portray Germany as a peacemaker and preserve the European status quo. In 1878, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire, gaining considerable influence in the Balkans, which outraged Austria-Hungary. Bismarck called an international conference, the Congress of Berlin, to resolve the issue. The resulting Treaty of Berlin reversed Russia's gains and provided compensation to Austria in the form of Bosnia. Despite Bismarck's efforts, Russo-German relations deteriorated, and Germany and Austria-Hungary were now free to ally against Russia.

The addition of Italy in 1882 turned the alliance into the Triple Alliance, the first formal alliance in Europe. However, Italy did not immediately join Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I, instead remaining neutral until 1915 when it joined the Entente powers and declared war on Austria-Hungary and, later, Germany.

The alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany was a significant factor in the lead-up to World War I. In 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian-backed terrorist, Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, declared war on Serbia. Russia's support of Serbia brought other powers into the conflict, including Germany, which declared war on Russia and France. Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality and its growing dominance in Europe led to Britain's entry into the war, thus escalating the conflict into a global war.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife, Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital of Austria-Hungary. The assassination was carried out by a group of six assassins from the nationalist group Mlada Bosna, who were supplied with weapons by the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist society with close ties to the Serbian army.

The assassination was the culmination of a plot by the Black Hand to assassinate the Archduke because of his perceived threat to Serbian independence. Bosnia-Herzegovina had been annexed by Austria-Hungary a few years earlier, against the wishes of neighbouring Serbia, which also coveted the provinces. Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb and member of Mlada Bosna, was one of several would-be assassins recruited, trained, and equipped by the Black Hand.

On the day of the assassination, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, arrived in Sarajevo by train and proceeded to the Town Hall by car. The motorcade was headed to a reception at Sarajevo City Hall when, at around 10:15 a.m., an assassination attempt was made by Nedeljko Cabrinovic, who hurled a bomb at the car. The bomb bounced off the folded-up roof of the car and rolled underneath the wrong vehicle. The subsequent explosion wounded two army officers and several bystanders but left the Archduke and his wife unharmed. Cabrinovic was apprehended while attempting to flee and the other assassins failed to act as the cars drove past them quickly.

Later that day, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were returning from a visit to the Sarajevo Hospital when their convoy took a wrong turn into a street where Gavrilo Princip happened to be standing. Princip shot and killed the Archduke and his wife with a pistol. The assassination precipitated a rapid descent into World War I, as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia a month later, on 28 July 1914.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia

On the 23rd of July 1914, nearly a month after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a young Serbian nationalist, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. The ultimatum was delivered by the ambassador of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Serbia, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, to the Serbian foreign ministry.

The ultimatum was formulated in 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 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 taking of legal proceedings against extremist secret organisations operating against Austria.
• The involvement of Austro-Hungarian officials in the investigation into the assassination and in the hunting down and prosecution of the ringleaders on Serbian territory, which would infringe on Serbia's state sovereignty.
• A demand that Serbia react within 48 hours.

The initial consequence of Serbia not accepting the demands was to be the breaking off of diplomatic relations, although there was no explicit threat of war. However, it was clear that this would be the next step.

Serbia's answer arrived within the 48-hour period on the 25th of July, accepting the majority of the demands but rejecting the final point concerning the participation of Austrian officials in investigations on Serbian sovereign territory. There was surprise that Serbia had gone so far in their acceptance of the demands, but the Austrian foreign minister's refusal to countenance the idea of further negotiations made it clear that Vienna was not interested in a diplomatic solution.

Three days later, on the 28th of July, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, beginning the First World War.

Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia

On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian-backed terrorist. This event followed several years of tensions between the governments of Austria-Hungary and Serbia after the former's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908.

As a result of the shootings, the government of Austria-Hungary communicated a list of demands to the government of Serbia. The Serbian government agreed to comply wholly, or in part, with most of the ultimatum, but, after obtaining guarantees from the Russian government that it would receive support against Austria-Hungary, it rejected the last demand that would have resulted in a major infringement of its sovereignty. The government in Vienna broke diplomatic relations and announced a mobilisation of the army against Serbia. On the 28th of July 1914, after a report of an unverified incident involving Habsburg and Serbian troops, the government of Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

Following the murder, Austria-Hungary sought to inflict a military blow on Serbia, to demonstrate its own strength and to dampen Serbian support for Yugoslav nationalism, viewing it as a threat to the unity of its multi-national empire. Vienna, however, was wary of the reaction of Russia (a major supporter of Serbia) and sought a guarantee from its ally, Germany, that Berlin would support Austria in any conflict. Germany guaranteed its support through what came to be known as the "blank cheque", but urged Austria-Hungary to attack quickly to localise the war and avoid drawing in Russia.

Austria-Hungary made its ultimatum to Serbia on the 23rd of July 1914. Before Serbia replied, Russia ordered a secret, but noticed, partial mobilisation of its armed forces. Though Russia's military leadership knew they were not yet strong enough for a general war, they believed that the Austro-Hungarian grievance against Serbia was a pretext orchestrated by Germany, and considered a forceful response to be the best course of action. Russia's partial mobilisation—the first major military action not undertaken by a direct participant in the conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia—increased the willingness of Serbia to defy the threat of an Austro-Hungarian attack; it also alarmed the German leadership, which had not anticipated the idea of needing to fight Russia before France.

Austria-Hungary's expansionist motives

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian-backed terrorist group in June 1914, heightened tensions and provided a catalyst for Austria-Hungary to pursue a more aggressive foreign policy. Austria-Hungary had long viewed Serbia as a threat to the stability of its multi-ethnic empire and sought to crush any potential challenge to its dominance in the Balkans. With German encouragement and support, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, intentionally designed to provoke a conflict. When Serbia only partially accepted the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary used this as a pretext to declare war on Serbia in July 1914, marking the beginning of World War I.

Additionally, Austria-Hungary's expansionist motives were driven by a desire to maintain the integrity of its multi-ethnic empire. The empire consisted of two sovereign states, Austria and Hungary, with a diverse range of ethnic groups, including Slavs, Romanians, and Italians. However, there were growing nationalist sentiments among these ethnic groups, and Austria-Hungary sought to suppress any challenges to its rule. The annexation of Bosnia in 1908 and the subsequent Bosnian Crisis further strained relations in the region and contributed to Austria-Hungary's expansionist motives.

The expansionist motives of Austria-Hungary were also influenced by a desire to maintain its status as a great power and to secure its position relative to other European powers, such as Germany, France, and Russia. The formation of alliances, such as the Triple Alliance with Germany and Italy, and the Mediterranean Entente with Britain and Italy, reflected Austria-Hungary's desire to maintain its influence and counter potential rivals.

In summary, Austria-Hungary's expansionist motives were driven by a combination of factors, including a desire to maintain and extend its influence in the Balkans, counter Russian influence, suppress nationalist sentiments within its empire, and secure its status as a great power relative to other European nations. These motives ultimately contributed to the outbreak of World War I and had significant consequences for the region and the world.

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