Who Triggered Wwi? Serbia Vs. Austria-Hungary

On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo. This event set off a chain of actions and reactions that culminated in World War I. While the assassination was the spark, the tension between Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been building for years.

Austria-Hungary had long viewed Serbia as a threat to the stability of its multi-ethnic empire, especially after Serbia emerged as a larger and more assertive presence in southeast Europe following the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. Additionally, the annexation of Bosnia by Austria-Hungary in 1908 and Serbian ambitions to unify southeast Europe's Slavic people further strained relations.

After the assassination, Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, presented Serbia with an ultimatum designed to provoke a war. Serbia's reply, which conceded to all but one of the demands, was rejected, and on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration of war marked the beginning of World War I, as it triggered a series of alliances and counter-alliances that pulled nations across Europe into the conflict.

Serbian nationalism

The origins of Serbian nationalism can be traced back to the 19th century, with the 1804 uprisings against Ottoman rule that eventually led to the creation of an independent Serbian state in 1878. However, Serbian nationalists often cite the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 between Serbia and the Ottoman Empire as the true origin of the movement. This battle, which took place on the Serbian national and religious holiday of Vidovdan, holds important symbolic meaning for Serbian nationalists.

After Serbia gained independence in 1878, both South Slavs and the Serbian government considered their peoples in Habsburg-ruled Austria-Hungary to be under occupation. This led to increasing antagonism between Serbia and Austria-Hungary from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Serbian nationalism during this period was influenced by Serbian linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and Serbian statesman Ilija Garašanin, who promoted the idea of a Greater Serbia that would include all Serbs in the Balkan region.

In 1914, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Bosnian Serb revolutionary Gavrilo Princip served as a catalyst for World War I. Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of involvement and subsequently declared war, resulting in a clash of alliances. This event brought to the forefront the tensions that had been building between Serbia and Austria-Hungary due to their competing nationalist aspirations.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, on June 28, 1914, was a pivotal event that sparked the First World War. Here is a detailed account of the assassination and its aftermath:

The Assassination

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, arrived in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They were on a visit to inspect military exercises and attend a series of official events. Unbeknownst to them, a group of young Bosnian Serb nationalists, known as the Young Bosnians, were plotting to assassinate the royal couple. The assassins, including Gavrilo Princip, Trifko Grabez, and Nedeljko Cabrinovic, were armed with bombs and pistols provided by the Black Hand, a secret Serbian nationalist society with ties to the Serbian army.

As the royal motorcade made its way through the city, Cabrinovic threw a bomb at the car carrying the Archduke and his wife. However, the bomb bounced off and exploded under a different vehicle, wounding several people but leaving the Archduke and Sophie unharmed. Undeterred, the assassins continued their pursuit. Later that day, as the motorcade took a wrong turn onto a side street, Princip found himself face-to-face with the royal couple. He fired two shots at point-blank range, fatally wounding both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie.

The Aftermath

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sent shockwaves across Europe and heightened tensions among the continent's powers. Austria-Hungary, believing that Serbia was complicit in the assassination, sought German support for punitive action against Serbia. With Germany's encouragement, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, knowing that its terms were unlikely to be accepted in full. Serbia proposed arbitration, but Austria-Hungary was determined to take decisive action and rejected the Serbian response.

The Declaration of War

On July 28, 1914, exactly one month after the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration set off a chain reaction of military mobilizations and alliances, drawing other European powers into the conflict. Russia, seeing itself as Serbia's protector, mobilized its forces, which Germany viewed as an aggressive act. Germany then declared war on Russia, followed by France, Belgium, Montenegro, and Great Britain, all choosing sides based on their alliances and political interests. The complex web of alliances and rivalries in Europe had turned a localized conflict in southeast Europe into a global war.

The Escalation

Germany's invasion of Belgium, a neutral country, was a significant turning point. This action prompted Britain to declare war on Germany, as it viewed the violation of Belgian neutrality as a moral issue and a threat to the balance of power in Europe. With Britain's entry, the conflict became a truly global war, involving not just European powers but also their empires and colonies around the world. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand had ignited tensions and rivalries among Europe's powers, leading to a conflict of unprecedented scale and devastation—the First World War.

Germany's blank cheque assurance to Austria-Hungary

On July 5, 1914, Germany pledged its unconditional support for Austria-Hungary in its conflict with Serbia, an assurance that came to be known as the "blank cheque". This assurance was given by Kaiser Wilhelm II to Count Ladislaus von Szögyény, the Habsburg ambassador to Berlin, and was a decisive moment in the lead-up to World War I.

The "blank cheque" assurance was based on several assumptions by German leaders, including the belief that Austria-Hungary was ready to initiate war against Serbia immediately and that a rapid strike would present Europe with a fait accompli. They also thought that the Tsarist regime was not militarily ready to risk a general European war and that monarchical solidarity would take precedence over pan-Slav sentiment, leading the Tsar to not support a state that had allegedly harboured the assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The "blank cheque" assurance bolstered the Austro-Hungarian leaders' decision to go to war with Serbia and was seen as a triumph for the war party in Vienna. However, when the prospect of a European war became more likely in late July, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg attempted to amend the assurance, but they were unsuccessful.

The arms race

The Naval Arms Race

Germany, a rising power at the time, sought to challenge the United Kingdom's naval dominance. In response, the UK launched a new, more advanced warship, the HMS Dreadnought, in 1906, triggering a naval arms race. The public in both countries, encouraged by the press, popular authors, and naval pressure groups, demanded more battleships.

Between 1909 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the UK launched a further 19 dreadnoughts and nine battle cruisers, while Germany launched 13 dreadnoughts and five battle cruisers.

The Strategies Behind the Arms Race

Deterrence, in this context, refers to making an adversary believe that an act of aggression will be defeated or will cost more than it gains. On the other hand, coercion or armed diplomacy implies using force to intimidate, punish, or deny.

The Impact of the Naval Arms Race

The naval arms race had significant consequences. It heightened tensions and contributed to the complex international dynamics that led to the outbreak of World War I. Additionally, the economic resources required for large-scale arms acquisitions were considerable, with potential negative economic consequences, especially for countries that had to import arms.

Imperialism

European Expansionism and Imperialism

The Scramble for Africa

The "Scramble for Africa" refers to the period of intense competition among European empires for control of African territories, which began around 1880. This competition fuelled rivalries and contributed to the tensions that led to World War I. By the time World War I began, almost all of Africa was under colonial rule, with Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal having established colonies on the continent.

In contrast to the Western European empires, the empires of Austria-Hungary, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire were contiguous, with territories connected by land. On the eve of World War I, their borders converged in the Balkans, a region they viewed as strategically valuable. This proximity and competition for influence in the Balkans played a significant role in the start of the war.

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914, by a Bosnian Serb nationalist was a direct precipitating event. Austria-Hungary, with German support, declared war on Serbia, blaming them for the assassination. This triggered a chain reaction of alliances and led to the outbreak of World War I.

The outcome of World War I significantly altered the imperial landscape. The Russian, German, Austria-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires all collapsed during or shortly after the war. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, ceded Germany's overseas colonies to the victors, further reshaping the global balance of imperial power.

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