Leslie Massey
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife on 28 June 1914 by a Serbian-backed terrorist group was the catalyst for World War I. The underlying tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been building for years, with Austria viewing Serbia as a threat to its multi-ethnic empire. Serbia's ambition to unite Southeast Europe's Slavic people and Austria's annexation of Bosnia in 1908 further strained their relationship. Following the assassination, Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, was determined to crush Serbia, suspecting Serbian backing for the attack. This led to a series of political, diplomatic, and military decisions that escalated the conflict, ultimately drawing in other European powers and resulting in a global war.
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What You'll Learn
Serbian ambitions to unify southeast Europe's Slavic people
The early 20th century saw a series of escalating crises in Europe, which culminated in the First World War. One of the primary causes of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, by a Serbian-backed terrorist on 28 June 1914. This event brought to a head the already strained relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
Serbia's ambitions to unify southeast Europe's Slavic people were a significant source of tension with Austria-Hungary. Serbia's emergence as a larger and more assertive power in the region following the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 threatened the stability of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which encompassed multiple ethnic groups. Austria-Hungary had previously attempted to curb Serbian expansionism, such as during the Balkan Wars when it twice tried to force Serbia to withdraw from gained positions.
Serbia's aspirations for a unified Slavic state clashed with Austria-Hungary's multi-ethnic composition, which included non-Slavic groups like Hungarians, Romanians, and Italians. Additionally, Serbia's success in the Balkan Wars, where it acquired new territories, further heightened Austria-Hungary's concerns about Serbian power and influence in the region.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand provided Austria-Hungary with an opportunity to address the perceived Serbian threat. Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding full satisfaction and placing responsibility for the assassination on the Serbian government. While Serbia acquiesced to most demands, it resisted those that entailed constitutional changes and infringed on its sovereignty.
The conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia quickly escalated, drawing in other powers through a series of alliances and rivalries. Russia's support for Serbia, for example, brought France into the conflict, while Germany's alliance with Austria-Hungary led it to declare war on Russia and France. The complex web of international relations and competing ambitions transformed a localised conflict in southeast Europe into a global war.
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Austria-Hungary's suspicions of Serbian backing for the assassination
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. Princip was one of several young assassins intent on using violence to end Austria-Hungarian rule.
Austria-Hungary suspected Serbian backing for the assassination. This suspicion was based on the fact that the assassins had travelled to Serbia to obtain bombs, revolvers, and money to kill the Archduke. Serbian Major Voja Tankosić was also implicated in the plot, with the assassins stating that he had directly and indirectly supported them. Léon Descos, the French Ambassador to Belgrade, also reported that a Serbian military party, led by Chief of Serbian Military Intelligence Dragutin Dimitrijević, was involved in the assassination.
Austria-Hungary's determination to crush the Serbian threat and demonstrate its strength was driven by its desire to dampen Serbian support for Yugoslav nationalism, which it viewed as a threat to the unity of its multi-national empire. Additionally, Austria-Hungary and Serbia were competing for power and influence in the Balkans, and the assassination stoked old tensions in the region.
Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, issued an ultimatum to Serbia on 23 July 1914, nearly a month after the assassination. The ultimatum demanded an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination, despite Serbia's claim that it was already conducting its own investigation. Serbia's response, which conceded to all terms except the involvement of Austro-Hungarian officials in the inquiry, was rejected by Austria-Hungary, leading to the outbreak of World War I.
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Austria's annexation of Bosnia in 1908
Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, known as the Bosnian Crisis, caused a state of severe international tension. The annexation was announced on 5 October 1908, though the world was informed via a press release on 6 October. The territories annexed had formerly been within the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire, but the Congress of Berlin in 1878 gave Austria-Hungary the right to occupy and administer them temporarily.
The Austrian-Hungarian authorities were aware that any action concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina depended on international opinion. They took advantage of the Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire to justify their annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Young Turk movement had gained support in mass protests throughout the Ottoman Empire in 1908, with the intention of restoring the suspended Ottoman constitution. The Austrian foreign minister, Count Lexa von Aehrenthal, resolved to annex Bosnia and Herzegovina before the new Turkish regime could regain control over them.
In the Budapest Conventions of 1877, Russia and Austria-Hungary had come to an agreement. Russia would annex Bessarabia, and Austria-Hungary would remain neutral towards Russia in the pending war with the Ottoman Empire. As compensation, Russia agreed to Austria-Hungary's control over Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1908, Russia proposed a discussion of reciprocal changes to the Treaty of Berlin in favour of Russian interests in the Straits of Constantinople and Austro-Hungarian interests in the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In return, Austria would not object to opening the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships.
Serbia, which was closely related to Bosnia and Herzegovina geographically and ethnically, was outraged by the annexation. It demanded that Austria cede a portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia, and Russia was forced to support these claims. However, Serbia eventually abandoned its protests and agreed to live with Austria-Hungary on a footing of good-neighbourliness.
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Serbian irredentism and its support from Italy and Romania
Serbian irredentism, or Greater Serbia, is a nationalist ideology that seeks to create a Serb state that incorporates all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group. This includes regions outside modern-day Serbia that are partly populated by Serbs, such as parts of the former Yugoslavia (except Slovenia and part of Croatia), as well as portions of Albania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The movement's main ideology, Pan-Serbism, aims to unite all Serbs or Serb-ruled territories into one state, regardless of non-Serb populations present.
During World War II, the Bosnian Serb nationalist Stevan Moljević proposed the creation of an even larger Greater Serbia, which would incorporate not only Bosnia and much of Croatia but also parts of Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Hungary, where Serbs are not a significant minority. This proposal was supported by the Chetniks, who collaborated with the Axis powers, and it resulted in ethnic cleansing and a genocidal campaign against ethnic Croats and Bosnian Muslims.
The idea of a Greater Serbia was also supported by various Serbian politicians associated with Slobodan Milošević in the early 1990s, including Mihalj Kertes, Milan Babić, Milan Martić, Vojislav Šešelj, and Stevan Mirković. They advocated for a hypothetical boundary known as the Virovitica–Karlovac–Karlobag line, which would give Serbia a large coastline, heavy industries, agricultural farmland, natural resources, and access to crude oil.
As for Italian and Romanian support, it is important to note that irredentism initially referred to an Italian political movement during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This movement sought to detach predominantly Italian-speaking areas from Switzerland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and incorporate them into the new Italian state. However, there is no specific information in the sources provided about Italy supporting Serbian irredentism.
On the other hand, Romania's support for irredentism is mentioned in the context of World War II. The Greater Romania project (România Mare) was partially responsible for Romania's alignment with the Axis powers during the war. This indicates that Romania had its own irredentist aspirations, which influenced its foreign policy decisions during that time.
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Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia
The ultimatum included a list of demands, which, if not met, would result in war. These demands included:
- Preventing the spread of information that speaks negatively of Austria-Hungary or its Emperor.
- Dissolving Serbian nationalist organizations, including the society styled "Narodna Odbrana".
- Removing and arresting individuals in the Serbian government and military that Austria-Hungary considered responsible for anti-Austria actions or propaganda.
- Allowing Austro-Hungarian representatives to enter Serbia to investigate the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and prosecute the ringleaders.
Serbia was given 48 hours to respond to the ultimatum. On July 25, Serbia accepted most of the demands but rejected the participation of Austrian officials in investigations on Serbian soil, citing this as a violation of its sovereignty. Austria-Hungary declared this response insufficient, and on July 28, it officially declared war on Serbia, marking the start of World War I.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria-Hungary objected to Serbia's desire to unify southeast Europe's Slavic people as it saw Serbia as a threat to the stability of its multi-ethnic empire.
Serbia's desire was to unify southeast Europe's Slavic people.
Austria-Hungary's response to Serbia's desire was to twice try to force Serbia to withdraw from positions gained by threatening it with an ultimatum.
Serbia submitted to all Austro-Hungarian demands except for two that entailed constitutional changes in their government.
The outcome of Austria-Hungary's objection to Serbia's desire was a series of political, diplomatic and military decisions that turned a localized conflict in southeast Europe into World War I.
