The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is considered the "spark" of World War I. The Archduke was enroute to a parade in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914 when he and his wife were shot to death by a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hands. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbian government and used the assassination “as justification to settle the question of Slav nationalism once and for all"
Then, on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia , France , Belgium, Great Britain, and Serbia had joined forces against Austria-Hungary and Germany. Russia then declared war on Austria-Hungary, and many other nations followed suit. At this point, alliances were being sucked into war, as nations felt obligated to support each other in battle. This created the snowball-effect that was WWI.
- The South Slavs (Balkans) were opposed to the Austro-Hungarian forces in their region. It was the uprising of anti-Austrian groups which lead to terrorist groups in the Balkans. One of which was the Black Hands group, responsible for orchestrating the assassination of the Archduke. Bosnia was still under the imperial rule of Austria-Hungary after being annexed in 1908. The Slav movement opposed the possession of Balkan lands by Austria, leading to the assassination of the Archduke. After Princip assassinated the Archduke he escaped into Serbian territory, causing the invasion of Austria-Hungary and the start of WWI. Russia, backing serbia, prepared to invade Austria-Hungary and amassed along shared border.
Then, on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia , France , Belgium, Great Britain, and Serbia had joined forces against Austria-Hungary and Germany. Russia then declared war on Austria-Hungary, and many other nations followed suit. At this point, alliances were being sucked into war, as nations felt obligated to support each other in battle. This created the snowball-effect that was WWI.