preview

Archduke Franz Ferdinand : The Causes Of World War I

Good Essays

Although the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was not the sole cause of World War I (WWI), it acted as the trigger which set off tensions that had been building for decades (Stokesbury, 2002). According to Stokesbury, the archduke was “Inspector-General of the Armed Forces and he proposed to view the troops on summer maneuvers and then…tour the provincial capital, Serajevo,” (pg. 23) in June of 1914. The day reserved for the archduke’s visit, June 28, corresponded with the anniversary of the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389 (Royde-Smith). On this day, centuries ago, Serbia was conquered by the Turks. Therefore, June 28 was a day that held deep meaning for Serbian nationalists. The archduke’s arrival and symbolic demonstration of Austrian imperial strength on such a day in Bosnia was a perceived insult to this blood-memory. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was a protest by members of a Serbian-nationalist terrorist group called the Black Hand. They were protesting Austria-Hungary’s interests in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary's rule over its multi-ethnic empire was disintegrating. A demonstration of this was the fact that the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes under Austria-Hungarian rule wanted independence and looked to Serbia for support. Thus, Serbia became a threat to the Austria-Hungarian Empire. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. But Russia had imperialist aspirations in the Balkans, as well, due to its

Get Access