Background Austria-Hungary was a prime player in the development of World War I and was responsible for starting the first real conflict of the Great War. However, even before the Great War, Austria-Hungary was a major power in the European continent and had been embroiled in the Holy Roman Empire. The country was originally just Austria but was recreated into a Dual Monarchy by the Hapsburgs and was renamed into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This empire was ousted by the Germans and began fighting with the Russians who had expansionary goals. These conflicts continued when the Ottoman Empire’s influence and power began to weaken. It didn’t help any of this that the Serbians were supportive of secret terrorist organizations in Bosnia which had a substantial Slavic population, who at the time felt oppressed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even before the assassination of the heir Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary had been prepping for a conflict between them and the Serbian empire for some time. Despite the fact that the heir was not the most beloved by his government, they still used his assassination as a reason to issue an ultimatum to the Serbians stating that the assassins must be brought to justice as well as the group known as the Black Hand. After Serbia rejected only small clauses of the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary saw this as the opportunity they had been waiting for and declared war on Serbia. However, before the declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary, these two countries along with Russia, Germany, France, and Britain engaged in several diplomatic attempts known as the July Crisis. During these procedures is where the Austria-Hungarians delivered the ultimatum and where it became apparent to the other world ... ... middle of paper ... ...rchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DAustria%2BHungary%2Bworld%2Bwar%2B1%26amp%3Bprq%3DAustria%2BHungary%2BWWI%26amp%3Bhp%3D25%26amp%3Bacc%3Doff%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bso%3Drel%26amp%3Bracc%3Doff http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/10110657/Germany-and-Austria-started-WWI-seeking-European-domination-historian-says.html http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/a/WWI-Timeline.htm http://www.jstor.org/stable/25108481?seq=1&Search=yes&searchText=Hungary&searchText=1&searchText=Austria&searchText=world&searchText=war&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DAustria%2BHungary%2Bworld%2Bwar%2B1%26amp%3Bprq%3DAustria%2BHungary%2BWWI%26amp%3Bhp%3D25%26amp%3Bacc%3Doff%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bso%3Drel%26amp%3Bracc%3Doff&prevSearch=&resultsServiceName=null http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm
The group the black hands is often and quite accurately called responsible for the assassination of archduke ferdinand, though the group had been influenced by Nationalism. The members of this said terrorist group, had been influenced by nationalism through policy that had been inflicted on them by the Austrian-Hungarian empire. The assassination was why Austrian-Hungarian had to go to war against Serbia because it’s an act of breaking their treaty of 1990 with the Austrian-Hungarian empire, but first Austria-Hungary had given them an ultimatum. Which was basically a statement of demands made to Serbia, that if they didn’t abae then Austria-Hungary would attack them. Then all the allied countries with either side joined in as to prove how willing they were to die for their countries, this was true for them a few weeks or so after the beginning of the war when it actually had become more than just allies to either Serbia or Austria-Hungary. Altogether the Nationalism was the cause for the Black hands to essentially commit their crime, and later on to keep the war ongoing....
In late July of 1914, the world was plunged into its first total war-World War I (WWI), or the Great War. There were many factors leading up to this, many being economic, political, and social. These were bringing tensions higher and higher until it was almost to the breaking point. Then, bang. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia were shot dead in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914. Otto von Bismarck was right when he said, “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans (goodreads).” Gavrilo Princip was an influential person of the 20th century because of his assassination of Archduke Ferdinand II. This was the catalyst that set off World War I, which indirectly caused the crash of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formation and destruction of the Weimar Republic, World War II, and the Cold War.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1896. He was a threat to the Black Hand Terrorist group, a group of radical Serbian nationalists. They pledged “to destabilize the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in order to incorporate their Serb population into a greater Serbia” (CITE) However the Archduke’s goals were “strengthening the Austro-Hungarian Empire” (CITE) which was contrary to the Serbs' desires. They feared that if he came into power, he would continue to persecute the Serbs, henceforth the decision to assassinate him.
The country of Austria is a landlocked country located in central Europe, just north of Italy and Slovenia. Austria also borders Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. In comparison to the United States, Austria is about the size of Maine at 83,870 square kilometers. The terrain includes mountains, or the Alps, in the South and West, and flat land in the North and East (“Austria”). Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country. Austria is also known for its many valleys, lakes, and forests (Beller). The climate is temperate, with moderate summers and cold winters. Both seasons receive regular rain, except for frequent snow in the Alps during winter. The majority of the population lives in the Northeast flatland due to the poor soil and steepness of the mountain region. The Danube River runs through the northern part of the country with the capital, Vienna, on its banks (“Austria”).
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary led to the July Crisis. A crisis in which, Austria sent an Ultimatum to Serbia, with requirement to be followed. Serbia accepted most but not all of Austria’s demands. Serbia’s decline of the Ultimatum led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on the Serbs. Another key event in the July Crisis was Austria-Hungary sending a “blank cheque” to Germany. This cheque meant to ask if Germany would help Austria-Hungary if they went to war. Germany agreed to the “blank cheque”. As Austria-Hungary went to war against Serbia; Serbia had alliances with France, Russia, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire to join the war on their side. Germany knowing that Russia was mobilizing its army, Kaiser Wilhelm II, sent a letter to Russia’s leader. Tsar Nicholas II ignored the letter and kept on mobilizing its army. Therefore, Germany put forth the Schlieffen plan, written in 1904 by Alfred von Schlieffen. This plan’s principle was getting German troops through Belgium and then the troops into France....
An Evaluation of International Imperialism, the European Arms Race, and Militarism in the Origins of First World War
In the July Crisis Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) despite not having conclusive proof. Austria-Hungary asked for German support to "eliminate Serbia as a power factor in the Balkans". Germany agreed, offering her full support for Austria- Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and this became known as the "blank cheque". Austria-Hungary and Germany could not have failed to realise the possibility of Russian intervention and a European war, suggesting to me that war was their objective. Austria-Hungary issued an impossible ultimatum to Serbia, which was likely to provoke a war. Serbia was given only 48 hours to reply, so was forced to think quickly, or other countries would be mobilized and ready to attack. Serbia accepted all but one point of the ultimatum. Consequently war was announced. If given more time Serbia could have discussed the issue further in a conference. The British foreign minister, Grey suggested a conference, but this was rejected by Germany and Austria-Hungary, suggesting that they had deliberate aims for war during the Balkan Crisis, rather than the Balkan Crisis being mismanaged.
The Great War, also known as World War 1, was one of the deadliest wars that essentially started because of ideologies, small problems that were blown out of proportions because of alliances with other countries which cause catastrophic results worldwide. The United States was part of this conflict, not because of free will, but because none of the European superpowers wanted to respect the fact that the United States was neutral and providing support to both sides of war.
On January 8, 1918, Woodrow Wilson went to Congress to announce his ideas regarding the war affairs of America. He created something known as the Fourteen Points, a plan that would determine the foreign affairs of the United States after World War I (Brower). When looking at the points, it is easy to identify how these were similar in nature, allowing them to be grouped. The first group deals with the points one, two, three, four, and five. These points dealt with the idea of how to maintain peace between nations and reduce the chance of imperialism and war. Instantly, the idea of peace is introduced, as the first point begins with “Open covenants of peace” proving the importance of maintaining peace (“Woodrow Wilson”). Moreover, Wilson aimed to unite the nations of the world peacefully by granting nations the “freedom” to navigate seas, removing “economic barriers” that hindered trade, reducing “national armaments” based on the threat a country faces, and allowing “ free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims” (“Woodrow Wilson”). These five points came together to guarantee the freedom of each nation, as no nation would have a stronger military or control over the seas. Plus, trade would be less expensive, allowing stronger relations between the countries.
He felt that several forces of opposing countries took part in fighting each battle and ultimately believed that global opposition caused the Great War. Similarly, in the Balkan Region, several ethnic minorities desired independence from Austria-Hungary. As shown in Document 3, the Austro-Hungarian government demanded that action be taken regarding propaganda against Austria-Hungary. This ultimatum was a result of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was killed by a Serbian nationalist. Russia, a large Slavic nation, has close ties with Serbia.
This riled Serbian nationalism, and thus caused them to look to their Russian allies whom were already angered by the move that was in direct defiance of the 1879 Treaty of Berlin between the two powers that had agreed upon keeping status quo in the Balkans. Russia’s desires for influence in the area and an increase in Pan Slav nationalism were becoming even more obviously at odds with Austria Hungary desires for control over the Balkans 9 their 49% Slav empire depended to dampening such nationalism). Thus a great power issue was created, a nd the two countries seemed to be on the brink of war. The opposition of Both Great Britain and France left the economically weak Russia wit... ... middle of paper ... ...
World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.
The first crucial step in the triggering of the Great War can be looked at with respect to the German vow to support the Austrian position on Serbia. According to historian John G. Stoessinger, news of the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie's death deeply shook Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had a genuine fondness of the Archduke. For this, "he [Kaiser Wilhelm II] took the fateful step of assuring Austria that she could count on Germany's `faithful support' even if the punitive action she was planning to take against Serbia would bring her into conflict with Russia. In other words, the Kaiser issued Austria-Hungary a blank check" (Stoessinger 3). This decision of the Kaiser, as Stoessinger argues, was guided by his morals and friendship toward the Archduke and "under any circumstances demonstrated an extraordinary confusion of personal ethics and political judgment," and thus, it is untrue, "as many historians have stated, that the Kaiser wanted war" (Stoessinger 4). Contrastingly, the German historian Fritz Fischer argues that official papers give proof that German lea...
After years of hostility and aggression between the European superpowers and large states, the balance of power began to be challenged. The Serbians in 1914 assassinated the Arch-duke, Franz Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary. The country counteracted and “issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which would bring the assassins to justice. And with that action Serbia’s sovereignty was nullified” (Duffy Michael, 2009). Since Serbia did not succumb to the harsh demands of Austria-Hungary, “preventative” war was declared on Serbia on July 28,...
Following the assassination, Austria- Hungary was ready to declare war on Serbia, whom they believed was responsible for the death of Ferdinand. Without the support of Germany, Austria- Hungary probably would not have attacked ...