Responsibility Of Archduke's Assassination During World War I

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife were shot and killed. The attack was perpetrated by a Serbian Nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Bosnian student acted alone, but the events sparked debate as to whether the assassinations were a political conspiracy involving the Serbian government. Austria-Hungary’s government regarded the slightest chance of political conspiracy as a reason for action. The assassinations and the response it conjured became the most significant event in the path to the war to end all wars.

The Archduke’s assassination was significant because it set off a series of events that ultimately ended in war. Following the assassinations, German Emperor Wilhelm II offered assurance to Austria-Hungary that they could count on Germany’s full support in whatever actions they took. This gesture was known as the “blank check.” With Germany’s backing, Austria-Hungary sent Serbia a set of demands, a few absurd and were designed to be denied.

The document began with an explicit statement that cast the blame on the Serbian government, “The movement, which has its birth under the eye of the Serbian Government, has gone so far as to make itself manifest on both sides of the Serbian frontier in the shape of acts of terrorism and a series of outrages and murders....” (18).

With a provocative and furious undertone, the document went on to request assurance from the Serbian government that they condemned these acts on the front page of Serbia’s “Official Journal.” They also Included the unattainable request “To dissolve immediately the society styled Narodna Odbrana,” (19) a Serbian nationalist

group.

Austria-Hungary was well aware of the unattainable nature of their demands and expected Serbia's inability to comply. Austria-Hungary used this pretense to declare war on Serbia on July 28. Germany manipulated the situation and told the other Great Powers that if they stood down, the war would be fought solely between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. However, Russia mobilized on July 30. In response, Germany broadened the fight and declared war on Russia. The events that followed were a whirlwind of the remaining Great Powers scrambling to defend their allies.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s lead to a series of events that culminated with the outbreak of war. Both Germany and Austria-Hungary saw the act of terrorism as leverage for gaining power. Following their actions, each of the Great Powers acted upon their own desires, goals, and alliances. It’s a fruitless effort to speculate what would’ve become of the world without Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s death, all that is known for certain is that his death permanently shaped everything from the political climate to way of life following the war.