While there is never just a single event that has led to the start of a world war, or any other serious war, there is often one thing that triggers long lived tensions and thus war ensues. Such was the case in WWI with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There were many tensions that existed prior to his assassination, but it was his assassination which triggered the war, his assassination that served as an excuse, and perhaps the last straw, so to speak, which led to the First World War. The following paper examines the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and its relationship to the start of WWI.
Under the rule at the time of the assassination, the old Austrio-Hungarian Empire was built by conquest and intrigues, by sales and treacheries (The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand). Franz Ferdinand was a man who many believed would make this empire even more harsh and oppressive and these people fought against such an outcome. However, it has been noted by some that the changes Ferdinand wished to implement may have saved the nation, but while such radical reforms might have saved the empire, they were not popular among those with vested interests in the existing structure (Franz Ferdinand).
Clearly there were many who were opposed to the rule of Ferdinand and they took action. Seven conspirators joined the crowd lining the Archduke's route to City Hall and were successful in killing not only Franz but his wife Sofia, who was pregnant (Assassination of an Archduke, 1914). As one author notes, although the causes of WWI are very convoluted, it is safe to say that these two deaths in Sarajevo provided the spark that ignited the flames of that war (Pendleton).
Prior to the assassination of Ferdinand we can see that there was a great deal of political conflict between one European nation or another for many years, if not decades. One author notes that, it had been simmering for many years before it actually took place. Two countries would have a conflict, they’d have a conference, straightening it all out, and two more countries would be in a dispute over something totally different (Cox). In essence, Europe was in one conflict or another, conflicts that were never really resolved, from 1871 unti...
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...ared, if also economically spent.
It is quite obvious, as well as logical, that the assassination of Ferdinand did not cause the First World War. But, the tensions that had been growing suddenly exploded into action with the assassination. Many people were simply hoping tensions would go away, or that some action would take place so that they could go to war and find their own security and power.
WORKS CITED
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1914/ferddead.html
Cox, Kim. Causes Leading To WWI. Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://www.kimcox.org/causesww1.htm
EyeWitnesstoHistory.com. Assassination of an Archduke, 1914. Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/duke.htm
Franz Ferdinand. Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://www.gwpda.org/bio/f/franzfrd.html
Pendleton, Anthony. Serbian chief leads secret terrorist organization. Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://aia.lackland.af.mil/homepages/pa/spokesman/Sep01/heritage.htm
What were the causes of WWI? Retrieved 20 February, 2005 from http://www.faqfarm.com/History/WWI/24509
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....
details the causes of the first World war and describes the first month of the war. The book clearly illustrates how a local war became an entire European struggle by a call to war against Russia. Soon after the war became a world issue.
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.
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. A group of six assassins, supplied by a Bosnian based terrorist group the Black Hand, had gathered on the streets where the Archduke's motorcade would pass. Some attempted to kill the Archduke, including one who attempted to throw a grenade at the car but missed. Others failed to act as the car drove past them. Later on the route through the city, the motorcade took a wrong turn onto a previously designated street. Gavrilo Princip, a Black Hand assassin, stood waiting with a pistol. Princip shot and killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. However, the assassination received almost disregard back in Austria. Yet, the death of the Archduke and his wife would be the beginning of an all out war in Europe as Austria-Hungary would declare war on Serbia. This declaration would bring in Germany on the side of Austria-Hungarian empire and Russia aiding the Serbians. By joining sides this would convey in France, Great Britain and during the later part of the war, Italy, Japan and the United States. Official war began on July 28, 1914.
Assassination is a strong word with a powerful meaning. Assassination is defined as to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a politically prominent person; murder premeditatedly and treacherously. Assassinations and attempts have occurred throughout history. The victim is sometimes aware or unaware about their dangerous situation but is either guarded or unguarded. The assassin must have qualities of being determined, courage and intelligence to make the mission successful. Assassination is a long process of planning. It can take even years just to plan an assassination of a victim. Often times, assassination planning cannot be on paper because it can be evidence. The most common ways of assassination are using weapons, drugs, accidents and explosives. Surprisingly, the most common way of assassination is by gun. There can be many motives for assassination such as jealousy, political or religious ideas, revenge and etc. There are many famous assassinations. The assassination of Julius Caesar is very famous. Julius Caesar was Roman political figure, who was later was made the dictator of Rome, that was assassinated by the Senators.
On November 22, 1963, at 12:30 in the afternoon, President John F. Kennedy was shot at and killed while participating in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The most important question that arises from this incident is ‘Who killed President John F. Kennedy?’ This is an issue which has been debated by scholars, The Government, and even common people alike. Many people seem to feel that it was a conspiracy, some large cover-up within a cover-up.
While researching the Kennedy assassination there were many articles, saying that the mob was involved in the shooting. The writers were convinced that there was more than one person involved when it came too killing John Kennedy, on that warm sunny day in downtown Dallas. However, while these authors were convinced that there was another party involved, so was the rest of America with eighty percent saying the report was false. The goal of this paper is to bring this topic into the spotlight once more, by connecting the shooting of the president with the mob, and Lee Harvey Oswald.
There were many immediate and underlying or fundamental causes of World War I. The difference between an underlying and immediate cause is that an underlying cause develops over a long period of time and indirectly leads to a specific event, and an immediate cause is a specific short-term event that directly leads to another event or series of events. While the immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Francis Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria, by a Serbian member of the Black Hand secret society, there were various basic causes of the war. Three of them were nationalism, alliances between European powers, and militarism.
In the designated chronology of the First World War, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo is widely accepted as the spark that caused the war. However, that explanation fails to consider the long-term factors in the years before the Great War. The assassination of political figures has happened many times throughout history and no wars have been started over them, yet many people believe that the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo by itself was the initial cause of the first major war of the 20th century. But if you think about it, why would the murder of an Austrian, in Bosnia, by a Serbian, have the impact that it did? It doesn’t make complete sense; the United States didn’t issue a war against actors when President Lincoln
If you were to look back at WWI, you would see that there were direct and indirect causes to the war. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was an immediate cause. Gavrilo Princip, working with a Serbian anti-Austrian secret society called “The Black Hand” shot Archduke Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in order to make way for a Slavic revolution. The assassination didn’t do as Princip hoped, and it was used as an excuse for Austria to take hostile action against Serbia. That was not the only cause of the war.
World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, and had a huge impact on the world throughout the twentieth century. This conflict is commonly referred to as the Great War and primarily involved Europeans. Although, other countries, particularly European colonial holdings, did participate. Before World War I began, no one expected such a destructive conflict, as many nations approached the idea of war with enthusiasm. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European nations began to expand their colonial holdings, strengthen their militaries, and in 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot. The primary cause of World War I was nationalism, as European imperialism, militarism, and the assassination of Ferdinand are examples of nationalism
TThe Title “First World War for Dummies” is self-explanatory that it is about World War 1. The author of the book, Sean Lang describes the war in detail of how this war differs from others, whether the war was worth it till describing the best places to visit to learn more about World War 1. The countries’ leaders (especially in Europe) desire to be “Great Power” of the world is the main reason why the war started. But, “the Sarajevo assassination in 1914, however, was the spark that finally set off the First World War.” Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Royal Highness of Austria, Hungary was assassinated by Colonel Dimitrijevic, also known as Apis to obtain power by obtaining a port on the Adriatic coast. Austria- Hungary asked German’s help
... On 28 June, 1914, the assassination was successful and this was the action that triggered war. Austria-Hungary wanted revenge because their next ruler was killed so they declared war against Serbia. This is what caused the war. The Alliances ties in with these events as Austria-Hungary formed an alliance with Germany who also went to war with Serbia.
Besides the assassination of the archduke there were four other reasons for the start of WW1. 1. Militarism- the building of large armies. All the nations in Europe at that time were engaged in what today could only be called an arms race. As soon as one nation built a new weapon, all the others followed suit. 2. Alliance System- The building of alliances to strengthen the borders of a country. In theses alliances if one country went to war all the other countries in the alliance were forced to go to war also. 3. Imperialism- The practice of colonizing other lands by large European nations. 4.Nationalism- The feeling of Patriotism in a country that makes it compete with all other counties in the area in all areas.
Many historians will claim that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand made no difference in the creation and onset of the destructive and detrimental path that was World War 1, yet there exists a small, but noteworthy belief that the affair was actually quite significant. In fact, it is believed that his assassination was the main reason the War even began in the first place.While riding with his wife through the European city of Sarajevo, the motorist took a wrong turn while on their way to visit the City Hall. Realising his mistake, the motorist began to try and reverse the car, but as a result, the car stalled. Unbeknownst to the group, a member of the Terrorist organization “The Black Hand” - Gravilo