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Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress

A Powder Keg in the Balkans


While the European powers were posturing for colonies and alliances, the Ottoman Empire was
in deep decline. Once a powerful state that had threatened European Christendom, by the early
years of the 20th century it was dubbed the "sick man of Europe." With the rise of nationalism in
the 19th century, many of the ethnic minorities within the empire began clamoring for
independence or autonomy. As a result, numerous new states such as Serbia, Romania, and
Montenegro became independent. Sensing weakness, Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia in 1878.
In 1908, Austria officially annexed Bosnia igniting outrage in Serbia and Russia. Linked by their
Slavic ethnicity, the two nations wished to prevent Austrian expansion. Their efforts were
defeated when the Ottomans agreed to recognize Austrian control in exchange for monetary
compensation. The incident permanently damaged the already tense relations between the
nations. Faced with increasing problems within its already diverse population, Austria-Hungary
viewed Serbia as a threat. This was largely due to Serbia's desire to unite the Slavic people,
including those living in the southern parts of the empire. This pan-Slavic sentiment was backed
Russia who had signed a military agreement to aid Serbia if the nation was attacked by the
Austrians.

The Balkan Wars


Seeking to take advantage of Ottoman weakness, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece
declared war in October 1912. Overwhelmed by this combined force, the Ottomans lost almost
of their European lands. Ended by the Treaty of London in May 1913, the conflict led to issues
among the victors as they battled over the spoils. This resulted in the Second Balkan War which
saw the former allies, as well as the Ottomans, defeat Bulgaria. With the end of the fighting,
Serbia emerged as a stronger power much to the annoyance of the Austrians. Concerned, AustriaHungary sought support for a possible conflict with Serbia from Germany. After initially
rebuffing their allies, the Germans offered support if Austria-Hungary was forced "to fight for its
position as a Great Power."

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand


With the situation in the Balkans already tense, Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, head of Serbia's
military intelligence, initiated a plan to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Heir to the throne of
Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were intending to travel to Sarajevo,
Bosnia on an inspection tour. A six-man assassination team was assembled and infiltrated into

Bosnia. Guided by Danilo Ilic, they intended to kill the archduke on June 28, 1914, as he toured
the city in an open-topped car.
While the first two assassins failed to act when Franz Ferdinand's car passed by, the third threw
bomb which bounced off the vehicle. Undamaged, the archduke's car sped away while the
assassin was captured by the crowd. The remainder of Ilic's team was unable to take action. After
attending an event at the town hall, the archduke's motorcade resumed. One of the assassins,
Gavrilo Princip, stumbled across the motorcade as he exited a shop near the Latin Bridge.
Approaching, he drew a gun and shot both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. Both died a short time
later.

The July Crisis


Though stunning, Franz Ferdinand's death was not viewed by most Europeans as an event that
would lead to general war. In Austria-Hungary, where the politically moderate archduke was not
well-liked, the government elected instead to use the assassination as an opportunity to deal with
the Serbs. Quickly capturing Ilic and his men, the Austrians learned many of the details of the
plot. Wishing to take military action, the government in Vienna was hesitant due to concerns
about Russian intervention. Turning to their ally, the Austrians inquired regarding the German
position on the matter. On July 5, 1914, Wilhelm, downplaying the Russian threat, informed the
Austrian ambassador that his nation could "count on Germanys full support" regardless of the
outcome. This "blank check" of support from Germany shaped Vienna's actions.
With the backing of Berlin, the Austrians began a campaign of coercive diplomacy designed to
bring about a limited war. The focus of this was the presentation of an ultimatum to Serbia at
4:30 PM on July 23. Included in the ultimatum were ten demands, ranging from the arrest of the
conspirators to allowing Austrian participation in the investigation, that Vienna knew Serbia
could not accept as a sovereign nation. Failure to comply within forty-eight hours would mean
war. Desperate to avoid a conflict, the Serbian government sought aid from the Russians, but
were told by Tsar Nicholas II to accept the ultimatum and hope for the best.

War Declared
On July 24, with the deadline looming, most of Europe awoke to severity of the situation. While
the Russians asked for the deadline to be extended or the terms altered, the British suggested a
conference be held to prevent war. Shortly before the deadline on July 25, Serbia replied that it
would accept nine of the terms with reservations, but that it could not allow the Austrian
authorities to operate in their territory. Judging the Serbian response to be unsatisfactory, the
Austrians immediately broke off relations. While the Austrian army began to mobilize for war,
the Russians announced a pre-mobilization period known as Period Preparatory to War." While
the foreign ministers of the Triple Entente worked to prevent war, Austria-Hungary began
massing its troops. In the face of this, Russia increased support for its small, Slavic ally. At 11:00
AM on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. That same day Russia ordered a
mobilization for the districts bordering Austria-Hungary. As Europe moved towards a larger
conflict, Nicholas opened communications with Wilhelm in an effort to prevent the situation
from escalating.

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