Assassination In Sarajevo: Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Assassination in Sarajevo: Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Towards the end of his life Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was quoted as saying, “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans”(“Archduke Ferdinand Assassinated”). On June 28 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand Heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated, bringing the entire European continent into a war. This assassination was orchestrated by a group of Serbian extremists associated with the Black Hand. Believing that their freedoms were being infringed upon; they aimed to weaken the Austrian Government by targeting high profile political figures. A mixture of nationalism and alliances created an environment where several nations needed

Austria- Hungry declared war on Serbia one month after Ferdinand and Sophie’s death (Wood). Austria blamed the Serbian government for the attack and used the incident as justification to finally settle issues with Serbia (“Archduke Ferdinand Assassinated”). At his trial, Princip was quoted as saying,”As the future ruler, with our unification. He would introduce certain reforms, which, you understand, would be harmful to us.”(Owings pgs 54-69) Here, Princip believed that once in power Ferdinand would implement laws that would be against Serbian unification and progress. According to the Biography.com Editors, “Though he cared little for their nationalist ambitions, he advocated for a careful approach with the Serbs, warning his military leaders that harsh treatment toward them could cause an open conflict with Russia (Franz Ferdinand Biography).” The Archduke actually was thinking about helping the Serbian people. According to heeve.com, “The Archduke supported reorganization of the Dual Monarchy into a triple monarchy which would give the discontented Slavs in the monarchy equal rights than the Austrians and Magyars. Later, he allegedly also played with an idea of federalism

As a result, the First World War began. Some people were nationalists and wanted to weaken Austria-Hungary’s government. There were many reasons why the assassination was unjust and why it happened and they are: the Serbian and Austrian tension was at an all-time high in 1914, after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina the organization Narodna Odbrana was created and formed the Black Hand, Franz Ferdinand 's choices led him to Sarajevo, matters were only made worse, and he did not have anything against the Serbs. August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia. August 3, 1914 Germany declares war on France. August 4, 1914 Britain declares war on Germany. August 6 Austria declares war on Russia. August 23,1914 Japan declares war on Germany. World War I begins. (“WWI Timeline: 1914”) A lesson that can be learned is that the choices of just a few people can have great effects on society or the world. One person can make a big difference. Look before you leap and think carefully before you make a decision because your actions may cause harmful