Sometimes , history can seem to swivel on a unmarried event . While the underlying causes were numerous , historians generally consent that theassassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinandwas the most significant single inciting act ofWorld War I.
On June 28 , 1914 , the tensions that were rile most the full European continent reached a crescendo . precisely one calendar month later on , Austria Hungary ( Austro - Hungarian Empire ) declared war on Serbia , marking the prescribed start of what was then hollo the " Great War . "
show on to see how this human action of political furiousness catalyse a hundred - delineate war .
Background on the Situation in Europe
so as to see the importance of Franz Ferdinand ’s blackwash , it helps to empathise the ecumenical surroundings of the event .
In the former 19th hundred , power shifts had been speed due to technological alteration ( especially theIndustrial Revolution ) , the rising slope of imperialism and wave of patriotism across the continent and afield .
Shifting Powers in Europe
TheOttoman Empire , then still one of the major world powers , was in a state of decline . Germany was on the rise , and much of Eastern Europe andthe Balkanswas getting bolt up by larger , challenging powers .
One of these soon - to - be - gobbled area was the Austro - Hungarian imperium , which had recently laid call to Bosnia - Herzegovina . Serbia also wanted this region , and the competition between the two top executive had become progressively hostile .
Europe as a ‘Powder Keg’
A terminus commonly used to describe Europe ( and beyond , given the reaching of the Ottoman imperium ) at this metre is " powder keg . "
The old world of magnate and Emperors was open elbow room — kicking and yell — to modern nations with different estimate about government and outside relations . Competition for resources , technology , political pull and cultural pride was getting intense .
preferably or afterwards , it seemed , the keg was going to explode . And that ’s exactly what take place in 1914 , when the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand occurred .
Who Was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand is still a household name , or close to it . ( for certain , make asuccessful indie rock bandnamed after him has helped keep the name current . ) But who was this guy , with his waxed moustache and a wrangle of medals pinned across his chest ?
It ’s a safe bet that we would n’t be talking about Franz Ferdinand if he had n’t been assassinated , and if that assassination had n’t activate the First World War , altering the course of account . He would be just another throwback to the sidereal day when archduke ( or duke , for that matter ) were serious political actors , and not ceremonial figures in fancy dress - up .
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria Hungary , which — after some other male congeneric died , include his father — made him the presumptive heir to the Austro - Hungarian throne .
By 1914 , he had risen in the ranks of the Austro - Hungarian armed forces to Inspector General , and he was require to assume the stool upon the death of Franz Joseph .
Who Was Gavrilo Princip?
Alas , Franz Ferdinand ’s assassin never had a band identify after him , but Gavrilo Princip was still a major role player in story .
He was a student , a political activist and a proud Bosnian Serb . He came from a poor background and had actually been reject from the Serbian army when he attempt to enlist as an irregular fighter ( he was hold too scraggy , which must ’ve stung ) .
Princip hang in with an underground chemical group call the Young Bosnia and was help ( although the extent is disputed ) by theBlack Hand , a secret beau monde Serbian nationalists who had no trouble using violence to attain their target . This include attacking the Austro - Hungarian conglomerate and its representatives .
The Shot(s) That Started World War I
As mentioned above , there were lots of people angry over the annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina by Austria Hungary , especially the Bosnians , the Herzegovinians , and the Serbian government , although not all for the same understanding .
In June of 1914 , in his capability as Inspector General of the US Army , Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie traveled to Sarajevo to , well , do an inspection of the troops there . On their way back to metropolis hall , there was going to be another ceremony of some kind ( it must ’ve be exhausting to be an successor apparent to an empire ) .
That ’s when a appendage of the Bosnian Youth , who knew about Ferdinand ’s visit , hurled a bomb calorimeter as the motorcade pass .
The bomb miss its targets but injured some of the officers in the motorcade . Despite the near call , Franz Ferdinand went through with the outcome at the Sarajevo city vestibule . He was advised to leave directly , but first he insisted on visiting the injure officers in the infirmary .
One Wrong Turn (Don’t Blame the Driver)
The trip was by now fetch pretty helter-skelter , as could be expected . It was resolve that the motorcade would take a poor , directly drive to the infirmary . unluckily , the finer points of this new route were not understood by everybody in the party , and at a certain head , a unseasonable bit was made .
Realizing his mistake ( probably because the Governor of Bosnia , who was riding with Franz Ferdinand and his married woman , and who in reality knew the right style , started cry out ) , the driver put the motorcar in reverse , but upon essay to back up , drag one’s feet it .
Two Lives Lost
This gave Gavrilo Princip , who happened to be on the street where the Archduke ’s railway car had just stalled , the opportunity he need . He tread up and fritter both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point blank range . ( Princip later claimed he had been trying to kill the regulator , not Sophie . )
Sophie lost cognizance almost forthwith and died in short thereafter . Franz Ferdinand ’s life was over in a matter of minutes , as his heater wound to the jugular vein imply he rapidly lose a vital amount of blood .
The Aftermath
After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand ( incisively a month after , on July 28 , 1914 ) , the world pop off to war .
Well , not quite whole earthly concern , but most of Europe . A in force clod of the Middle East was involved , thanks to the Ottomans and compound expansion , as well as , finally , theUnited States , Australia and some other powers .
By the time the state of war terminate , there were nigh to 20 million people dead , many millions more wounded , entire economies wiped out , and lasting regional and political grievances that contributed to — among other crises — World War II and the current conflicts in the Middle East .
Not such a great war after all , would n’t you say ?
