Revision Diary

Sarajevo

         

Sarajevo, Austria/Hungary and the Serbs;

  

Make sure you have detailed factual knowledge about AND HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT the following issues and topics:

  

WHY DID THE SARAJEVO ASSASSINATION LEAD TO THE OUTBREAK OF WAR IN 1914?

1.  A description of the Sarajevo Crisis.

2.  The effects of the Sarajevo Crisis.

 

    

  

  

WHY DID THE SARAJEVO ASSASSINATION LEAD TO THE OUTBREAK OF WAR IN 1914?

     

The Sarajevo Crisis of 1914

Background

•    The key problem was nationalism - esp. 'Panslavism' (the belief that Balkan peoples such as the Serbs had a right to self-determination):

•    It was a movement that Austria-Hungary (the 'polyglot empire') feared would lead to its break-up.

•    The Austrian Army had asked for a war to destroy Serbia more than 25 times in the eight years after 1906.

•    Sarajevo was in Bosnia, the province that - to Serbia's anger - had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908.

•    In the 1912-13 Balkans Wars, Serbia had grown in size and power.   Its Prime Minister had declared: 'The first round is won.   Now for the second round - against Austria'.

Meat

•    Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was inspecting the army in Sarajevo with his wife Sophie to celebrate their wedding anniversary because Austrian protocols prevented him attending state functions with her (a 'commoner').

•    28 June was also Serbia's National Day - the parade was a direct affront to Serbian nationalists.   So six young Bosnian Serbs - linked to the Black Hand - lined up to assassinate Franz Ferdinand as he drove along the main road in Sarajevo, the Appel Quay.

•    Nedeljko Cabrinovic threw a bomb. He missed and was arrested.   The Archduke escaped unhurt and went to the town hall.  He decided to return home immediately via a different route.

•    No one told the driver of the change of plan, so he turned into Franz Josef Street then, when told of his error, stopped the car ... in front of Gavrilo Princip, who pulled out a gun and killed Franz Ferdinand.  During the ensuing tussle, Princip also killed Sophie.

End

•    The assassination caused horror, but not at first an international crisis (the Kaiser went on holiday).

•    Austria provoked the international crisis by sending Serbia an ultimatum on 23 July 1914.

 

        

Revision Focus

This is a Paper 1 topic, so concentrate on learning:

1.   WHAT happened

2.   EFFECTS/ Importance

  

Links

e-book on the crises leading to WWI.

  

   

  

  

  

 

     

Results of the Sarajevo Crisis

     Caused the War?  

     Note that it is arguable that Sarajevo did NOT cause the war:

1.   The assassination caused horror, but not at first an international crisis (the Kaiser went on holiday).

2.   It was Austria which provoked the international crisis by sending Serbia an ultimatum on 23 July 1914 - this started the sequence of events leading to the outbreak of war.

  

3.   Note that you may need to use your knowledge of the events leading to the outbreak of war for two questions.   Firstly simply if you are asked to describe the events leading to war.   But secondly - as here - as part of an argument that the slide to war was a consequence of the Sarajevo assassination.