Immediate Cause of the War (June 1914 )
The First World War finally broke out in the second half of 1914 because of an ‘accident’ in Bosnia.
Sarajevo Assassination
Outbreak of War - July/August 1914
1. The Assassination of Francis Ferdinand at Sarajevo (June 1914)
The final event which led to the outbreak of the First World War took place on June 28, 1914. On that day, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife were shot dead by a young Serbian nationalist of the Black Hand at Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital .
Why assassinate the Archduke?
The Serbian Black Hand had to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand because he wanted to convert the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (the Dual Monarchy) into a Triple Monarchy by the inclusion of Serbia. Although the Serbs might gain a certain degree of autonomy within the Triple Monarchy, their long cherished wish of creating a united Serbian state would be dashed to the ground. Francis Joseph, the reigning monarch was......
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