THE ASSASSINATION OF ARCHDUKE FERDINAND On June 28 1914 Gavrilo Princip a 20 year old Serbian man shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand the heir to the throne of Austria Hungary and his wife Sophie Princip was trained in terrorism by the Black Hand a secret NEWSPAPER REPORT OF THE Serbian nationalist organization that ARCHDUKE S ASSASSINATION was dedicated to freeing Slav lands from The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand made the newspaper headlines around the Austrian rule world On June 29 1914 the New York Times Austria Hungary and its emperor Franz front page blared Heir to Austria's Throne Is Slain with His Wife by a Bosnian Youth to Joseph believed Serbia was responsible Avenge Seizure of His Country The story for the assassination On July 23 continued Two pistol shots were fired in quick succession by an individual who called himself Austria Hungary delivered demands to Gavrilo Princip The motor car in which they Serbia The ultimatum called for Serbia the Archduke and his wife were seated drove straight to the Konak Building where an army to permit Austrian agents to oversee Surgeon rendered first aid but in vain Neither an investigation into the assassination the Archduke nor the Duchess gave any sign among other demands Serbia refused of life However hoping to avoid armed conflict Serbia suggested they negotiate with the help of the Great Powers Austria Hungary refused and confident of German 10
support declared war on Serbia on July 28 From then on events unfolded like falling dominoes THE ROAD TO RUIN Upon Austria Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia the German fleet began mobilizing for armed service The next day July 29 a partial mobilization of Russian soldiers and artillery was heading toward the border with Austria That day Austrian riverboats began bombarding Belgrade Serbia Russia although considering itself Serbia's self appointed protector wanted to avoid war with Germany The Russian emperor Czar Nicholas II appealed directly to Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II The two men were third cousins and had been writing each other letters for many years To try and avoid such a calamity as a European war wrote Nicholas I beg you in the name of our old friendship to do what you can to stop your allies from going too far The czar signed his telegram Nicky I am exerting my utmost influence to induce the Austrians to deal straightly to arrive at a satisfactory understanding with you read Wilhelm's reply But it was too late When news of Russia's partial mobilization reached German military leaders the Germans mobilized their army in response On July 30 the czar ordered full mobilization of his Russian troops 11
Germany next turned to France and demanded it remain neutral in the growing tensions France refused and ordered a mobilization on August 1 That day Germany declared war on Russia and Russia responded in kind Two days later the Germans declared war on France On August 3 Germany demanded that Belgium allow German troops to move freely through the country so they could attack France The United Kingdom warned the Germans not to cross into Belgium The British were honoring the Treaty of London of 1839 which bound them to protect Belgium s neutrality in the event the tiny nation was attacked But on August 4 German troops stormed into the tiny nation of Belgium Hours later the United Kingdom declared war on Germany Within eight days the Austrians declared war on Russia and the United Kingdom and France declared war on Austria Hungary Much of Europe was now at war the British French and Russian Empires aligned against the empires of Germany and Austria Hungary Many European nations eyed the brewing storm from the sidelines the Ottoman Empire Portugal Greece and others refused to take sides at this time Italy despite its partnership in the Triple Alliance declared neutrality In May 1915 Italy would declare war on Austria Hungary and enter the conflict on the Allies side Europe was on the road to ruin Within days several million soldiers from across the continent were on the move 12
KAISER WILHELM 1859 1941 Wilhelm II the German kaiser or emperor was one of the key figures of World War I During his birth on January 27 1859 a doctor accidentally damaged the newborn's left arm and it grew to be about six inches shorter than his right arm Some historians believe Wilhelm made up for the disfigurement with an unusually strong interest in the army the navy and military uniforms succeeded father in Wilhelm his 1888 Germany's new ruler was arrogant impulsive and easily angered His political decisions led German chancellor Otto von Bismarck to predict Wilhelm would destroy Germany To this day historians argue Wilhelm's role in the war Some claim he did not want war but was instead controlled by his generals Others say he held substantial political power and as commander in chief of the German army he could have prevented the conflict from erupting 13
