Section 2 – The Guns of August
I. Assassination in Sarajevo
Setting the Scene:
Bertha von Suttner devoted her life to peace.
Though the daughter of a noble Austrian military
family, she wrote a best-selling antiwar novel and
organized a peace society. Her tireless work won
her the nickname "Peace Bertha.” Yet, in April
1913, Suttner wrote in her diary that "the great
European disaster is well on its way. If so many
seeds have been sown, surely the weeds will
sprout up soon and surely so much stockpiled
gunpowder will explode."
"Peace Bertha" died on June 20,1914. Eight days
later, an assassin's bullet set off the
"gunpowder" and ignited a war that engulfed
much of the world for four bloody years.
I. Assassination in Sarajevo
The crisis began when Archduke Francis
Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary announced that
he would visit Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia
Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his Wife Sophie von Hohenburg Leave
the Town Hall in Sarajevo and Get into their Car (June 28, 1914)
I. Assassination in Sarajevo
Austria-Hungary ruled Bosnia, home to many
Serbs and other Slavs, and the visit angered
Serbian revolutionaries
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie
at Sarajevo on 28th June, 1914
I. Assassination in Sarajevo
Members of a Serbian terrorist group known
as the Black Hand vowed to take action
Seal of the Black Hand
I. Assassination in Sarajevo
On June 28,1914, Serbian terrorist Gavrilo
Princip assassinated the archduke and his
wife
Gavrilo Princip assassinates Ferdinand and Sophia
II. The Conflict Widens
Austrian emperor Francis Joseph’s
government saw the incident as an excuse to
crush Serbia for good
II. The Conflict Widens
Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum that included
allowing Austria to investigate the
assassination
The arrest of a member of the 'Black Hand'
group after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand
II. The Conflict Widens
Serbia did not agree to all of the terms of the
ultimatum and Austria declared war on Serbia
on July 28, 1914
In the aftermath of the
assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand, Austria made ten
demands of Serbia. An
Austrian official would be
appointed to monitor the
fulfillment of these
demands. The Serbians
accepted all but this last
demand, and war was
declared.
II. The Conflict Widens
Kaiser William II advised Francis Joseph to
take a firm stand toward Serbia and assured
him of Germany's full support
Kaiser William II wrote to Francis Joseph, advising him to take a
firm stand toward Serbia. The Kaiser assured the emperor of
Germany's full support. Thus, instead of urging restraint, William II
gave Austria a "blank check” of assistance
II. The Conflict Widens
Serbia sought help from Russia, and Czar
Nicholas urged the Kaiser to ask Austria to
soften its demands
Czar Nicholas II of Russia
II. The Conflict Widens
The Kaiser refused to help and Russia began
to mobilize, or prepare its military forces for
war
Russian Army Mobilization
II. The Conflict Widens
When Russia began to mobilize, Germany
responded by declaring war on Russia
Germany/Austria-Hungary versus Russia
II. The Conflict Widens
Because Russia appealed to its ally France for
help, Germany declared war on France
Germany versus France
II. The Conflict Widens
Italy chose to remain neutral and Britain was
uncommitted until Germany's war plans made
the decision for Britain
II. The Conflict Widens
General Schlieffen had developed a plan of
attack against France requiring German
armies to march through neutral Belgium
II. The Conflict Widens
European powers had signed a treaty
guaranteeing Belgian neutrality - when
Germany invaded Belgium, Britain declared war
II. The Conflict Widens
Once war plans were set in motion, conflict
was inevitable. Now that war had come, it
seemed like an exciting adventure to many
"The lamps are going out all over Europe.
We shall not see them lit again in our
lifetime”
British politician Sir Edward Grey’s
comment when the war began