“For heaven’s sake, what has happened to you?” exclaimed Sophie, the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as she saw blood trickling down from her husband’s mouth. “Sophie dear, don’t die, for the sake of our children,” pleaded the archduke, seeing his wife receive a bullet in her stomach. Moments later, both of them passed away.
These were the last words uttered by the royal couple on the fateful day of June 28, 1914, the day when seeds of the First World War were sown on the streets of Sarajevo. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of the Habsburg Emperor and heir apparent to the throne, was visiting Sarajevo with his beloved wife Sophie. On that very day Serbian nationalist feelings were running extremely high as 525 years ago on the same day, the Serbs had suffered a humiliating defeat in Kosovo at the hands of the Ottoman Sultan Murad-I, and Serbia was annexed to the Ottoman Empire.
The annexation of the Balkans continued till the Ottomans were dispossessed of their European territories following two Balkan wars (1912-1913). Turkey was finally left with a small enclave of Adrianaopole in Europe. These wars also gave rise to Serb nationalism. Its endeavour was to gain more territories left by the Turks. It tried to capture Albania in order to reach the Adriatic coastline. Its efforts were, nonetheless, foiled by Austria-Hungary which saw in this a design to wield its influence in the Balkans. The dual monarchy’s interference further angered the Serbs.
For the Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff, Conard von Hotzendorf, eager to attack Serbia, assassination of the archduke was ‘godsend’. When the Kaiser learned the news, he noted in the margin of the telegram from his ambassador in Vienna: “The Serbs must be disposed of.” Against the ambassador’s remarks that ‘only mild punishment might be imposed on Serbia, the Kaiser wrote: “I hope not.” Germany supported the Austrians through thick and thin and advised them to attack as soon as possible. He added that should the war between Austria and Russia prove unavoidable the Germans would be on Austria’s side.
Austrian leaders were quite confident that they could chastise Serbia without a war with European powers. On July 7 their foreign minister proposed immediate armed attack on Serbia with the aim to reducing it territorially apart from making it dependent on Austria. And the decisive factor was the Kaiser’s assurance two days earlier that should the war between Austria- Hungry and Russia prove unavoidable, “Germany would be on their side”.
In Berlin, the Germans were convinced that Russia would not dare intervene in the dispute between Austria-Hungry and Serbia even if the latter rejected the ultimatum and Austria declared war.
The Australian ultimatum was delivered in Belgrade on July 25 linking Belgrade with the assassination, something the secret Austrian report of 10 days earlier had specifically denied. It insisted that i) Serbia must condemn all anti-Austrian propaganda, ii) agree to joint Austro-Serbia commission to investigate into the murder, iii) there must be condemnation by the Serb army, military involvement with the murder iv) Serbian promise of non further intrigue in Bosnia, v) Serbia must undertake to punish who circulated anti-Austrian propaganda and vi) Australian officials to participate in the trial and punishment of those connected with the plot.
These demands by one sovereign state against the other, were called “the most formidable document that was ever addressed from one state to another”. The Serbs understood their weaknesses against a joint onslaught across their exposed frontiers. She therefore sent conciliatory reply agreeing to the demands except Austrian officials’ participation in trial and punishment of those involved in the assassination. They proposed that their case be submitted to the International Court of Justice. Thus Serbia in a way effectively capitulated.
Berlin’s mood, which was initially bellicose, after reading the text of the Serbian reply became conciliatory. The Kaiser thus declared that a full-scale Australian invasion of Serbia was not needed. He wrote to his ambassador: “I am convinced that the whole wishes of the Danube monarchy have been acceded to. The few reservations that Serbia makes in regard to individual points can in my opinion be well declared up by the negotiations.”
An hour after the Kaiser penned these words, Austria declared war on Serbia, confident of German support. The Tsar, in order to avoid such a calamity telegraphed the Kaiser: “I beg you in the name of our old friendship to do what you can to stop your allies from going too far.” But Austria was not to be restrained despite the German influence. Subsequently, the Kaiser was also prevailed upon. Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia to ease the war efforts against Germany and its ally which the Russians refused. Germany asked France to categorically state that she would remain neutral in the event of the Russio-German war. The French refused to succumb to this demand. Similarly Belgium also refused to budge before the German ultimatum.
On the morning of August 3, Germany declared war against France. On August 4, Britain also declared war against Germany as the latter violated the territorial sovereignty of its ally, Belgium, with whom the British had signed a treaty in 1830. Thus by the mid-August all principal powers of Europe, including Turkey, were involved in a war with one or the other. The United States of America, which till then was maintaining neutrality, could not remain a silent spectator. On April 1 an armed American streamer was torpedoed off the French coast and 28 of her crewmen drowned. “The world must be made safe for democracy,” President Wilson told the Congress on April 2. Four days later the US declared war on Germany.
By the time events took their course, 20 million lost their lives. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had disappeared. Three out of four dynasties which entered the war were overthrown. Only the British royal house remained standing. Afterwards, it was hard to recall exactly what had triggered the conflict. All that any one knew was that a new European system had to be constructed out of a monumental folly.
