Chapter 1: The Two World Wars and the Peace Settlements

SUB -THEME 1 Major Conflicts and the quest for peace

Topic 1: The Outbreak of the First World War

The Sarajevo assassination, 1914

• The Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to Austrian throne, visited Sarajevo in 1914.

• He was assassinated there on 28 June 1914.

This is not the crime of a single fanatic. This assassination represents Serbia’s declaration of war on Austria-Hungary. If we miss this occasion, the monarchy will be exposed to new explosions of Slavs, Czech, Russian and Italian ambitions. Austria-Hungary must wage war for political reasons.

－ General von Hotzendorf, 1914

The outbreak of the First World War

A speech made by an Austrian general:

• Austrian ultimatum to Serbia, 23 July 1914• Austrian declaration of war, 28 July 1914

Russian mobilization, 30 July 1914

German ultimatum to Russia, 31 July 1914

Sarajevo assassination, 28 June 1914

German declaration of war on Russia, 1 August 1914

German declaration of war on France, 3 August 1914

Britain joined the war, 4 August 1914

The outbreak of the First World War

A local conflict developed into a great war

The outbreak of the war, 1914 In August 1914, the two armed camps, the Triple Alliance (except

Italy) and the Triple Entente, were now at war.

The outbreak of the First World War

The End