Outbreak of WW1

The Great War began a month after the assassination of the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand. This was not all that lead to one of the world's most destructive conflicts, however. The weeks leading up to the armed conflict are known as the July Crisis and the deals and pacts made during the crisis are equally important in discussing the outbreak of the First World War. Let's explore the outbreak of WWI and why it took a month for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand to lead to a global war.

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      Outbreak Of WWI Timeline

      Date

      Event

      7 October 1879

      The German and Austro-Hungarian Empires signed a defensive treaty which ensured that the other would come to their aid in case Russia attacked either empire. This was called the Dual Alliance

      28 June 1914

      During their visit to Sarajevo, the Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

      5 July 1914

      Germany gave Austria-Hungary the famous "Blank Cheque", meaning that from now on Germany supported any potential political decisions by Austria-Hungary regarding Serbia.

      23 July 1914

      Austria-Hungary delivered Serbia an ultimatum so harsh that it practically threatened Serbian sovereignty. In addition, Serbia was given 48 hours to accept the ultimatum.

      26 July 1914

      The United Kingdom offered to mediate the conflict but this offer was ignored by both Germany and Austria-Hungary.

      28 July 1914

      Despite Serbia adhering to almost all the demands in the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia anyway.

      30 July 1914

      Russia began mobilising its armed forces.

      1 August 1914

      Germany declared war on Russia.

      3 August 1914

      Germany invaded Belgium and France declared war on Germany.

      4 August 1914

      The United Kingdom declared war on Germany for invading Belgium.

      6 August 1914

      Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia.

      The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

      On 28 June 1914, during his visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated along with his wife Duchess Sophie. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip was detained and imprisoned, but could not be executed due to his age. He was 19 at the time.

      Outbreak of WWI, Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie. StudySmarterFig. 1: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie

      Outbreak of WWI, Gavrilo Princip. StudySmarterFig. 2: Gavrilo Princip

      The assassination of Franz Ferdinand sent ripples into Europe and concluded with the outbreak of the Great War. This event had Europe in shock. Just how could a teenager manage to assassinate the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne?

      The killing of Franz Ferdinand, the successor to the throne infuriated the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph. Austria-Hungary presented a ten-point ultimatum to Serbia, chiefly accusing them of orchestrating the murder of his nephew. Despite Serbia agreeing to nine of the ten objectives, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia anyway.

      Outbreak of WWI, Emperor Franz Joseph. StudySmarterFig. 3: Emperor Franz Joseph

      The Russian Empire decided to intervene and, in turn, Germany declared war on Russia. Due to the existence of the Franco-Russian alliance, France declared war on Germany. After Germany invaded Belgium, the United Kingdom too declared war on Germany. The First World War had begun. Austria-Hungary would later declare war on Russia, days after France and the United Kingdom entered the war.

      Outbreak of WW1 Causes and Alliances

      The German Empire was pursuing an imperialist foreign policy of Weltpolitik, Germany and its Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted war to prove that the German Empire could stand next to the other European great powers.

      Following the death of Franz Ferdinand, an international crisis known as the July Crisis took place. The July Crisis was a month-long period of tension where alliances and plans were drawn up for the coming war.

      Outbreak of WWI, Kaiser Wilhelm II. StudySmarterFig. 4: Kaiser Wilhelm II

      From 5 July 1914 onwards, Germany actively encouraged Austria-Hungary to take action against Serbia. Wilhelm II even assured Franz Joseph that Germany would assist Austria-Hungary in any way it could should Austria-Hungary find itself in a difficult position. The offer, known as the "blank cheque" was accepted by Franz Joseph.

      The German and Austrian Empires found a rather unlikely ally in the East, the Ottoman Empire. Together, the three empires would face the might of the Russian Empire and France: but where was the British Empire?

      The German Empire had sought to defeat both the French and the Russian forces with relative ease. As long as they followed the already existing Schlieffen Plan, victory seemed achievable. With this plan, Germany sought to invade France through Belgium, take Paris, and move eastwards after the French defeat to face the Russians.

      Invading Belgium however, proved to be harder than expected. Not only did the Belgians fight valiantly, but violating Belgian neutrality prompted the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany.

      Outbreak of WWI, The Schlieffen Plan as proposed by Alfred von Schlieffen. StudySmarterFig. 5: The Schlieffen Plan as proposed by Alfred von Schlieffen

      Needless to say, the Germans, due to replanning the Schlieffen Plan, were unable to take Paris. As for Russia, they managed to mobilise much faster than the German command had expected. As they fought in the west, Russian forces were already pushing in from the east. Germany was not prepared to fight on two fronts and a quick victory never materialised.

      Outbreak Of WW1 Significance

      What is the significance of the outbreak of the First World War?

      • It began the Great War, the 'War to End All Wars'.
      • The collapse of Russia in the face of the German armed forces contributed to the rise of Bolsheviks in Russia, a political party which overthrew the Tsar and established the Soviet Union.
      • The Great War saw over 20 million dead, with over 25 million wounded or maimed.
      • It gave rise to military technology hitherto unseen such as tanks, a staple of modern warfare.
      • It contributed to the influencing re-establishment of national identity in regions that were ruled by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, most notably in Arab-speaking Mesopotamia and the Balkans.
      • The outbreak of the First World War played into the desires of many heads of state in Europe. You see, some wanted war. As it seemed, only devastation like that seen in the Great War could bring peace, but this turned out not to be the case.

      Outbreak of WW1 - Key takeaways

      • The main reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the assassination of the Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand.
      • The assassination was followed by the July Crisis where alliances were drawn up for the upcoming war.
      • Many heads of state wanted war. Most notably Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire. A stern believer in Weltpolitik, he sought to defeat other European powers and claim Germany's spot as a mighty global empire.
      • When the war eventually broke out, the Schlieffen Plan, a military plan which sought to invade France through Belgium, take Paris and move the German forces east to face the Russians, failed. Its failure came because the Schlieffen Plan was amended and fundamentally unrealistic. The Belgians put up a valiant fight against the Germans and France was successful at repelling German attacks.

      References

      1. Fig. 1: Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assassination_of_Archduke_Ferdinand.jpg). Author unknown, licenced as public domain
      2. Fig. 2: Gavrilloprincip2 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gavrilloprincip2.jpg) by Maksim, licenced as CC BY-SA 3.0
      3. Fig. 3: Franz-Joseph-Österreich-1885 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz-Joseph-%C3%96sterreich-1885.jpg) by Carl Pietzner, licenced as public domain
      4. Fig. 4: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaiser_Wilhelm_II_of_Germany.jpg) by T.H. Voigt, licenced as public domain
      5. Fig. 5: Schlieffen Plan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schlieffen_Plan.jpg) by Tinodela, licenced as public domain
      Frequently Asked Questions about Outbreak of WW1

      What led to the outbreak of WW1?

      The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria and his wife Sophie by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip ultimately led to the outbreak of the First World War.

      What caused the outbreak of WW1?

      The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the main cause behind the outbreak of the First World War.

      What factors led to the outbreak of WW1?

      Though tensions were at a moderate height in pre-war Europe, the assassination of the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand ultimately set off the July Crisis which eventually led to the First World War. 

      What was the most important reason for the outbreak of WW1?

      The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria is considered to be the most important reason as well as the main catalyst behind the outbreak of the First World War.

      Who was responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914?

      The main chunk of responsibility ultimately fell on Serbia as the Assassin of Franz Ferdinand, Gavrillo Princip and his accomplices were Bosnian Serb nationalists.

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      True or False: The Schlieffen Plan was a success?

      Where was Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated?

      Archduke Franz Ferdinand was Emperor Franz Joseph's ______.

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