Question

Which country was blamed for the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand?

Answer 1

Hint Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria was the heir presumptive and was entitled to inherit the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination is considered to be the immediate cause of the First World War.

Complete step-by-step solution
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg’s assassination occurred on 28 June 1914 in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. The assassin was identified as 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip. He belonged to a group of assassins that had six members, all of which was coordinated by Danilo Ilić, a Bosnian Serb and a member of the Black Hand secret society. The main political objective of the assassination was to unite Austria-Hungary's South Slav provinces and unite them with Yugoslavia. The motif of the conspirator was inclined and inspired by the movement called ‘Young Bosnia’ who were angered by the 1908 annexation of Bosnia- Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and aimed to free the southern provinces. Serbia was thus blamed for the assassination and the assassins, the key members of the organizational network including many prominent Serbian military members of the group were presented before the trial and eventually punished.

Additional Information The assassination acted as a catalyst and soon Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia, which was partially rejected. Following which, Austria-Hungary finally declared war on Serbia, triggering actions leading to war between most European states.

Note Despite being viewed as a terrorist by many countries of former Yugoslavia, Gavrilo Princip was a true and courageous hero in the eyes of the governments of Republika Srpska and Serbia.