The spark that ignited World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand—heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—was shot to death along with his wife, Sophie, by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914.
So most historians agree that the event that started World War I was the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th, 1914, but beyond that, there's not a lot of agreement. Others say the war really started after Franz Ferdinand bit it, like when Germany declared war or when Russia mobilized.Sep 13, 2014
The Treaty of Versailles, signed following World War I, contained Article 231, commonly known as the “war guilt clause,” which placed all the blame for starting the war on Germany and its allies.
2:379:09How World War I Started: Crash Course World History 209 - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipVitus's day which was a celebration for Slavic nationalists. And a Bosnian Serb named GavriloMoreVitus's day which was a celebration for Slavic nationalists. And a Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip. And his co-conspirators chose to celebrate Slavic nationalism by killing Franz Ferdinand.
The simplest answer is that the immediate cause was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary. His death at the hands of Gavrilo Princip – a Serbian nationalist with ties to the secretive military group known as the Black Hand – propelled the major European military powers towards war.
The Treaty of Versailles, signed following World War I, contained Article 231, commonly known as the “war guilt clause,” which placed all the blame for starting the war on Germany and its allies.Dec 12, 2021
June 28, 1914The spark that set off World War I came on June 28, 1914, when a young Serbian patriot shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austria), in the city of Sarajevo. The assassin was a supporter of the Kingdom of Serbia, and within a month the Austrian army invaded Serbia.
One line of interpretation, promoted by German historian Fritz Fischer in the 1960s, argues that Germany had long desired to dominate Europe politically and economically, and seized the opportunity that unexpectedly opened in July 1914, making Germany guilty of starting the war.