Name:
Global History 10
Date:
Period:
The Powder Keg of Europe
Background: The incident that finally brought the nations of Europe to war took place in the city of
Sarajevo, in an area of Europe called the Balkans (a peninsula in Southeast Europe). The majority
(most of) of the people who live in the Balkans speak a Southern Slavic language. There are many ethnic
(racial/cultural) groups in the Balkans such as Bosnians, Albanians, Bulgarians, and Serbs.
Most of this land had been under control of either the Ottoman Empire or the Austro Hungarian
Empire. In the late 1800’s, nationalism began to spread amongst the ethnic groups in the Balkans and
they all looked to break away from these empires. Serbia was the first country to break free. Russia, itself
a mostly Slavic nation, supported Serbian nationalism. The Austro Hungarian Empire promised to crush
any Serbian effort to undermine (weaken) its authority in the Balkans. Russia was part of the Triple
Entente, while the Austro Hungarian Empire was part of the Triple Alliance. The Balkans was a
“powder keg” (barrel of gun powder) which threatened peace in an already unstable Europe. All it
needed was a spark to set it off.
1. Where was the Balkan Peninsula located?
2. Why did the Slavic people want to break away from the Austria-Hungary Empire?
3. Explain how the Balkans was a “powder keg” that threatened a continental war in the early 1900s.
An Assassin’s Story
My name is Gavrilo Princip. I am a Bosnian Serb who dreams. I dream that someday all the Slavic people will be united under the flag of one country:
Serbia. I hate the rulers of Austria-Hungary. They do not like the Slavic people. They do not give us the same rights as the other peoples who live in
their empire. It is my duty to wake up the Slavic people. They must revolt and join their brothers and sisters in building a greater Serbia!
1. What was Gavrilo Princip’s dream ?
2. What concept (idea) are Gavrilo Princip’s statements an example of?
For months, I trained with members of a secret society called the Black Hand. We believed that only violence and terror would make our dream come
true. My friends taught me how to use a pistol. I hoped to use this skill very soon.
My friends and I were now ready for our most important mission. We knew that the Austrian archduke
(prince), Francis Ferdinand and his wife were visiting Bosnia on June 28. They were not to leave the country
alive! Our leaders told us that the archduke planned to make life easier for the Slavic people when he became
emperor. We could not have this! If his reforms helped the Slavic people, they (the Slavic people) would never
revolt. The archduke had to be stopped before he ruined our dreams of a greater Serbia!
3. Why was Prinicp fearful of the Austrian archduke bringing positive changes
to the Slavic people?
The archduke and his wife were riding in an open car. One of our leaders had prepared a bomb. The car
stopped at a bride and the bomb was thrown. The crowd screamed as the bomb exploded. When the
smoke cleared, I saw wounded people lying in the street. But the archduke and his wife were not hurt. I
shivered to think that we had failed in our mission.
The driver turned the car past the corner where I was standing. It seemed too late for me to do anything. But wait! The car was slowly backing
up. I could see the archduke and his wife very clearly. They were sitting just a few yards in front of me. The car was moving very, very slowly. I
reached for my gun, moved forward, and pointed it at my enemy. I shot once and hit the archduke in the neck. Then his wife covered him with
her body. I shot her too! Long live the Slavic people! Long Live Serbia!
4. If you were the Austro-Hungarian Empire, how would you have responded to this assassination?
Postscript
Archduke Francis Ferdinand and is wife were assassinated on June 28, 1914.
The Austrians blamed Serbia for the incident and one month later, declared war on Serbia.
Russia had always promised to protect Serbia and so the Russians alerted their
troops and sent them to the borders of Austria-Hungary and Austria-Hungary’s ally,
Germany. Germany, believing war was inevitable, decided to take advantage of the situation
and declared war on their enemy, Russia.
The Germans knew that Russia had an alliance with France and that the French
would probably attack Germany, so Germany also declared war on France. The British tried
to stay out of the war but warned they would join if the neutral country of Belgium was
invaded. On August 4, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium. Britain then declared war on
Germany. World War I had begun.
The Triple Entente countries – France, Britain, and Russia – were joined by Italy
and Japan. Italy had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary before the war but joined the Allies when the British and French promised them land
in Austria. They were now called the Allied (Entente) Powers. These powers were confronted by the Central Powers which now included
Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), and Bulgaria.