The Serbian involvement in the start of World War 1 was primarily due to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were visiting Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist and member of the Black Hand, a secret society dedicated to the unification of all South Slavic peoples, assassinated the Archduke and his wife. Princip was a student at a Serbian Orthodox seminary and had been inspired by the Pan-Slavic ideology, which advocated for the unification of all Slavic peoples under one state.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered a series of events that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War 1. Austria-Hungary, backed by Germany, issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding that the Serbian government take action to suppress the anti-Austrian sentiments within its borders and punish those responsible for the assassination. Serbia refused to accept all of the demands, leading Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.
Russia, as Serbia's ally, began to mobilize its military in support of Serbia, prompting Germany to declare war on Russia on August 1, 1914. France, allied with Russia, then declared war on Germany, and Germany subsequently invaded Belgium, bringing Great Britain into the war on August 4, 1914. Thus, a series of alliances and counter-alliances led to the outbreak of a global conflict that would eventually involve more than 30 countries.
Serbian Nationalism and Pan-Slavism
In the years leading up to World War 1, Serbia had experienced a rise in nationalist sentiments, fueled by the desire to unify all South Slavic peoples into a single state. This ideology, known as Pan-Slavism, gained popularity among Serbian intellectuals, politicians, and military leaders.
The Black Hand, the organization to which Princip belonged, was a secret society dedicated to the unification of all South Slavic peoples under Serbian leadership. The Black Hand was involved in various activities aimed at destabilizing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The Serbian government, while not directly involved in the assassination, was aware of the Black Hand's activities and did little to prevent them. This led Austria-Hungary to accuse Serbia of complicity in the assassination, which further escalated tensions between the two countries.
In conclusion, Serbia's involvement in the start of World War 1 was primarily due to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The Serbian nationalist sentiments and the Pan-Slavic ideology contributed to the tensions between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, which ultimately led to the outbreak of the war.