History of the World War, Volume 1 (of 7) : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest war — John Shaqi
History of the World War, Volume 1 (of 7) : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest warMarch, Francis A., Jr.
History
History of the World War, Volume 1 (of 7) : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest war
March, Francis A., Jr.
World War, 1914-1918
It was this dream of world-domination by Teutonic kultur that supplied
the motive leading to the world’s greatest war. Bosnia, an unwilling
province of Austria-Hungary, at one time a province of Serbia and
overwhelmingly Slavic in its population, had been seething for years
with an anti-Teutonic ferment. The Teutonic court at Vienna, leading
the minority Germanic party in Austria-Hungary, had been endeavoring
to allay the agitation among the Bosnian Slavs. In pursuance of that
policy, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir-presumptive to the thrones of
Austria and Hungary, and his morganatic wife, Sophia Chotek, Duchess of
Hohenberg, on June 28, 1914, visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.
On the morning of that day, while they were being driven through the
narrow streets of the ancient town, a bomb was thrown at them, but
they were uninjured. They were driven through the streets again in the
afternoon, for purpose of public display. A student, just out of his
’teens, one Gavrilo Prinzep, attacked the royal party with a magazine
pistol and killed both the Archduke and his wife.
Here was the excuse for which Germany had waited. Here was the dawn of
“The Day.” The Germanic court of Austria asserted that the crime was
the result of a conspiracy, leading directly to the Slavic court of
Serbia. The Serbians in their turn declared that they knew nothing of
the assassination. They pointed out the fact that Sophia Chotek was a
Slav, and that Francis Ferdinand was more liberal than any other member
of the Austrian royal household, and finally, that he, more than any
other member of the Austrian court, understood and respected the Slavic
character and aspirations.
At six o’clock on the evening of July 23d, Austria sent an ultimatum
to Serbia, presenting eleven demands and stipulating that categorical
replies must be delivered before six o’clock on the evening of
July 25th. Although the language in which the ultimatum was couched
was humiliating to Serbia, the answer was duly delivered within the
stipulated time.
The demands of the Austrian note in brief were as follows:
1. The Serbian Government to give formal assurance of its
condemnation of Serb propaganda against Austria.
2. The next issue of the Serbian “Official Journal” was to contain a
declaration to that effect.
3. This declaration to express regret that Serbian officers had taken
part in the propaganda.
4. The Serbian Government to promise that it would proceed rigorously
against all guilty of such activity.
5. This declaration to be at once communicated by the King of Serbia
to his army, and to be published in the official bulletin as an order
of the day.
6. All anti-Austrian publications in Serbia to be suppressed.
7. The Serbian political party known as the “National Union” to be
suppressed, and its means of propaganda to be confiscated.
8. All anti-Austrian teaching in the schools of Serbia to be
suppressed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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