Why did a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia become a European war in 1914?

On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student. The assassination sparked little initial concern in Europe. The Archduke himself was not terribly popular, least of all in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While there were riots in Sarajevo following the Archduke's death these were largely aimed at the Serbian minority. Though this assassination has been linked as the direct trigger for World War I, the war's real origins lie further back, in the complex web of alliances and counterbalances that developed between the various European powers after the defeat of France and formation of the German state under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck in 1871. So why exactly did a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia spiral out of control and become a European war in 1914?

Franz Ferdinand had......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Why Did A War Between Austria-Hungary And Serbia Become A European War In 1914?
Approximate Word Count: 953
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Why Did A War Between Austria-Hungary And Serbia Become A European War In 1914?, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!