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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 triggered a chain of events that plunged Europe into war. This lesson covers the assassination, the July Crisis, the Schlieffen Plan, and the first months of the war, including the Battle of the Marne and the "Race to the Sea."
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand — heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne — and his wife Sophie were shot and killed in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist and member of the Black Hand terrorist group.
| Key Detail | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Why Sarajevo? | Bosnia had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Many Bosnian Serbs wanted to unite with Serbia |
| Who was Gavrilo Princip? | A 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist. He was part of a group of seven assassins who planned to kill the Archduke |
| How did it happen? | A first assassination attempt (a bomb thrown at the Archduke's car) failed. By chance, the Archduke's car later took a wrong turn, stopping right in front of Princip, who shot both the Archduke and his wife |
Exam Tip: The assassination was the trigger (short-term cause) of WWI, not the underlying cause. Always distinguish between the trigger and the long-term causes (alliances, militarism, imperialism, nationalism).
The assassination set off a chain reaction driven by the alliance system.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 28 June 1914 | Assassination of Franz Ferdinand |
| 23 July | Austria-Hungary sends Serbia an ultimatum with ten demands, some deliberately unacceptable |
| 25 July | Serbia accepts most demands but rejects some. Austria-Hungary finds this unsatisfactory |
| 28 July | Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia |
| 30 July | Russia mobilises its army in support of Serbia |
| 1 August | Germany declares war on Russia |
| 3 August | Germany declares war on France and begins the Schlieffen Plan by invading Belgium |
| 4 August | Britain declares war on Germany after Germany violates Belgian neutrality (guaranteed by the 1839 Treaty of London) |
Exam Tip: The July Crisis shows how the alliance system turned a regional dispute into a European war. Practise writing a timeline of events from the assassination to Britain's declaration of war — this is a common exam question.
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's military strategy for fighting a war on two fronts — against France in the west and Russia in the east. It was devised by Count Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905 and later modified by General Helmuth von Moltke.
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Belgian resistance | Belgium resisted fiercely, slowing the German advance. The fortress of Liege held out for 12 days |
| British Expeditionary Force (BEF) | Britain sent the BEF to France, which helped slow the German advance at the Battle of Mons (23 August 1914) |
| Russian mobilisation | Russia mobilised more quickly than expected (within 10 days), forcing Germany to divert troops to the Eastern Front |
| Moltke's modifications | Moltke weakened the right wing of the attack (which was supposed to encircle Paris) and strengthened the left wing, reducing the plan's effectiveness |
| Battle of the Marne | French and British forces halted the German advance at the Battle of the Marne (5–12 September 1914), just 30 miles from Paris |
The Battle of the Marne was the decisive moment that prevented a quick German victory.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date | 5–12 September 1914 |
| Forces | French and British vs. German |
| Key event | French commander General Joffre counter-attacked. Reinforcements were famously transported to the front in Parisian taxis |
| Outcome | Germany was forced to retreat to the River Aisne. The Schlieffen Plan had failed |
| Significance | It meant the war would not be over quickly. Germany now faced the dreaded two-front war |
After the Battle of the Marne, both sides tried to outflank each other in a series of battles stretching northward towards the English Channel. This is known as the Race to the Sea.
| Figure | Role |
|---|---|
| Gavrilo Princip | Assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand |
| Count von Schlieffen | Devised the original Schlieffen Plan |
| General von Moltke | Modified and commanded the Schlieffen Plan in 1914 |
| General Joffre | French commander at the Battle of the Marne |
| Sir John French | Commander of the British Expeditionary Force |
Question (Paper 1, Q7, 12 marks, AO1+AO2): Has Belgian resistance been the most important reason for the failure of the Schlieffen Plan? Explain your answer.
Worked paragraph: Belgian resistance in August 1914 was significant but was only one of several interlocking reasons for the failure of the Schlieffen Plan. The defence of the Belgian forts at Liège from 5 to 16 August 1914 — under Lieutenant-General Gérard Leman — delayed the German First Army by around 10 days and used up German heavy-artillery ammunition, although the forts ultimately fell to the Krupp "Big Bertha" 420 mm siege howitzers. More damagingly, the defence gave the British Expeditionary Force (90,000 men under Sir John French) time to deploy, where it fought the holding action at Mons on 23 August 1914 that slowed the German right wing further. Meanwhile, Russian mobilisation was faster than Schlieffen had assumed: by 17 August, Russian armies were invading East Prussia, forcing Moltke to transfer two corps east. Finally, Moltke's modifications to the original plan — weakening the right wing, strengthening Alsace-Lorraine — meant the critical envelopment of Paris was never delivered. Joffre's counter-attack at the First Battle of the Marne (5–12 September 1914) therefore succeeded against a weakened, delayed, and overstretched German force. Belgian resistance was a contributory cause, but the plan failed because it depended on timings and troop dispositions that no army in 1914 could actually execute.
"Belgium stopped Germany. The Schlieffen Plan failed because the Germans could not beat the Belgians quickly." — Simple; no specific detail.
"The Belgians resisted at Liège in August 1914, delaying Germany. The BEF arrived and fought at Mons. Russia also mobilised faster than expected. These things caused the Schlieffen Plan to fail." — Developed; accurate detail; factors listed.
"The Liège defence (5–16 August 1914) delayed Germany for around 10 days and consumed heavy-artillery ammunition. This gave the BEF time to deploy and fight at Mons on 23 August. Meanwhile Russian mobilisation forced Moltke to move two corps east, weakening the right wing. At the Marne (5–12 September 1914) Joffre exploited this weakness." — Complex: events linked in a causal sequence.
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