To begin, militarism between Germany and England helped to set up the foundation for WWI. When the twentieth century began, so did the arms race (of WWI). (The Germans wanted an empire rivaling the French and English empires, …show more content…
The archduke and his wife, Sophia, were on an official state visit to and in Sarajevo, a Bosnian city. The couple was riding about the streets in an open convertible, and suddenly Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand (a terrorist organization group of Slavs), shot at the convertible, killing the Archduke and his wife, with a pistol-a blow to Austrian sovereignty. The couple was assassinated on June 28th, 1914. Austria was convinced that Serbia knew of the attack prior to it taking place, and Austria was right. Austria wanted to put an end to the Serbian throat once and for all, desiring a short war. First, the Austrians sought aid from the Germans, though Austria was the weaker partner. Alienating Austria was not an option for the Germans, so Germany’s chancellor responded with blank check, assuring Austria-Hungary with reliance and support. Austria issued an ultimatum on Serbia, that was to be rejected, and the war was to be short lived. The Serbians accepted the ultimatum by all, but one point; so the Serbians responded by declaring the ultimatum as unacceptable. Austria declared war on Serbia, and from there, WWI took off. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the major and most direct cause of