12 History 91230

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

By Erin Jaggard

Introduction
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28th June, 1914 is often regarded as the event that triggered the First World War. This simple “cause and effect” formula does not do justice to what is a far more a complex story. While the assassination certainly helped to set in train a series of reactions by various governments that led to the outbreak of the war, the story neither begins or ends there. To try and figure out how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was significant to New Zealand we have to look in to the causes leading up to the event and the consequences of the actions made afterward.

Background
On June …show more content…

The driver, Franz Urban, accelerated to a safe distance then stopped. About a dozen spectators lay injured on the ground. The car behind had been hit with fragments of the bomb, and had stalled.

At 10:15am the archduke ensured that the injured were taken to hospital, then the motorcade continued towards City Hall. Unaware that there were other assassins still waiting in the crowd. Five of them watched as the motorcade sped past. It was now traveling too fast for them even to think about trying to assassinate the Archduke.

Arriving at the city hall at 10:20am, the Mayor of Sarajevo,Fehim Effendi Curcic, was faced by a furious Franz Ferdinand. The Mayor had ridden in the first car and was possibly unaware of what had just happened near Cumurja Bridge. Whatever the reason,he simply launched into his prepared speech of welcome. A discussion was held inside the hall regarding the rest of Archduke's schedule. But Franz Ferdinand did not wish to cancel his plans therefore the day's schedule did not change. Before leaving the city hall Potiorek suggested that Sophie remained behind; but, she replied: “As long as the Archduke shows himself in public today, I will not leave him.” Franz Ferdinand begged Sophie to do as the General suggested, but she would not listen.

The motorcade set off at around 11:10am, there were five in the royal car; the driver, Franz Urban; the Archduke, Sophie, General Potiorek, and the car's owner; Count von Harrich. Potiorek thought