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Monday, June 30, 2014

The Great War

This past Saturday marked the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. June 28, 1914, the world moved to the brink of a war that would involve much of the planet. 




Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire. His assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was one of six who was a part of a plot to kill the Archduke so that the Slav provinces in the South could break away. 


(Princip)


The first attempt on the Archduke's life failed. The bomb exploded under the car after his. On his way to the hospital to visit those who were injured in the bombing, the Duke and his wife were shot by Princip. 




The assassins were found and put on trial. They were indicted with the crime of conspiracy to commit high treason. The sentence was death for those over the age of 20 and prison sentences for those who were not considered adults. As stated in their testimonies, their goal was to establish a separate state from Austro-Hungary. They did not intend to start the Great War. 



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