Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Before the Lesson: Give students some of the background of the political realities in Europe in 1914. Explain the system of alliances at work. You should also have had a discussion on the rise in nationalism (maybe a future blog post!) in the last one hundred fifty (or so) years of European History. Should know the background of Austria-Hungary’s role in the territory of Bosnia. The Primary Source Set:

– Why is each country getting involved in the fight?
– Do you think the reason for each country getting involved in the war is a good one? Why or why not?

– Is it fair for Austria-Hungary to have control of Bosnia? Why or why not?
– What are the reasons why a territory might want to become part of a bigger empire? What are some reasons they would want to become their own country?

– The Black Hand was a movement of people who wanted Bosnia to have its own leaders, and maybe one day, join Serbia. What can you tell about the Black Hand from this poster?

– On June 28, 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary came to visit the Bosnian region in this car. Why do you think he was okay with traveling in an open car? (follow up: Why did he feel safe? OR Why was it important for him to have an open car, even though it might have been dangerous?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tGLQ91Hf2c – Do you think the people of Sarajevo were happy to see the Archduke? Who might have been excited about his visit? Who would not have been pleased?

– A group of young Serbian men and one Bosnian man, who may have been working with the Black Hand, planned to assassinate Franz Ferdinand at the city of Sarajevo. Based on this map, what happened to the Archduke Franz Ferdinand while he was visiting the city of Sarajevo? (Then, take a moment and explain what happened, but make sure to give them time to interpret the map. They can even work in groups for a few minutes if you prefer.)

Pass out:

Memoir of Count Franz von Harrach

– Why would the assassin feel the need to kill the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife? What had they done (or, what did they represent?)? Pass out:

Testimony of Gavrilo Princip

– What can you tell about Princip and his background, just based on this short testimony? Why did he believe what he was doing was right? Bonus Primary Sources

Franz Ferdinand and Sophie in their open car.

Gavrilo Princip. He did not receive the death penalty for killing the Archduke, due to his being only 19 when the assassination took place, but died of tuberculosis while in prison (almost 4 years after killing Franz Ferdinand and his wife)

The Archduke, his wife, and their family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwYV6T1lRsA Franz Ferdinand’s funeral starts at about 2:18. Some good bits here on German militarism as well.

Official Report of Franz Ferdinand’s Death

Students can read and discuss this after making inferences from the map.