How did the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary lead to war between Russia and Germany?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June 1914 was the trigger event that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I. While the assassination itself did not directly cause war between Russia and Germany, it set in motion a series of events and tensions that eventually escalated into a global conflict.
After the assassination, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding that they stop anti-Austrian activities and accept Austro-Hungarian control over the investigation of the assassination. When Serbia failed to comply with all the demands, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July 1914.
Russia, being a close ally of Serbia, came to its defense and started mobilizing its troops. This led Germany, as an ally of Austria-Hungary, to declare war on Russia in August 1914, following the failure of diplomatic negotiations.
The underlying reason for the swift German declaration of war against Russia was the existence of pre-existing alliances and tensions among major European powers. Germany feared that if it allowed Russia to mobilize its forces against Austria-Hungary without responding, it would potentially face a two-front war against both Russia and France. Germany considered a quick and decisive victory over France as crucial to its strategy, and therefore, saw no option but to take military action against Russia.
The conflict between Russia and Germany quickly entangled other countries as well. France, bound by a mutual defense pact with Russia, declared war on Germany, and the initial crisis gradually snowballed into a full-scale global conflict involving various alliances and nations.
In summary, while the assassination of the Archduke did not directly cause the war between Russia and Germany, it was the catalyst for a chain of events that heightened tensions and led to the declarations of war among the major powers of Europe.