This presentation was supervised by Miss. Bonnie So during my AL History studies at Rosaryhill School. To the British perspective of commercialism, those who persisted with the nationalism of Aryan Race should deserve war-guilt condemnations. However, if fostering an empathetic mind towards the heroic sentiments of German and Austrian people, you would find that Serbia was a hateful country because she contributed nothing but to connect with the Russian influences for disturbing the stability of Eastern Europe. Bismarck, Kaiser William II and Archduke Ferdinand had tried all possible means to protect the dignity of Aryan Races. They thought about lots of concrete measures to restrain the ambitions of Slavs. Under Russian control, Slavs used to be a group of barbaric minorities, so as Serbia. Especially for the epoch after the World War II, we could definitely neglect the existence of this inefficient country as Serbia was often defeated during the World Cup matches. Serbia has no meritorious culture, as it just copies the elements from Russia. Serbia was accused of stirring up the World War I as she openly refused to bear up the war-guilt clauses after her assassination on the Austrian ruler but to seek military assistance from Britain, France and Russia without a shameful mind. This presentation has delivered a clear analysis on the fake benevolence of Serbia, in which such criticisms are hardly found from the normal History textbooks in Hong Kong due to the emphasis on a British mode of neutrality.

1. Responsibility of
Serbia
in World War I
Vincent Lee (28) S.7D

2. Prior cause of Austro-Serbian rivalry in
1910s – early 1920s
Pan-Slavism
 It was a nationalist movement which was
regarded as a counteraction with “Pan-
Germanism” led by Germany and Austria.
 Serbia: directly and indirectly, encouraged
the Slavs, both inside her territory and in other
Balkan states, to revolt against Austrian
influence.

3. Prior cause of Austro-Serbian rivalry in
1910s – early 1920s
Pan-Slavism
 Chasing back to 19th
century:
Serbia resented the Turkish rule and
obtained independence in 1830.
Foreign policy of the young Serbian nation
after 1830:
•Expansionist policy (DIRECT CAUSE OF
CONFLICTS!)
• Longstanding wish of uniting all the
territories whereas other ethnic Serbs
were living, including Bosnia-
Herzegovina.

4. What sort of conflicts did it make Serbia to
go on a hatred towards Austria?
 War Settlement in Russo-Turkish War
1878 – completely ruined Serbia’s dream of taking
over Bosnia-Herzegovina
 Austro-Hungarian government’s excuses:
 It would be benefitial to the interest of Bosnian
residents if Bosnia-Herzegovina became an
Austrian mandate, since they expected a new
gov’t that would rather concern their problems
more than the Turks did.

5. What sort of conflicts did it make Serbia to
go on a hatred towards Austria?
 War Settlement in Russo-Turkish War 1878
– completely ruined Serbia’s dream of taking over Bosnia-
Herzegovina
 Serbia: RESENTMENT towards Austria!
 Thus, she attempted to gain Russian help to
backup her spread of anti-Austrian ideas after
1880s, stressing the mutual support among the
same ethnical groups – the Slavs.

6. It was justifiable to comment that,
Serbia was blamed for, driving Russia
into Balkan issues with her revengeful
motives, and resulted in an
internationalization of her territorial
rivalry with Austria.

7. Serbia’s maneuver of provoking anti-Austrian
feelings…
Serbia was responsible for using
propaganda to stimulate the nationalist
feelings of Serbs throughout the Balkans,
in which she sowed the seeds of Sarajevo
Assassination in 1914.
 Intended to alienate the Bosnians by rumour –
the Austrians wanted to prevent the Bosnian
Slavs from becoming Serbian compatriots.

8. Bosnian Crisis 1908
Austria annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Serbia was greatly resented, as the
extreme nationalists thought that a united
Serbian nation could be hardly formed
without these two provinces.
Serbia thus allowed the secret anti-
Austrian societies to brew at a commercial
school in Sarajevo.

9. Serbia attempted to annex Albania. But
her aggressive move was stopped by
Britain, Germany and Austria in 1913.
Relying on Russian support, Serbia was
condemned of challenging the authority of
Germany and Austria, which nearly
provoked the two powers to go war with
Russia.
Bosnian Crisis 1908

10. Bosnian Crisis 1908
The “Black Hands” was founded by
Gavrilo Princip in 1911, and he united the
Bosnian Serb university students to plan
for an assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand.
The Serbian government was blamed for
not taking immediate action against the
percolation of pro-Serbian feelings into
Bosnia-Herzegovina, so as to prevent an
Austro-Serbian rivalry.

11. Second stage of conflict –
the First Balkan War 1912
After the defeat of Turks, members of the
Balkan League quarrelled among
themselves over the division of Balkan
lands and the remaining territories of the
Ottoman Empire.

12. Second stage of conflict –
the First Balkan War 1912
Serbia was blamed for defeating Turkey
and bringing about a comparable
tensions, as the rise of national minorities
upset the long-term balance of power in
Balkans, which was maintained by the old
dynastic Empire.
What was more, Serbia opened a platform
for possible Russian expansion, thus
aroused the Austrian suspicions.

13. Serbia occupied Macedonia, and drove
Bulgaria to have conflicts with her.
After the war, Serbia only kept northern
Macedonia.
However, Serbia wasn’t satisfied with her
gain. She planned to support the “Black
Hands” secretly to expel Austrian
influence in Bosnia-Herzogivina.
Third stage of conflict –
the Second Balkan War 1913

14. Serbia was blamed for indirectly
worsening the Russo-Bulgarian
relations. What was more, she imposed
much fear to Austrian security as the
Greater Serbian Movement further gained
platform for growth.
Third stage of conflict –
the Second Balkan War 1913

15. To some extent, the intensification
of Austro-Serbian relations drove
the two opposing camps to the
brink of a general European war.

16. But, to a very large extents, Serbia’s
revengeful motives against Austria didn’t
directly lead to the inevitable outbreak of
World War I, because:
 Austria had a long-term strategy to crush Serbia
once and for all.
 Proof:
 After the Sarajevo Assassination, the Serbian
government was willing to accept all the harsh
terms drafted in Austria’s “ultimatum”, and let
the Austrian investigation forces arrest Princip
and the anti-Austrian societies.

17. But, to a very large extents, Serbia’s
revengeful motives against Austria didn’t
directly lead to the inevitable outbreak of
World War I, because:
 In fact, it was Russia who made use of the
Serbian nationalists to challege the Austro-
German alliance, as well as expanding towards
the Mediterranean Straits.
 Domestically, Germany, Austria and Russia
were all ruled by the militarists right after the July
Crisis. They provoked full mobilizations. This led
to an inevitable transfer of a local conflict into a
general European war.

18. The ambitions of the “Big Powers”
(mainly Germany, Austria & Russia)
were far more disastrous than the
nationalist resentment of Serbia.
Thus, Serbia’s responsibility, as well
as the importance of Sarajevo
Assassination in 1914, should not be
over-appreciated for causing the
World War I.