The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: An Impact on World War I and Beyond

Elise Dovletoglou and Eliza Roberts Senior Division Group Website

While reviewing possible topics for our History Fair Day project, we did not think of researching the causes of World War I at first. Originally we stumbled upon the idea of researching Otto von Bismarck and how his military victories in the late 19th through early 20th centuries were able to unify numerous German states. During a meeting however, our History teacher happened to mention the possibility of looking into how the Archduke of Austrias demise would lead to one of the biggest wars in history only a year later. We had previously discussed other options such as Rachel Carson and her work with pesticides, or Virginia Woolf and her position as a literary figure, but made a mutual decision that Franz Ferdinands assassination would be the most interesting and exciting for us both. After starting with very basic research about who the Archduke really was, with more introduction to the underlying tension that Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been feeling for many years past and the other broader ideas of the topic, our research became more focused. This led us to begin to use more reliable search engines, such as JStor, to be able to collect more in-depth novels and historical journals to gather information. Additionally, with a trip to the Gordon College Library, we were able to obtain around ten additional sources about the Archdukes death and the war itself. However it was the primary sources we were able to use within the site that really helped to validate our research. Multiple New York Times articles from the time period were presented, along with other useful sources such as Serbias original response to Austria-Hungarys Ultimatum displayed on the page An Ultimatum: War Finally Declared. This helped to reinforce the information already presented, and gives the viewer historical insight to the importance of Serbias refusal to meet the demands.

Choosing a website was a simple decision, since we both agreed that our basic tech background would be useful. We realized that when working on a website scheduled meetings were not always necessary, since we could work from two different areas but still get the same amount done. Also, utilizing different multimedia such as: videos, embedded documents, and varying uses of visuals are a very interactive way of demonstrating our topics importance and significance. Our topic falls under the category of a turning point because it led to one of the most destructive wars the human race has even seen. Not only were the nations within the central and allied powers economies, militaries, and land devastated to different degrees, but the idea of war changed for everyone on the planet. Originally, battle was accepted as a part of living within a powerful nation, and that it only ever involves two or three nations at a time. Once WWI erupted however, this preconceived thought was demolished, and the human race began to fear conflict between countries with the realization that war can cause much more harm than it does benefit. (498 words)