PRESENTATION CREATED BY ANOOP RANDHAWA

Historical
Inquiry
Model
Applied to World War I

“World War I .” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009,

www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Historical Significance
Primary Source Evidence
Change vs Continuity
Cause & Consequence

HISTORICAL Historical Perspectives

Ethics

THINKING
CONCEPTS
HISTORICAL
SIGNIFICANCE
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

“Gavrilo Princip .” HISTORY , A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/news/the-assassination-of-archduke-franz-ferdinand.

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Austria-Hungary was fixated on the age of the empire
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Balkans
But, Bosnia-Herzegovina was mainly populated by Slavs and the annexation
angered Serbian nationalists who believed this land should be part of Serbia
Balkan states were seen as an important region
This is because they are situated adjacent to important trading waterways
But, the wars against Turkey had left the Balkans unstable
Since the Balkan wars, the relationship between Austria-Hungary & Serbia was
damaged
Austria-Hungarian generals wanted to crush the Pan-Slavic movement, which
threatened its Southern provinces (many Slavs lived in these provinces)
Thus, in June 1914, Austria-Hungary began conducting military maneuvers
in Bosnia
 “Franz Ferdinand .” BIOGRAPHY, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr.
Franz Ferdinand 2014, www.biography.com/political-figure/franz-ferdinand.
THE ASSASSINATION OF
FRANZ FERDINAND
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the only living
heir of the Austria-Hungarian Empire
He was sent to Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia) in
June 1914 to inspect the imperial armed forces
He was sent by his uncle, Emperor Franz
Joseph I
On June 28, 1914, a Serbian terrorist group called
the "Black Hand" planned to kill Ferdinand
This group's goal was to create a greater
Serbia that included Bosnia
After barely escaping a bombing on their car,
Archduke & his wife were shot to death by
Gavrilo Princip (member of the Black Hand)
WHY IS THIS PARTICULAR EVENT IMPORTANT?

Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the attack

There was some evidence that the Serbian Chief of Military Intelligence was in on
the assassination
Before Austria-Hungary could retaliate, it needed to ask Germany for assistance to fight
against Serbia & Russia (Serbia's ally)
Germany assured the Austro-Hungarians support in the form of a blank cheque
This was a promise from Germany that they would provide unconditional
support
This assassination would spark a series of events that led to the start of WW1
By August 4, 1914, all major powers of Europe were at war
A TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS LEADING TO WW1

Year: 1914 Germany sends an

Both
ultimatum to Russia
countries
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary to de-mobilize and
reject the
sends Serbia an declares war on to France to become
ultimatum Germany declares
ultimatum Serbia a neutral force in
war on France
war

July 23 July 28 July 31 August 3

July 25 July 30 August 1 August 4

Germany rejects Britain's

Serbia declares As Serbia's ally, France mobilizes
ultimatum (Britain and
they reject the Russia begins to in support of
Belgium have a secret treaty)
mobilize Russia
terms of the and its troops enter Belgium
ultimatum
On this same day,
Germany declares Thus, on this same day, Britain
war on Russia declares war on Germany
 Primary Sources, owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/using-evidence/using-evidence-primary-sources/.

PRIMARY SOURCE
EVIDENCE
A letter written by a Canadian soldier
 Primary sources: items that provide
direct evidence of the historical topic
under research
Original items from the event being
researched
Primary sources provide insight into
What is Primary
the lives of individuals and the
Source Evidence? circumstances during the time of the
event
Examples of primary source evidence:
photographs, film footage, letters,
postcards, or posters created during
the historical event
Page 1 of 3
PRIMARY SOURCE EVIDENCE
OF WW1 - A LETTER

Description:
Format: Letter
Date Created: March 15th, 1917
Historical Era: World War I
Sent from: John Henry Anderson (Canadian
Soldier)
Location: France
Language: English
Contributing Organization: Canadian
Letters and Images Project
Page 2 of 3
PRIMARY SOURCE EVIDENCE
OF WW1 - A LETTER
This is a letter written by Canadian soldier John Henry
Anderson on March 15th, 1917
John Henry Anderson was born in Malakwa, British
Columbia, Canada
He enrolled for WW1 on July 14, 1915 and served with
the 7th Bn. Canadian Infantry (British Columbia
Regiment)
He fought at Vimy Ridge and died between April 8th
and April 10th, 1917
Anderson writes to his mother and explains the conditions
on the battlefront in the letter
Page 3 of 3
PRIMARY SOURCE EVIDENCE
OF WW1 - A LETTER

This is primary source evidence because it is a piece

of information from a soldier directly involved in
WWI
During WWI, letters were a key method of
communication
Example: Letters were frequently sent from the
battlefront to the home front, vice versa
Today, original letters provide great insight into the
lives of people during WW1