What no one ever mentions: Princip was no idealistic student but a brutal strike-breaking street thug, and both he and his co-conspirators were sent on their mission by the insane Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević "Apis." I.e. that dude was as guilty as sin regarding the assassination. And although he may have acted on his own initiative, he was still the Head of Royal Serbian military intelligence at the time, leaving the Austrians with fewer choices than may appear to us now. They would understandably have found it very hard at the time to believe Apis did not do it on the king and Pašić's orders, or at the very least without their knowledge. Anyone would have done likewise. And Pašić in the end had to have Apis executed in 1917, this time for conspiring against the same dynasty he'd personally brought to power a decade earlier by slaughtering the then king and queen. Dude was basically a serial killer.
Ultimatum was designed to be rejected, Pašić in a stroke of absolute genius accepted all conditions but the one that would have guaranteed Habsburg rule over Serbia thenceforth.
To make the entire situation beyond bizarre, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Nikola Pašić also shared a birthday.
Yes. Correct. Those were the “hidden” facts. But the official step was the ultimatum to Serbia. And the description made in the article was clear and detailed.
Clear? Britain had no stake? In what reality? Both WWI and WWII were ultimately about Germany trying to get access to the Middle East and Britain fending her off. Without mentioning this no amount of detail can help making sense of this.
Brillant. I was in Sarajevo lately- this is the perfect background information
Cool! thank you for the kind words!
What no one ever mentions: Princip was no idealistic student but a brutal strike-breaking street thug, and both he and his co-conspirators were sent on their mission by the insane Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević "Apis." I.e. that dude was as guilty as sin regarding the assassination. And although he may have acted on his own initiative, he was still the Head of Royal Serbian military intelligence at the time, leaving the Austrians with fewer choices than may appear to us now. They would understandably have found it very hard at the time to believe Apis did not do it on the king and Pašić's orders, or at the very least without their knowledge. Anyone would have done likewise. And Pašić in the end had to have Apis executed in 1917, this time for conspiring against the same dynasty he'd personally brought to power a decade earlier by slaughtering the then king and queen. Dude was basically a serial killer.
Ultimatum was designed to be rejected, Pašić in a stroke of absolute genius accepted all conditions but the one that would have guaranteed Habsburg rule over Serbia thenceforth.
To make the entire situation beyond bizarre, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Nikola Pašić also shared a birthday.
Von Vetsera and Rudolf were mourned much more than Chotek and FF in Vienna.
One could almost think it was Austrian and to some extent also Hungarian interest that FF would be shot.
A simple, clear description of the beginning…
Yes. Correct. Those were the “hidden” facts. But the official step was the ultimatum to Serbia. And the description made in the article was clear and detailed.
Clear? Britain had no stake? In what reality? Both WWI and WWII were ultimately about Germany trying to get access to the Middle East and Britain fending her off. Without mentioning this no amount of detail can help making sense of this.