Bosnian Serbs erect statue to man who ignited WWI
Source: WCNC / AP
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- Marking the eve of the centennial of the beginning of World War I in their own way, Bosnian Serbs on Friday unveiled a monument in their part of Sarajevo to the man who ignited the war by assassinating the Austro-Hungarian crown prince on June 28, 1914.
At the other end of the city, the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra was rehearsing for Saturday's grand EU-sponsored performance, planned as a symbolic start of a new century of peace at the place where the century of wars in Europe started 100 years ago.
The two separate events testify to the depth of lingering divisions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where one side performed works of Austrian, German and French composers in a salute to European integration while the other celebrated the man who assassinated the emperor's heir as a national hero.
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A century ago Austria accused Serbia of masterminding the assassination and attacked the country with backing from Germany. Serbia's allies, Russia and France, were quickly drawn in and later Britain, its sprawling Commonwealth empire and the United States also joined the fighting. When the mass slaughter known as the Great War ended in 1918, it had claimed some 14 million lives.
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BOSNIA_WWI_MONUMENT?SITE=WCNC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)Political views
Historians have disagreed on how to characterize the political philosophies of Franz Ferdinand, some attributing generally liberal views on the empire's nationalities while others have emphasized his dynastic centralism, Catholic conservatism, and tendency to clash with other leaders.[10] He advocated granting greater autonomy to ethnic groups within the Empire and addressing their grievances, especially the Czechs in Bohemia and the south Slavic peoples in Croatia and Bosnia, who had been left out of the Austro-Hungarian compromise of 1867.[26] Yet his feelings towards the Hungarians were less generous, often described as antipathy. For example, in 1904 he wrote that "The Hungarians are all rabble, regardless of whether they are minister or duke, cardinal or burgher, peasant, hussar, domestic servant, or revolutionary" and he regarded even István Tisza as a revolutionary and "patented traitor".[27] He regarded Hungarian nationalism as a revolutionary threat to the Habsburg dynasty and reportedly became angry when officers of the 9th Hussars Regiment (which he commanded) spoke Hungarian in his presence despite the fact that it was the official regimental language.[11] He further regarded the Hungarian branch of the Dual Monarchy's army, the Honvédség, as an unreliable and potentially threatening force within the empire, complaining at the Hungarians' failure to provide funds for the joint army[28] and opposing the formation of artillery units within the Hungarian forces.[29]
He also advocated a careful approach towards Serbia - repeatedly locking horns with Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, Vienna's hard-line Chief of the General Staff, warning that harsh treatment of Serbia would bring Austria-Hungary into open conflict with Russia, to the ruin of both Empires.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)compounded those choosing to honour existing alliances.
I doubt that if projected in advance that 14 million would die as a result that those alliances would've held up.
Louisiana1976
(3,962 posts)dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts).
salib
(2,116 posts)The complex of alliances was already locked into place and the animosities abundant. It was nearly inevitable. The assassination was a pretext at best. Someone else would have arranged a Gulf of Tonkin.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,156 posts)and its revolutions. Just things like the timing of the entry of Turkey into the war could have had knock-on effects.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)when Sarajevo had degenerated into a kill zone and the debate was hot and heavy about what the U.S./NATO/UN should do, a conservative of my acquaintance dismissed the whole situation:
Great Mind: "We have no business getting involved over there. Who cares if someone shoots someone in Sarajevo?"
Me: "Ever hear of Archduke Ferdinand and a guy named Princip?"
Great Mind: "No."
Me: "Of course you haven't, never mind."
Rhiannon12866
(203,039 posts)malthaussen
(17,066 posts)I am truly astonished that a mind could be depraved enough to conceive this.
-- Mal
Dr. Strange
(25,898 posts)Clearly Colonel Klink wasn't a spelling Nazi.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Klink wasn't a Nazi, that would have been Major Hoechstetter.
(Ok, I am pedantic, and you would have thought I would have caught the typo. I did, but didn't have any editing software to fix it. I am going to strip the caption and keep the image).
MisterP
(23,730 posts)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_Greater_Austria
and it's not like the Black Hand refrained from doing things like disemboweling the young king of Serbia and his queen
whatthehey
(3,660 posts)Would it have been ok or not?
The future George IV was a pretty dissolute libertine by the way.
Coventina
(26,874 posts)Doesn't matter who it is or what their character is.
whatthehey
(3,660 posts)What's the difference between assassination and killing enemy commanders in insurrections or wars? Serbian nationalists certainly weren't trying to avoid war with Austria, just wage it in a way they had some hope, much like many rebels. Obviously both people were high enough up in the occupying nation's leadership to be material. Should occupied France not have killed German officers? Where, exactly, is the line? Does it take some formal war declaration to make it ok, or something else?
Coventina
(26,874 posts)However, this was not the case with Ferdinand.
Also, what exactly was he guilty of, besides being the heir?
He was being assassinated for who he was, not his actions.
Certainly nothing admissible in any reputable court.
Therefore, clearly a crime and not an act of war.
alarimer
(16,245 posts)14 million dead and they choose to honor the assassin who started it all. Hmmm.
iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)the nationalist genocidal maniac disease :p
Response to dipsydoodle (Original post)
Post removed
Alex P Notkeaton
(309 posts)we need a new Mount Rushmore, with the faces of Dubya, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz! How else are we gonna honor our war criminals, huh?
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Dedicating that statue is as close to endorsing future European wars as one could possibly get.
Some fuckin' people!
Lancero
(2,983 posts)ALERTER'S COMMENTS
bigoted towards an entire people . there are ways to discuss this without things like "they are a sick sick SICK people".
JURY RESULTS
You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Fri Jun 27, 2014, 07:31 PM, and the Jury voted 7-0 to HIDE IT.
Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: I agree with the alerter. Iamthebandfanman needs to check his/her ethnic hatred.
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: I found this to be borderline because the poster did half ass limit the condemnation but barely and real nastily so I'm supporting the hide. I will tell them that I knew a nice Serbian lady and knew her for a year and she did not fit that mold at all and was a friend to this black/mixed person.
TheKentuckian
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: This isn't bigotry. This is racism.
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: He may be right but this post could have been with a little more taste.
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: If this was written about any other entire group of people based on nationality, race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, it would not be viewed favorably and considered bigoted. Being about Serbians, should be considered no differently.
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)TygrBright
(20,733 posts)malthaussen
(17,066 posts)A monument to the man who started WW I. Brilliant.
-- Mal
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)for a cowardly criminal act Princip was part of a conspiracy of seven fanatic's.
They now seem to use the event to make money.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-video/the-assassination-of-archduke-franz-ferdinand-100-years-on-20140627
malthaussen
(17,066 posts)Think Germany missed out not offering paid tours of Bergen-Belsen.
-- Mal
Coventina
(26,874 posts)If that's one of your national heroes, you need to re-think your nation.
yellowcanine
(35,692 posts)All of the major European powers were preparing for war, mistakenly thinking that the way to prevent war was to build up arms - rather than focusing on diplomacy. They also entered into alliances which guaranteed that the entry of one country into war would bring in more countries on their side. This was a recipe for world war.