World War I: The Seminal Tragedy - One Fateful Day in June - Extra History - Part 2

Summary

The episode explores the pivotal events leading up to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, which set off World War I. It opens in a Belgrade café with young Serbian nationalists receiving news of Ferdinand's visit. On the day in question, the Archduke and his wife Sophie, unaware of the significance of their visit date to local Serbs, face a failed bombing attempt but continue on. Missteps lead to a chance encounter with Gavrilo Princip, who seizes the opportunity to change history with two gunshots. This assassination sparked the Great War, altering the global landscape forever.

Highlights

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a turning point in history. 🚗💥
• Serbian nationalists plotted an assassination on a symbolic day, the Battle of Kosovo anniversary. 🎯🇷🇸
• The Young Serbia group and the Black Hand aimed to overthrow Austrian influence. 🏴
• Failed assassination attempts occurred before Gavrilo Princip's success. 😬
• Amateurish mistakes and coincidences played crucial roles in the day's events. 😲

Key Takeaways

• The spark of World War I was ignited by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 🔥
• Young Serbian nationalists, angry and idealistic, plotted this pivotal act. 🎯
• A day filled with coincidences led to the success of this world-changing event. 🤯
• Gavrilo Princip's impromptu actions during what seemed a failed mission changed history. 🔄
• This assassination highlighted the volatile political tensions in early 20th-century Europe. 🗺️

Overview

In this gripping episode of Extra History, we dive into the dramatic and chaotic day that led to World War I. The stage is set as a group of young Serbian nationalists in a Belgrade café learn of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo, stirring plans of assassination fueled by anger and nationalist fervor.

The Archduke's visit to Sarajevo, intended as a diplomatic gesture or maybe just a personal getaway, coincides unknowingly with the Serbian national day of pride, leading to outrage. Amidst failed assassination attempts and what seemed like a secure parade, fate intertwines as Gavrilo Princip unexpectedly finds himself with a second chance to alter history.

Through a series of missteps, bad luck, and sheer coincidence, Princip enacts the assassination, cementing the catalyst for the Great War. The episode unfolds with vivid detail, capturing how this chance event on June 28, 1914, ignited one of the deadliest conflicts in history.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: The Opening Scene in Belgrade The scene is set inside a rundown cafe in Belgrade. A young man enters the cafe carrying a package and joins a group of other young men seated at a table. The group becomes silent as the package is opened to reveal a newspaper clipping. A candle is passed across the table to better view the clipping. The atmosphere is tense and secretive, hinting at something important or clandestine happening.
• 00:30 - 01:00: The Announcement of Franz Ferdinand's Visit The chapter discusses the announcement of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo. It describes a scene taking place a few weeks after the announcement, outside the palace, where Franz Ferdinand and his wife are getting into an open-top car. The Archduke is depicted in a bright blue uniform adorned with medals, wearing a grand horse-hair cap, while his wife is dressed in a flowing white dress, laughing as he helps her into the car. This event is set a hundred years ago from this year.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Arrival of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie The chapter chronicles the visit of Franz Ferdinand, who is next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie to Sarajevo. The official reason for their visit is to observe military maneuvers, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate their anniversary away from the rigid Austrian courts, where Sophie's low birth status has not been accepted. Despite the underlying personal purpose of their visit, tensions are high in the region due to Serbian nationalist movements seeking independence from Austrian rule. This particular day marks the anniversary of a significant battle in Serbian history, adding to the charged atmosphere.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Tensions in the Empire This chapter titled 'Tensions in the Empire' revolves around the Battle of Kosovo, a significant event in Serbian history symbolic of national pride. It discusses the perception of Serbian nationalists regarding the visit of the Archduke of Austria on a meaningful date, seen as an insult and a reminder of foreign oppression. The Archduke's intentions are debated, with possibilities ranging from a show of solidarity to ignorance of the day's significance, but ultimately, his decision is viewed as poorly informed.
• 02:00 - 02:30: The Symbolic Date The chapter titled 'The Symbolic Date' sets the scene for a momentous event occurring on June 28, 1914, a day marked by its symbolic importance. The narrative underscores that on any other day, the events might not have unfolded as they did, and what was expected to be just an ordinary parade may have slipped into obscurity. However, the significance of the date itself ensured that it became the starting point for a series of unpredictable events. The chapter describes the royal couple as they commence their procession through the streets of Sarajevo in a sleek black car, hinting at the historical consequences that would ensue.
• 02:30 - 03:00: A Failed Assassination Attempt The chapter titled 'A Failed Assassination Attempt' describes a scene where the Archduke is flanked by five cars filled with officials and guards as they proceed through a parade. The streets are filled with onlookers, and the route of the parade has been publicly disclosed. Among the crowd, a group of young men, who are nationalists and part of a group named Young Serbia—a faction within the Black Hand—are present. These young men, who are mostly under twenty, harbor intense anger and have plotted an assassination as part of their patriotic zeal.
• 03:00 - 03:30: The Cuprija Bridge Incident The chapter, 'The Cuprija Bridge Incident,' explores the intricate emotions and motivations of the would-be assassins of Archduke. These individuals are driven by anger disguised as ideals, or perhaps ideals that cloak their anger. They exhibit a boldness fueled by a cause, or perhaps a cause that masks sheer madness. Despite their presence in the crowd with intentions to kill the Archduke, as his car passes by, no attempts are made on his life. Fear overcomes two assassins, rendering them incapable of carrying out the act, while another assassin's resolve weakens out of pity for the Archduke’s wife, who is also in the car.
• 03:30 - 04:00: The Escape and Arrest The chapter titled 'The Escape and Arrest' depicts a tense and pivotal moment in which Ferdinand narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. Initially, various attempts to harm Ferdinand are thwarted either by his reluctance to act or due to technical failures. Despite being in an open-top car and fully exposed, Ferdinand remains unscathed, winning the crowd over with smiles and waves, oblivious to the malice cloaking him. The suspense culminates on Cuprija Bridge where an assassin decisively hurls a bomb at Ferdinand's vehicle. Displaying immense alacrity and presence of mind, Ferdinand dives behind the car door as the bomb sails overhead, landing on the street behind him. The subsequent explosion results only in the destruction of a following car, leaving Ferdinand, yet again, unharmed.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Princip's Despair The chapter 'Princip's Despair' describes a failed assassination attempt by a young, inexperienced assassin. After wounding twenty people, the assassin tries to escape by leaping off a bridge, not realizing the river below is only four inches deep, resulting in a leg injury. In a final dramatic gesture, he attempts suicide using a cyanide pill, but it fails as the pill was old and ineffective. This sequence highlights the amateurish and tragic elements of the assassination plot.
• 04:30 - 05:00: A Change of Plans In this chapter, a young man is depicted vomiting into a river while the police calmly approach him, confirming he is alive. Meanwhile, a motorcade with sirens blaring signals a city lockdown. Gavrilo Princip, another young man involved, watches in disappointment as the cars pass by, realizing the assassination attempt on the Archduke has failed, and with it, his dreams of becoming a hero are dashed.
• 05:00 - 05:30: A Wrong Turn The chapter titled 'A Wrong Turn' describes a sequence of events starting with a young man having a bad day and seeking comfort in a snack. This seemingly insignificant act is highlighted as a reminder of how small actions can influence the course of history. Meanwhile, a tense situation unfolds at City Hall between the Archduke and the mayor. The mayor suggests continuing a visit, but the Archduke argues against it, citing the dangerous conditions. He suggests a hospital visit instead, showcasing a rare moment of gallantry.
• 05:30 - 06:00: The Fatal Encounter In the chapter titled 'The Fatal Encounter,' the narrative focuses on the aftermath of an attack on Franz Ferdinand. Instead of taking modern security measures, Franz Ferdinand's entourage sets out for the hospital in a motorcade. However, a critical communication failure arises as no one informs the Archduke's personal chauffeur of the destination. This driver, being Austrian and unfamiliar with Sarajevo, inadvertently takes a wrong turn onto Franz Joseph Street, humorously named after the Archduke’s own father, adding a layer of irony to the grave situation.
• 06:00 - 06:30: The Aftermath Gavrilo Princip, after a failed assassination attempt, is eating a sandwich and contemplating his failure. While feeling a bit hopeful for a future opportunity, the Archduke and his wife unexpectedly appear in front of him, due to a wrong turn taken by their driver.
• 06:30 - 07:00: The Outbreak of War The chapter titled 'The Outbreak of War' describes the pivotal event of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As their car stalls, Gavrilo Princip, the young assassin, is close by. He stands up and fires two shots that have a monumental impact on history. Despite the pandemonium around him, the Archduke focuses only on his wife, who is critically injured in the car. In his last moments, he reaches out to her, feeling something wrong with his neck, and utters a final wish. This incident becomes a catalyst for the outbreak of World War I.

World War I: The Seminal Tragedy - One Fateful Day in June - Extra History - Part 2 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 ♪ ♪ [male narrator] All right, the stage is set. Now let's put the players in their places. The curtain opens on the back of a rundown cafe in Belgrade. A young man comes in carrying a package and takes a seat at a table with a handful of other young men huddled around. They still to hush as he opens the package. Inside is a single piece of paper, a newspaper clipping. The one who brought the package bends over to stare at the page. One of the other young men slide a candle across the table so he can better see.
• 00:30 - 01:00 Before him, circled in red, is the headline and it reads, “Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Visit Sarajevo.” Now we skip ahead a few weeks, where outside the palace a resplendently dressed man and woman are getting in an open-top car, a hundred years ago this year. He is dressed in bright, blazing blue. His chest is full of medals. On his head, a grand horse-hair cap. She is wearing a flowing, white dress and laughing. He helps her into the car. This is Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria,
• 01:00 - 01:30 next in line for succession to the throne, accompanied by his wife Sophie. They've come to Sarajevo to watch military maneuvers. But really, that's an excuse. It's their anniversary. They've come to get away from the stifling courts of Austria, where the Archduke’s marriage to Sophie will never be accepted due to her low birth. She was, after all, only a countess. But things have been really tense in this part of the empire. The Serbian agitators have been acting with increased boldness to demand a Serbia free and independent from Austrian rule. And this day of all days falls on the anniversary of one of the greatest battles in Serbian history:
• 01:30 - 02:00 The Battle of Kosovo. It’s one of the great rallying points of the Serbian people, a point of national pride. To Serbian nationalists, this is one of their proudest days. And for them, for the Archduke of Austria, the symbol of their oppression, the embodiment foreign rule to come here on that date was the greatest insult. Now, perhaps the Archduke had chosen that day to show solidarity, to ease tensions, to make the people of Serbia understand that he cared about their traditions. Maybe he simply didn't know that the day had any special importance, and he was just there to get away. But whatever the reason, he was ill-informed.
• 02:00 - 02:30 For on any other day, the events that are about to play out may not have happened. On any other day, this might have turned out simply to be your average parade, an event which wouldn't even go down as a historical footnote in a long and prosperous rule. But something had to happen on this day. It was two symbolic, too important, too grand of a story. And so the first domino is placed in the mad and improbable events of this 28th day of June, 1914. So here now in the sleek black car, the royal couple begins to process down the streets of Sarajevo,
• 02:30 - 03:00 flanked by five other cars filled with officials and guards. It's a parade. The streets are lined with onlookers. The route has been published. The world knows exactly where the Archduke is gonna be. And those young men from that cafe in Belgrade are there in that crowd. They are nationalists. They’re Patriots. They’re assassins and terrorists. They call themselves Young Serbia and are part of the much more ominously named Black Hand-- and they are angry. Angry in the way that only young men can be, and when I say young, I mean that barely any of them had reached the age of twenty.
• 03:00 - 03:30 They had in them an anger born of ideals. Or they had ideals to rationalize their anger. A boldness born of a cause, or a cause to justify the brash kind of risk-taking that truly borders madness. But however you view them, here they were hidden in the crowd, intent on killing the Archduke. One by one, the Archduke’s car passes his would-be assassins. Nothing happens. No attempt on his life. Two of his assassins ended up succumbing to fear and couldn't go through with the deed. One felt pity for his wife sitting in the car
• 03:30 - 04:00 and just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. Another one had an equipment malfunction. And so one by one, Ferdinand passed them none the wiser, smiling and waving to the crowd, smiling and waving in an open-top car so the world could better see. But at last, on the Cuprija Bridge, an assassin finally steps forward and throws a bomb at the Archduke’s car. Seconds before it lands, Ferdinand sees it and dives behind the door of the car as the bomb passes over him and bounces into the street behind. An explosion rips through the ground, mangling the car following them
• 04:00 - 04:30 and leaving twenty people wounded and bleeding on the street. The assassin leaps over the side of the bridge to make his escape, but in the type of amateurish planning that would be comical if the circumstances weren't so grave, he fails to realize that the river below is only four inches deep, and he hurts his leg in the fall. In one last act of comic/tragic bravado, the assassin swallows the cyanide pill he's been carrying, a final “You'll never take me alive!” gesture. But alas, these young high school assassins had bought their suicide pills on the cheap, and this one was way past its shelf life.
• 04:30 - 05:00 So the young man just sits quietly vomiting into the river while the police stroll down to take him very much alive. The motorcade races back the way it came, sirens screaming, and the city begins to lock down. Another of the young men, a 19-year-old named Gavrilo Princip, watches the cars go by, heart sinking. “So it's done,” he thinks to himself. “It’s off. "The Archduke is alive. The assassination has failed.” He is pretty bummed out. His hopes to be immortalized in the halls of Serbian heroes are dashed. All his dreams of glory just shattered.
• 05:00 - 05:30 Overall, it's been a pretty lousy day. So he goes off to pout, thinking, “Maybe a snack will make me feel better.” This one young man's comfort snack may seem like a small thing, but it's on the small things that history often turns. Back at City Hall, the Archduke and the mayor are having words. The mayor proposes that the Archduke and Duchess should continue on their trip, but the Archduke thunders back something like “Are you crazy? You’d have us visit museums while bombs explode on your street?” And then, in a gesture of gallantry that you don't often see anymore, he proposes instead that they immediately visit the hospital
• 05:30 - 06:00 where the wounded were taken after the attack. So they don't hide him in a bunker or spirit him out of the country with a small army of guards like we would do today. Instead, they all pile out to the motorcade and start off towards the hospital. But nobody remembers to tell Franz Ferdinand’s driver, and I should mention that this is the Archduke’s personal chauffeur. This fellow came along with the Archduke for the trip, but he’s Austrian through and through. This guy does not know his way around Sarajevo. And so, as they're making their way through the city, the Archduke’s driver makes a wrong turn onto Franz Joseph Street, a street named for the Archduke’s father.
• 06:00 - 06:30 Meanwhile, our failed assassin Gavrilo Princip, is sitting outside a deli eating his consolation snack and starting to feel maybe a little better. And maybe this will be his only chance, he thinks. Maybe someday he'll have another shot at greatness. I mean, it was a really bad day, but who knows, it could still turn out okay. They'd have to go into hiding for a while but-- Holy *beep* Is that the Archduke? Yes, right there in front of him, in the same open-top car was the Archduke and his wife. The driver had taken a random wrong turn onto the street where Gavrilo Princip was having a sandwich,
• 06:30 - 07:00 and their car had just stalled out trying to back up. Three strides away. Gavrilo can hear the Archduke and his wife talking from the car. No words, just actions. He stands up, he pulls out his pistol, and he fires two shots that changed the world. The Archduke looks over, barely noticing the gendarmes wrestling the young man by the car to ground. His only sight is for his wife, lying quietly on the floor of the car. He reaches out with a hand, weak and heavy. Something's wrong with his neck. He can't quite think straight. He sees her and he utters one last wish:
• 07:00 - 07:30 “Sophie, Sophie. "Don't die. Live for our children.” A man leans over him and asks if he is badly hurt. And he thinks he says, “It's nothing. It's nothing.” He repeats the phrase, each time a little more quietly, and neither of them live through the hour. And so our first act is done. A martyr to prince and princess, or the death oppressors. An act of terror or a heroic strike for freedom. An act that relied on a thousand coincidences, on a poorly chosen date, on a change of plans,
• 07:30 - 08:00 on a misinformed driver, and on a sad young man having a sandwich. But no matter how you look at it, it was an act that began the greatest war in history and brought to an end the world that all of these actors knew. This war would change the world. Join us next time and find out how the world responds to this event. ♪ ♪ Captions Provided by: The University of Georgia Disability Resource Center 114 Clark Howell Hall Athens, Georgia 30602 706-542-8719 Voice 706-542-8778 TTY