Austria, Germany and the July Crisis 1914

In 191, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Belgrade, the Austrian government sent a list of demands to Serbia, who they alleged was behind the plot. The final demand, a partial surrender of sovereignty in order for Austria to apprehend the culprits was rejected, presenting Austria with a case for war. This enflamed nationalist passions which had been ignited as a result of the crisis, leading to scenes in Austrian and German cities of mass outbursts of spontaneous jubilation and excitement.