"The Bosnian crisis of 1908–09, also known as the Annexation crisis or the First Balkan Crisis, erupted when on 6 October 1908, Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, territories formally within the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. This unilateral action—timed to coincide with Bulgaria's declaration of independence (5 October) from the Ottoman Empire—sparked protestations from all the Great Powers and Austria-Hungary's Balkan neighbours, Serbia and Montenegro. In April 1909 the Treaty of Berlin was amended to reflect the fait accompli and bring the crisis to an end."
There is no way you can honestly argue, after reviewing the facts, that Bosnia was NOT annexed by Austria. Btw I am from Austria and here we are taught the same thing in public schools. Austria unilaterally annexed Bosnia. Bosnian nationalists then assassinated crown prince Franz Ferdinand which then was followed by the first World War.
That is why Austrian Empire was torn into pieces after the first World War and why it was deemed the aggressor and had to pay crippling reparations.
The Austro-Hungarian empire was well on its merry way to disintegration before the war. I was recently reading a book about this, A Mad Catastrophe[1], that was very interesting. I hadn't really realized the extent to which the Hapsburgs were challenging the Ottomans for the title of sick man of Europe. Not a good era for polyglot states.
Coming from the United States, we tend to think of WW1 exclusively in terms of the war on the Western Front, with maybe TE Lawrence and Gallipoli thrown in. The Balkan wars of the preceding decades that primed the whole powder keg are almost completely unknown.
"The country of these assassins was invaded (without provocation) by Austria just before the assassination"
I don't know what "just before" means to you, but I don't think "5 years earlier" when I read that. If you mean the troop maneuvers just before the Archduke's visit, it's odd to say Bosnia was "invaded" by simply moving troops in annexed territory, 5 years after it was annexed.
It's just an unnecessarily misleading sentence. Note that I'm not diminishing Princip's or the Black Hand or Serbian nationalists' motives.
Iraq was invaded 13 years ago and I'm willing to take any bet that today there are more Iraqis than ever that would be willing to assassinate a Western governments leader.
Just have a look at all the crazy extremist organisations in that region. (and what they do)
I'm not defending them but I understand why they still hate us after 13 years.
5 years is nothing in that context. When you are oppressed by a foreign power then people there will fight you indefinitely.
