Conclusion
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark that set the world afire in 1914. Exacerbated by the alliances and political motives of the leaders of old Europe, it was the turning point that was the catalyst for the First World War. Previous decades of diplomatic maneuvering created a highly charged atmosphere of clashing international interests and internal dissent. Europe’s political interpretation of the assassination was crucial in the escalation of a small crisis into a global conflict: exploited by European leaders, it instigated a war that was not the anticipated fulfillment of political aspirations, but a protracted global conflict that has left an indisputable mark on ensuing history. “There was no turning back. The nations were caught in a trap . . . from which there was, and has been, no exit” (Tuchman 440).
"[Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination] could have been ignored, but it wasn't. . . . The time was ripe."
~Professor Jean McGinnis
~Professor Jean McGinnis
Cemetery at Ypres, Belgium