Once upon a time in Sarajevo

Bitter memories after 100 years :

By Amal Hewavissenti

It was June 28, 1914. Prince France Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian empire was arriving, together with his wife Princess Sophy, in the city of Sarajevo-Bosnia. Their arrival was well anticipated by six Serb youths from a Bosnian rebellious organisation called "Mlada Bosna" (young Bosnians).

These Serbs (mostly very young boys) were fiercely opposed to Austria and particularly the royal representatives from Austria. They were well armed to launch an attack on the march of vehicles in which the Austrian royal couple were travelling.

One of the rebels hurled a bomb at the Prince's Carriage while it was moving forward but he overshot the mark.

The vehicles speeding along the street managed to escape unscathed yet the bomb blast accounted for a few casualties on the street. Meanwhile, the Prince and the Princess occupied themselves with some duties in a hospital nearby and left the place after around two hours.

Unfortunately they happened to return through the same street where the rebels were lurking for prey. As the unsuspecting couple were passing the rebel group, Gravrilow Princep, a young boy fired his pistol at the Prince vehicle. They died on the spot. Nobody had ever conceived that this mishap caused by youthful irresponsibility would have led to a catastrophic war in world history.

For four years (1914-1918) world war I (popularly known as the "great war") became the biggest and perhaps the most terrible conflict between nations that the world had ever witnessed. June 28th this year marked the hundredth year since the outbreak of this "Great War". Many European states and the city of Sarajeo held exclusive celebrations to mark the hundred years' anniversary of the World War I.

Surrender

However, with the assassination of Austrian prince and princess, Austrian government with the assistance of Germany, forcefully insisted on the surrender of assassins.

The Austrians were under the impression that the members of Mlada Bosna specially Crravrilov Princep were being harboured by Bosnia at the time. The Serbs responded with a vehement denial.

The gravity of the hostile atmosphere between Austria and Bosnia became much more intense as the Austrians began to harass average Serbs.

The officials of Austro-Hungarian empire violently manhandled Serbs in Sarajevo in an organised manner.

The authorities of Austro -Hungarian empire in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia continued to harass Serbs.

In the course of this harassment, the higher officials imprisoned more than 2000 Serbs and condemned some 400 people to capital punishment.

To avenge the death of Prince France Ferdinand, Austro-Hungarian empire began to set on Serbs as the deadline for the submission of the assassins elapsed. During this decisive battle, Russia offered succour to Serbia because Hungary was hostile to Russia. Here Germany balanced the battling forces by coming to a tactical alliance with Austria and Hungary. Thus began the history's most catastrophic war among the countries in two factions in Europe. The military strategic adopted by Germany in battling enemy forces were highly successful.

Hostile

The combination of France and Britain paralysed the progress of German forces but they kept on invading and attacking the hostile countries. Germany succeeded in capturing a number of enemy ships and even caused the passenger liner "Lucitania" sink with 128 Americans aboard.

This instantly created a powerful wave of hostility in Americans towards Germans. And - America declared war on Germany.

Even though the world war originated and prevailed in European countries, it broke out in other continents as well.

The World War I had exerted a tremendous impact on the human civilisation and the damage it inflicted on people, property and culture was perhaps incalculable.

American weapons and reinforcements for the western front arrived from the USA and this was crucial in the final victory. In 1918 an armistice was called but by then over seven million people had paid the cost of war with their lives.

War inflicted irrevocable damage to the economics of the countries which had been involved in the four years war of allied forces.

The most hazardous aspect of the World War I was the unscrupulous use of poisonous gases and varied types of chemical weapons.

The number of soldiers who joined the war from Europe alone was 60 million. Eight million soldiers from European countries died in its wake and same six million soldiers were left permanently handicapped.

Ill-health, lack of foodstuff, lack of immunity and malnutrition were the inevitable by products of the World War I which bombarded nations for four years. Production in most countries dramatically came down and highways, railways, cultivations, hospitals and factories sustained irrevocable damages.

The positive transformation which the war brought about in the international political scene was the abolition of autocracy and dictatorship.

As a direct offshoot of this political change, new states and governments emerged and unfair practices and agreements adopted during pre-war period came to a total abolition.