ABSTRACT
At the heart of the causes of the First World War lay Austria-Hungary’s attempt to ‘solve the South Slav problem’ by subjugating (without fully incorporating) Serbia in much the same way that it had subjugated (without fully incorporating) Bosnia and Hercegovina. In doing so, it also hoped to recompense itself for its earlier losses in Italy and Germany and to prove that it was still a great power, even though that would be to run the risk of war with Serbia’s more powerful patron, Russia. By contrast, Germany took (and indeed had) little interest in the subjugation of Serbia and, between 1906 and 1908, it even helped Serbia to break free from Austria-Hungary’s economic stranglehold. In the end, however, Europe was to pay a colossal price for Austria-Hungary’s inability to restore its prestige, prove its virility and ‘solve the South Slav problem’ by more peaceful means.
