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I've read that Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908, much to the dismay of the Serbs. Russia backed this action and was promised to have access to the Straits but were later denied. The Serbs were pressured by their Russian ally to give up their claims of Bosnia-Herzegovina (but why?). Before then, Austria had repeatedly threatened to go to war against Serbia if Serbia continued to refuse recognizing Austria's claims.

The killer who murdered Archduke Ferdinand was a member of the Black Hand, the same group that is connected with the post-revolutionary government in Serbia, so the Serbian government was complicit. From a historical point of view, it seems that Serb nationalism was the trigger to WWI.

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Well, the assassination was the straw that broke the camels back. – Russell Dec 5 '12 at 2:08
I need more information on the alliance system as well and an in-depth analysis of the causes and results of the Bosnian crisis. – Person Dec 5 '12 at 2:20
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Gavrilo Princip (the killer) wasn't a member of Black Hand (a military group), he was a member of Mlada Bosna. I don't think any of the six assassins was member of Black Hand. – Yannis Rizos Dec 5 '12 at 2:31
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There's a lot of information and "in-depth analysis" here. – coleopterist Dec 5 '12 at 3:30
@Person, For an in depth analysis, I'd suggest you read way before 1914 or even 1900. To even comprehend the alliances and the politics of the day, you need read European History from about 1600 up until WW1. I found the book "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" by Lawrence James to be very good. It gave a a through understanding of the times around 1900. I'd summarize it, but the book was several hundred pages long, and only briefly touched on all topics, so was almost a summary in it's self. But, after exams, I'll give it a try. – Russell Dec 10 '12 at 11:55
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