Austrian historian on WWI: There was no desire for a peaceful solution

Austrian historian Manfried Rauchensteiner said that before the World War I peace order was at stake and that there was no desire in 1914 to reach a peaceful solution through conferences.

At the discussion “How does the year 1914 affect us today?” held at the Burgtheater in Vienna on January 19, Austrian historian Manfried Rauchensteiner spoke about the causes of the war, saying that they originated not only from the Balkans, but from the other regions of Europe, too.

Franz Joseph I, the Austro-Hungarian emperor, tried over the years to come to a peaceful solution for the Balkans, due to problems caused by nationalism. Such problems followed him throughout his reign, and guided by experience, he approved the war against Serbia.

The assassination of the heir-presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, on June 28 1914,  at the hands of Gavrilo Princip, resulted in Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against the Kingdom of Serbia, Russia’s ally. This activated a system of alliances which resulted in World War I....