The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, by a Serbian revolutionist sparked the brutal World War 1. As an heir to the throne, Ferinand stood for everything extremists feared. This action ruined the idea of peace between the Austro-Hungarian peoples and the Serbian peoples and lead to a series of unfortunate events.

Due to the assassination of their heir, the people of Vienna retaliated. They began causing scenes and protests in front of the Serbian embassy. Most importantly they used news publications to sway the perceptions of their community, encouraging an anti-Serbian sentiment. When the Serbian government issued an ultimatum to the Austro-Hungary government demanding that they cease this, it caused more violent demonstrations. As a response, Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. An action that they would soon regret. Vienna was falling apart, the church began endorsing the war declaring that it was justified by God and upheld his religious teachings. While people were being beaten for speaking kindly about Serbia, war preparation had begun.

The recruitment of soldiers had a very large age gap. People as young as 18 and as old as 50 were eligible to enlist. Viennese men made up around 27% of the men enlisted in the war. Vienna hoped that the war would be a quick battle, and how could they not their newspapers told them so. Yet newspapers were not allowed to showcase the true events happening in the war, so the people of Vienna saw themselves as victorious. They never questioned the 4,000 wounded bodies being brought into their stations. They stayed ignorant until the war affected their way of life. With the war raging on and the high levels of casualties, emergency laws were in place. The army’s needs were more important than the people’s needs, so provisions were sent to them while food grew scarce in Vienna. Finally, the people of Vienna realized that their government was not prepared for war. To enforce the ration system, people were only allowed to have a certain amount of flour and bread in their per household. These restrictions hit the poorer communities harder than affluent communities. It was such an issue that Vienna started offering classes for how to cook during a war.

Unfortunately due to the rise of casualties and the higher call for men, women stepped up and tried to support Vienna in any way they could. They provided free meals to working-class citizens and supported the military, by collecting donations. These kitchens were so crucial to Vienna that their frequency doubled from 1916 to 1918. Women weren’t only cooking free meals, they were occupying what use to be a “man’s job”: tram drivers, chimney sweepers, postwomen, street cleaners. This wasn’t a way to push their social agenda, but because they had to. If they did not step up to the plate Vienna would fall. Women in poorer communities were more affected. They had to do demanding tasks in unfit conditions, which caused diseases to spread and increased the number of miscarriages.  Even though they were working the same jobs as men, they were paid less under the misguided notion that women were not productive due to their small size. This lead to self-awareness, when women were starting to realize that they are just as capable as men.

Not only did the roles of women change, but children were also affected. With their fathers in war and their mothers in the factory, children were left on their own. They ditched school and joined gangs, and caused worry among the people of Vienna. Vienna officials had to create an office that aimed to support the growing neglect of children. This war was dragging on for longer than expected and the people were getting tired. The people rioted for better wages and working hours, yet the leading officials could only do so much. The health of Vienna declined, as more people were subjected to unfit conditions, starvation, and the lack of medical care. Luckily, all things must end. Eventually, the war became too much and eventually led to the fall of the monarchy. World War 1 was finally over.

 

Citation:

Kiger, P. J. (2021, April 6). 8 events that led to World War I. History.com. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/world-war-i-causes

Reichl-Ham, C. (2014). From the Brilliant Metropolis of a Great Power to the “Swelled Head”of a Rump State: Vienna in the First World War. Cahiers Bruxellois – Brusselse Cahiers, LVI, 211-233. https://doi.org/10.3917/brux.046e.0211