The nation responsible for starting the First World War was Austria-Hungary due to the territorial and political positions with Serbia which caused the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand. After Ferdinand's death, Austria-Hungary appealed for help to the Germans regarding problems in the Balkans, leading Germany to confirm its aid by issuing a "blank check". Austria then sent Serbia a list of ultimatums consisting of extreme demands in the hope that Serbia would reject them. Serbia being a country where Slavic nationalism was idealized, it refused the idea of ​​Austria obtaining the right to control the investigation into the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and to have authority over the State of Serbia, this which actually forced Serbia to reject the ultimatums. Austria knew that Serbia would not accept this list of ultimatums and therefore sent it as a rational reason to declare war. Shortly after, Austria declared war on Serbia and Germany, Austria's ally, declared war on Serbia's ally Russia. The underlying causes of World War I may be linked to the conflicts involving Austria-Hungary and the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina. In 1878, Serbia became independent from the Ottoman nation. With this independence, Serbia anticipated that its region would include the South Slavs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Slavic nationalists in Serbia hoped to secede from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1879, the Congress of Berlin placed Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian rule, dashing nationalist hopes of conquering the territory. Bosnia did not want to be ruled by a multinational state like Austria and the Austrians did not like Serbia promoting Slavic nationalism. The Austrian Government...... middle of paper ......9, Appendices 1 and 2, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995Conklin, Dennis. Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand (June 28, 1914). The University of Southern Mississippi. Conference. April 4, 2012. Franz Joseph. Autograph letter from Franz Joseph to the Kaiser, Vienna, July 2, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995. April 7, 1996Conklin, Dennis. Tactical and technical developments. The University of Southern Mississippi. Conference. April 4, 2012The Serbian Blue Book. No. 37, July 11, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc 1995The Austro-Hungarian Red Book. Section 1, Nos. 1-19, Appendices 1 and 2, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995 The German White Book. The reasons for the war between Germany and Russia. MM. Liebheit and Thiesen of Berlin. The Great War Primary Document Archive, Inc.. 1995