According to Mark Mazower, the events of the First World War are attributed to the “culmination of the intertwining of the Balkan liberation struggles with the European system” (79). The conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia over Bosnia and Herzegovina proves this. However, to understand the struggle between Austria-Hungary and Serbia one must go back more than one hundred years before the First World War. The liberation struggles of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Austria-Hungary led to the First World War. Beginning in the nineteenth century, educated individuals in Eastern Europe began to believe in the concept that members of a nation possessed civil rights. Traditionalist empires had subjects who “had to loyally obey and serve their government, whose position was believed to be sanctioned by divine law” (Seton-Watson 15). A new form of thought emerged, nationalism, secular and democratic. Many rulers had difficulty accepting this idea, thus the “spring of nations” or the revolutions of 1848 occurred. The revolution of 1848 boiled down to the attempt to create a single German state; however he met resistance. Ultimately, after several “constitutional experiments” and uncertainties during this time period, the Compromise of 1867 sought to resolve any remaining problems. The compromise “recognized the sovereign equality of the two states – Austria and Hungary – and reunited them under a common sovereign, Franz Joseph, as emperor in Austria and king in Hungary” (Mason 6). However, such a compromise failed to address the most important issue within the empire: nationality. Each nationality within the empire believed that it could only be free outside of the monarchy and secondly that they were all fighting with...... middle of paper ......and Balkan states, Joseph needed of having to quickly preserve the remaining part of the Empire; however, he did not realize the effect this would have on the Serbs regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina. This annexation was interpreted by the Serbian people as a move against them and against their will. Subsequently both Russia, enemy of the Habsburg Empire, and Serbia asked for compensation from the Austrians in exchange for the annexation of Bosnia; however, neither got their wish. This conflict led to World War I with the involvement of many other countries based on their alliances. Johnson states: “Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and Russia rallied to support Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia, which brought France and eventually England into the conflict” (Johnson 164). Therefore, Mazower's hypothesis turned out to be true, the liberation struggles led to the outbreak of the First World War.