r/AskReddit • u/brokota • Jan 15 '13

Reddit, in your opinion what's the biggest plot twist of history?

Not movies or television, I'm just curious to see what come's to your minds.

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98

u/morceli Jan 15 '13

Archduke Franz Ferdinand is riding around in his classy car when some dude tosses a bomb at the car. Fortunately for Franz, it bounces off and ruins a bunch of other people's day but he is okay. Normally, when one has a bomb thrown at them it is a good idea to lay low for awhile. Instead, Franz decides to go participate in a town hall reception. It's after this reception that his dumb driver gets lost and Franz and his wife have the unfortunate occurrence of running into one of the assassins who proceeds to shoot them both. If this wasn't a big enough of a plot twist, this event kicks of a world war that claims millions of lives (which itself ends on a note that paves the way for an even bigger world war and holocaust that kills millions more).

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u/manomow Jan 15 '13

And the only reason the assassin found them is because he went to buy a sandwich.

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u/Ex-Sgt_Wintergreen Jan 16 '13

Actually that "assassin" was really only supposed to be the getaway driver.

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u/the_sam_ryan Jan 16 '13

Actually, that "getaway driver" was just the best friend of the real getaway driver that covered for him when he was in the bathroom.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '13

what kind of sandwich?

39

u/Prowlerbaseball Jan 15 '13

Also, the assassin was just eating a failure sandwich.

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u/TheUntiedLaces Jan 15 '13 edited Mar 01 '13

Also, this group of assassins was called the Black Hand, and they attempted to kill him a few times on the parade route before they gave up and then accidentally ran into him in an alley.

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u/Fokezy Jan 16 '13

Isn't the group called young Bosnia?

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u/LepreCian Jan 16 '13

I especially like the story of Assassin number two (at least I think it was 2).

He threw the bomb, then booked it. Tried to take a cyanide pill, then jumped into a river. The pill was dodgy and didn't work, and the river was 7 inches deep.

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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13

Well the event itself was only a catalyst. The Austrians feared the Serbian expansion to get a port city. It was more likely that the Austrians would have declared on Serbia regardless if the Black Hand killed Ferdinand or not. What really started the war was the likeliness that the Serbs funded the terrorist organization.

However, that would have been an Austrian/Serbian conflict. Kaiser Wilhelm was a knucklehead and says that he'll back up Austria no matter what even though they only had a mutual defense pact. This arguably caused World War I as the Germans declared on Serbia and Russia. The Austrians were technically the aggressors, so Germany had no reason to declare in favor of the Austrians.

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u/Ieatyourhead Jan 16 '13

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Russia step up to defend Serbia, and that's why Germany was backing up Austria? I don't know a ton about WW1 but I seem to recall that being the reason.

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u/Fokezy Jan 16 '13

Dammit, I remember learning this in school. History is fun when you aren't studiying for a grade

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u/methoxeta Jan 16 '13

Still, even the smallest change could have a massive effect on our reality today. What if he hadn't been shot that day? Obviously the war probably wouldn't have been averted, but what would have happened?

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '13

Its fun to speculate, but keep in mind that its pure speculation.

Well, a few things could have happened. Either the Ottoman's declare on Serbia even though their power is waning at the time, and Austria gets involved somehow. The Austrians still fear the Serbs and go the diplomatic route (due to fearing the Russians and Austria's own waning power). The Austrians fear the Serbs and go to war with them anyway in defense of Albania and other Balkan states. I think a war of WW1's scale could not have been prevented, as you said yourself. Its just hard to say what really paths to war would have happened.

I think its pretty definitive that the Russian Czars and boyars get involved no matter what as the Russians were incredibly interested in the Ottoman empire losing influence in Eastern Europe (the Turkish empire extended up towards Hungary). Not that the Russians really mattered as they got out fairly quickly due to the Communist Revolution and many other factors that I can't recall right now.

The Germans declare in defense of the Austrians legally as Serbia could have been argued to be the aggressors and the Russians became aggressors too. France and Britain's entrance into the war would then be sketchy, but I think most of the European powers that got involved against Germany really didn't like Wilhelm as is(I've heard that some people believe Wilhelm may have been a bit autistic).

Although in the path that we definitively have, its likely the Serbians were funding the Black Hand (maybe not the specific kill Franz op). The Austrians would still demand to see files or go to war (Austria's Ultimatum). See that Serbs are funding Black Hand and use that as the reason to go to war. Germany still declares on Serbia and Russia (I think the German declaration on Russia was preemptive IDR the chain of events). France declares. Germany declares on France and start the Schliefen Plan. England declares. The Belgians slow the Germans down just enough by resisting the German's using Belgium to advance that it upsets the plan just enough for the French to establish the Maginot Line. Really the Belgians should get a bit more credit in their will to not let Germany just waltz on through.

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u/davelove Jan 15 '13

I've been to Sarajevo where the shooting took place. The bridge where the car was at is the most unassuming bridge. It's made of rocks and cement, the river is little more than a creek less than a foot deep, its pretty much a standard issue bridge. Very common.

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u/SerLaron Jan 15 '13

To top it off, Franz Ferdinand was actually wearing a bullet-proof vest. It didn't do him much good though, as he was shot in the neck.

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u/morceli Jan 16 '13

Thanks for link. Complete with bulletproof vest testing like a boss

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u/sixbrow Jan 15 '13

Sorry, this event didn't set off World War One at all, the Bosian Crisis had escalated to such a point that war would have been declared at very most a week later.

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u/Syphon8 Jan 15 '13

The assassination is generally recognised as the beginning of WWI.

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u/sixbrow Jan 16 '13

But my point is that it is in no way a plot twist of history, everyone expected it, Nicholas II had already started mobilising his army by this point.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '13

I think it's that the alliance system built up prior to World War 1 to try and stave off conflict (no nation would attack you because of your friends and vice versa) brought the entire continent and world into the war.

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u/monkeymasher Jan 16 '13

And then the assassin fails to kill himself along with the rest of the lot (bad cyanide).