plans to unite all Serbs and Croats into one kingdom and in doing so, not only leaving the Austro-Hungarian Empire but taking certain parts of it for themselves. This was a very real threat to Austro-Hungarian stability since it would have meant that many Serbs and Croats, living within actual Austro-Hungarian borders, would be affected. It was also very probable that other Empire kingdoms would follow suit and want to become independent. To the Emperor, Austria-Hungary itself and his Empire were in danger of breaking apart. The Serbian nationalism had led to crises and two Balkan Wars right until 1913. It made the Austro-Hungarian government deeply resentful and eager to have the opportunity to hit a strike that would finally put these troubles to rest. The Serbs, in turn, grew bitter and were determined to break free of the Empire. The culmination of these growing tensions was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. When that moment came, diplomacy was out of the Emperor's mind. He felt he finally had a chance and right to crush Serbian nationalism once and for all. Unfortunately, this was a gross miscalculation. This was a crisis that should have been contained but that the Emperor let
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