The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June 1914 is often cited as the immediate catalyst for World War I. This event triggered a complex web of alliances and hostilities between major European powers. The assassination, carried out by a Serbian nationalist, heightened tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. In response, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, leading to a chain reaction involving allied nations. The significance of this assassination lies in its ability to escalate regional conflicts into a global war, leading to profound political, social, and economic changes across Europe and the eventual redrawing of national boundaries after the war.