University of wisconsin madison. In the middle of an exhibition thend world work i 1914, came armageddon. It highlights the collections at the University Library system as well from the Wisconsin Historical society. Different artifacts related to not only wisconsins role in the war but also what was happening in each country when the conflict began in the summer of 1914. The war broke out in the summer 1914 after france ferdinand, the archduke and air to the austrohungarian throne was assassinated by a member of a serbian military group called the black hand. His goal was to bring all serbs together in one country, independent of us of austrohungarian empire. Austria put pressure on serbia to allow them to conduct an investigation. Serbia acquiesced on all of austrias demands, except that austria be able to use their own police in serbian territory. This led to a standoff and a military confrontation when austria most real mobilized against serbia, russia declared that they would help