Document 7b
this is an excerpt of the testimony given by gavrilo princip reprinted in the sarajevo trial. he was accused
of assassinating archduke ferdinand of austria-hungary and his wife in july 1914.
the hearing of gavrilo princip
12 october 1914
in the afternoon
…pr. [prosecutor]: — call gavrilo princip. (he is brought in.) do you consider yourself
guilty?
acc. [accused, gavrilo princip]: — i am not a criminal, because i destroyed that which was
evil. i think that i am good.…
pr.: — what kind of ideas did you have?
acc.: — i am a yugoslav nationalist and i believe in the unification of all south slavs in
whatever form of state and that it be free of austria.
pr.: — that was your aspiration. how did you think to realize [accomplish] it?
acc.: — by means of terror.
pr.: — what does that signify?
acc.: — that means in general to destroy from above, to do away with those who obstruct and
do evil, who stand in the way of the idea of unification.
pr.: — how did you think that you might realize your objectives?
acc.: — still another principal motive was revenge for all torments which austria imposed
upon the people.…
pr.: — what was the feeling about austria in your circles?
acc.: — it was the opinion that austria behaved badly to our people, which is true, and
certainly that she (austria) is not necessary.…
source: w. a. dolph owings et al., eds., the sarajevo trial, volume i, documentary publications
based on this excerpt from the sarajevo trial, what was one goal of gavrilo princip?