The Prelude to World War One: The July 1914 Crisis
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The 1914 ‘July Crisis’ was the preceding act to the First World War - a period of diplomatic wrangling which concluded in the Great Powers of Europe declaring war upon one another in early August. The catalyst to the July crisis, and indeed the entire war, was the assassination of the heir to the Austrian Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. For the more hawkish elements of the Austro-Hungarian leadership, the assassination provided a welcome pretext to quash troublesome pan-slavic nationalism. But they saw their victory as pre-ordained and did not dream of igniting a European conflict - but that is exactly what happened.
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The Prelude to World War One: The July 1914 Crisis
- 2. The 1914 ‘July Crisis’ was the preceding act to the First World War - a period of diplomatic wrangling which concluded in the Great Powers of Europe declaring war upon one another in early August.
- 3. Sarajevo Heir to the Austrian Hungarian throne assassinated by Serbian nationalist
- 4. Chief of General Staff Foreign Minister Conrad von Hotzendorf, the Austro-Hungarian Commander in Chief, pressed the Foreign Minister, Count Leopold von Berchtold, to declare war on Serbia.
- 5. Both supported an attack without a declaration.
- 6. Chief of General StaffForeign Minister Hungarian Prime Minister This was resisted by Prime Minister of Hungary Istvan Tisza. He preferred seeking retribution through diplomatic channels.
- 7. Tisva was aware of the potentially devastating escalation that could be brought about by inflaming the alliance network.
- 8. • Russia backed Serbia should Austria-Hungary attack. • Germany was bound by the Dual Alliance to protect Austria should Russia attack. • The Franco-Russian Military Convention of 1892 mandated French assistance should Russia be at war with Germany or Austria-Hungary. • Britain had effectively guaranteed the French should she be at war with Germany.
- 9. Austria-Hungary acted on the assumption that Russia would resist mobilisation, limiting itself to diplomatic manoeuvres.
- 10. Hungarian Prime MinisterGerman Emperor Tisza nevertheless sought a guarantee of Germany’s support should Russia respond differently, and on 6 July Kaiser Wilhelm offered the now famous ‘blank cheque’
- 11. Austria Hungary unlimited Kaiser Wilhelm II 06.06.1914 Unconditional support This ‘blank cheque’ became the main determining factor in Austro-Hungarian policy throughout July.
- 13. Remarkably, and unexpectedly, Serbia agreed to all but a few minor demands. However, this provided sufficient justification for a formal declaration of war.
- 14. On 30 July Tsar Nicholas II agreed to a full Russian mobilisation, while Austria-Hungary did the same. Russian Emperor
- 16. The German Schlieffen plan meant that Germany would need to defeat France in six weeks to avoid a two front war. Thus Germany prepared to attack France.
- 17. Germany delivers an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding that she remain neutral whilst German troops pass through into France.
- 18. This prompted Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, to announce in Parliament on August 3rd that Britain would defend Belgian neutrality, in accordance with the Treaty of London (1839). British Foreign Minister
- 19. King of Belgium
- 21. Britain called for a ‘satisfactory’ explanation, but none was forthcoming. Britain was therefore forced to declare war on Germany.
- 22. In the opinion of AJP Taylor, the Belgium justification was a pretext for an action governed by a secret, pre-existing pledge to support France.
- 23. “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time.”
- 24. It is difficult to extract a decisive event or decision from the obfuscating, boasting and paranoia that characterized the lead up to pan-European warfare. The month of diplomatic wrangling that separated the assassination from the first declaration of war was fundamentally altered by Germany’s promise of a ‘blank cheque’, but that alone cannot account for the entire sequence of events. Crucially, it was an alliance network developed since 1870 that allowed the conflict to infect all the major European powers and so create a devastating continental conflict.
- 25. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
- 26. WE ARE ALL MADE FROM HISTORY MADEFROMHISTORY.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MADEFROMHISTORY TWITTER.COM/MADEFROMHISTORY PINTEREST.COM/MADEROMHISTORY SOUNDCLOUD.COM/MADEFROMHISTORY THE PAST – REMIXED AND REMASTERED