It ’s the hundredth day of remembrance of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian terrorist — an event that step up into unprecedented ball-shaped conflict known today as World War I. Most historian say Germany led the guardianship into war , but seven other powers merit a share in the inculpation .
Top figure of speech : A cartoon mapping of Europe , understandably drawn from the perspective of the Central Powers who see themselves as being ganged - up on .
After the war , and as the Treaty of Versailles made so painfully clear-cut , Germany and Austria - Hungary were held primarily responsible for lead off the four - year conflict , one that result in the deaths of some 37 million people . It ’s an assessment that has changed very minuscule since that meter , and for good reason . But other major players were involved as well , each of them put up to the start of theGreat War — and step up it into a global crisis — in their own way .
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Serbia: Nationalism and Dreams Of Ethnic Unification
By 1914 , Serbia had firmly demonstrate itself as a major player in the Balkans . But it had a problem : Austria - Hungary . The two - United States Department of State nation to the compass north had latterly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina , establishing a foothold in the Balkans ; it was feared that the sure-enough empire was planning to set up a three - way mega state of matter , an Austro - Hungary Balkan conference . What ’s more , pan - Slavonic persuasion and dreams of unification were begin to perk up in many slavic regions ( including Russia ) , making Austria - Hungary ’s incursion all the more distasteful . Taken together , these perception drive the the creation of a proto - fascist secret military society call the Black Hand , one that had ties to the Serbian governance and Young Bosnia — the terrorist radical responsible for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand .
The assassination of the Archduke ( Smithsonian )
incensed , Austria - Hungary manoeuver the finger directly at Serbia , presenting a sullen ultimatum a few workweek later . Serbia ’s reaction to the ultimatum was both perplexing and even a bit conciliative , but its government refused to address a all important requirement , that of allow an outside investigation into the character assassination . Serbian politician , like Nikola Pašić , had anterior noesis about the patch , so they were looking to protect their ass . What ’s more , despite the rough demands of the ultimatum , Serbia rushed to warfare before all diplomatical television channel were exhausted . At the same time , Serbia exploited the tensions between its slavic Russian ally and Austria - Hungary . In the remainder , Serbia gave Austria - Hungary all the excuses it needed to found its encroachment .
Austria-Hungary: Containment and Credibility
Indeed , it was Austria - Hungary and not Germany who originate the crisis that ultimately led to warfare . But its bellicose reaction to the assassination of the heir to the Austro - Magyar stool was apprehensible ( the eq today would be like having a major politician — like a John Kerry — killed by a terrorist mathematical group ) ; Vienna was captive on take Serbia and maintaining credibility in the part . In the language of Foreign Minister Berchtold , it was time for “ A final and fundamental counting with Serbia . ” Their magnate , Franz Joseph , reluctantly accord .
Ironically , and in a war that ’s often blame on the rampant nationalism of the prison term , Austria - Hungary was a bewitching political experiment , a poly - state featuring two nations , two systems , but one monarch ( a kind of precursor to the European Union , though clear backward in that it was still a monarchy ) . In 1914 , Austria - Hungary was menace by nationalism , both outside the conglomerate and within . What ’s more , it had lost faith in the ‘ Concert of Europe , ’ a geopolitical arrangement that maintained peace for decades . ( image : Franz Joseph , Hapsburger )
On July 23 , Austria - Hungary presented Serbia with a mostly unacceptable ultimatum , one many historians consider was deliberately design to fail . And in fact , Austria - Hungary ’s ambassador to Serbia , Baron Giesl von Gieslingen , had packed his travelling bag before presenting the note to Serbian official . What ’s more , the ultimatum came as a complete to surprise to Serbia , who received no anterior complaints from Vienna about its failure to investigate the character assassination , and also to Russia , who accused Austria - Hungary of “ set up fire to Europe ” .
No doubt , Austria - Hungary had committed itself to a third Balkan war ( the previous two being in 1912 and 1913 ) . Irresponsibly , it paid myopic shrift to diplomacy . It was confident in doing so because Germany had of late sign the so - called “ blank cheque ” wherein it pledged its support to Austria - Hungary in the event that Russia should come to the rescue of Serbia .
Russia: A Show of Force Turns to Tragedy
Russia ’s role in fanning the flames of war has been grossly downplay over the days . Like Serbia , it was caught - up in the genus Pan - Slavism of the time . And in fact , its rulers view themselves as the protectors of the Slavs . But it had some proving to do ; the country had gone through some recent humiliations , such as its defeat to Japan in 1904 , the loss of Bosnia - Herzegovina , and the 1905 revolution , in which the monarchy had to concede some control to fantan , or duma . By 1914 , its resuscitated war machine — the largest in Europe — was eager to prove itself .
Russia respond to the July 23 ultimatum by go into action . The rural area believed that if it showed enough ruggedness , perhaps Austria - Hungary would hold back . But as historian G. J. Meyer point out , “ It was at this point that the Balkan crisis became an European one . ” When Austria - Hungary declared full military mobilization against Serbia on July 25 , Russia announced a fond - mobilization of its own . But soon after , it last into full - on mobilization — an act that most certainly caught the aid of its arch - rival , Germany . During this singular era , there was virtually no time available for military planner to distinguish between a mobilization of warning and a mobilization of aim . The other side had to sham the forged .
Tragically , Russia ’s mobilization was completely useless and unnecessary . Not only was Russia never directly jeopardise by the Balkan Crisis , it could have achieved its ends through substitute distribution channel . But even here Russia failed ; its diplomatical air of communicating with Germany were sunless , deliberately duplicitous , and unhelpful in resolving the horrendous crisis at hand . Instead , its actions set the German war machine into move .
Germany: Combative, Self-Assured — Ambitious
While Austria - Hungary sought a local and contained state of war in the Balkans , it was Germany ’s entry into the conflict that caused the larger European war . It ’s for this reason that Germany deserve much of the responsibility for escalate the war to a global scale .
Popular German Postcard , 1914
By 1914 , Germany , which had only recently emerged as a nation , was like a belligerent teenager fueled with ambition . The land , still euphoric from its crushing defeat of France in 1870 - 71 , saw itself as being able to contend with the other cracking powers of Europe , such as Britain and France . It also had colonial ambitions . It did n’t help that the German military was dominate by the Junker course — hawkish Prussians who often perceived war as a altogether legitimate means to an end .
Germany was unwavering in its support of Austria - Hungary during the July Crisis . So much so , in fact , that the Entente powers ( the treble alignment of France , Britain , and Russia ) impeach Germany of egg Vienna on to warfare as a way to to further its own ambitions . Hence the “ blank check . ”
German planner believed that Russia was n’t ready for state of war and that it would take them an inordinate sentence to mobilize . They also felt that Russia would belike stay out of a warfare for fear of a repetition of 1904 - 05 and that it could not risk another revolution . Additionally , Germany did n’t find that the Entente would puzzle out together to protect the Balkans , and that the alliance would be disrupted . Fueling the impetus behind war was the feeling in a so - called preventative war ; Russia ’s steady maturation scare the hell out of Germany . Its army was propose to be three times the sizing of Germany ’s by 1917 . Now was the time to represent .
With all this in judgement , Germany induce to Austria - Hungary ’s sustenance . But it ’s not like they were n’t warned . On July 29 , Britain ’s Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey told the German ambassador that if the Austro - Serb warfare were to get out of hand , “ it would not be practicable ” for Britain “ to stand aside , ” summate that “ it will be the greatest catastrophe that the world has ever seen . ”
Working upon layers of assumptions and a healthy dose of wishful thinking , German leadership find out the Earth as they wanted to see it , and not as it truly was . Its military planners knew that full mobilisation would liken to a declaration of warfare — the consequences of which could scarcely be imagined .
Britain: Maintaining the Status-Quo At All Costs
Make no error , Britain could have cared less about Serbia in 1914 . It was embroiled in a violent crisis call for Irish Home Rule at the meter . Moreover , Brits were unquestionably anti - Serbian . As late as July 31 , Prime Minister H. H. Asquith tell that the Serbs deserve “ a thoroughgoing trashing . ”
But British leadership eventually wake to the situation . They made a number of diplomatic maneuvers , include an attempt to reactivate the Concert of Europe by calling a peace league . But they ball up this process , send the request to Berlin and not Vienna under the impression that Germany was the key participant . By the clip Austria - Hungary heard of it , they were already at warfare with Serbia . ( image : Horatio Herbert Kitchener recruitment ad , wikimedia commonalty )
in the first place , Grey had arrive to the termination that the greatest threat to British surety was German dominance in Europe . He sense that if war were to break out between Austria - Hungary and Russia , and then a war between Germany and France , Britain would have to side with France . Britain was agitated by the growing of Germany ’s dark blue , resulting in the marine arms race that forgo the Great War . Indeed , Britain was not too happy with German colonial ambitions in Africa and beyond .
Britain entered the war when Germany obtrude upon indifferent Belgium . But given that “ neutral ” Belgium fundamentally process all hem in land as potential enemy , British concern for Belgian neutrality was in actuality a concern of ego - stake and a indisposition to see it fall — and its vital ports — to Germany . Britain ’s ingress into the warfare had striking downstream implications , both in terms of its outcome and attain ( including its future engagements with the Ottoman Empire ) .
Britain enter the warfare to prevent German hegemony in Europe . It was not a pointless intent , as many title , but one design to maintain Britain ’s very privileged status - quo .
France: Distracted and Encouraging
France , in all beauteousness , does n’t really merit much inculpation . And in fact , the Triple Entente was seen by the French as a way to stabilize Europe . That said , its alliance with Britain was entail as a way to keep Germany in check , particularly its imperialistic ambitions in Africa .
Like Britain , France was distracted during the July Crisis . The civilian universe was riveted by a scandalmongering trial in which the wife of the former basal Prime Minister Joseph Caillaux was incriminate of scud the editor of Le Figaro , who had publish the love letter exchange by herself and her hubby .
( wikimedia commons )
Also , during some of the most serious days of the crisis , France ’s President Raymond Poincaré was at sea , where no one was able-bodied to get a grip of him .
But as war loomed , Maurice Paléologue , France ’s ambassador in Russia , began manipulating Russia ’s foreign parson Sergei Sazonov towards action mechanism against Austria - Hungary . Which as we know now was a scheme that backfire terribly , finally resulting a German encroachment . France mobilise on August 1 ; three days later , Germany began its relocation towards Belgium .
The Ottoman Empire: Seizing the Opportunity
The Ottoman Empire , what is now Turkey , did not take part in the July Crisis . This “ Sick Man of Europe ” joined the war on October 29 , 1914 . Its incoming importantly expanded the scope of the conflict , inaugurate whole new theatre of operations into the warfare ( include the Dardanelles , North Africa , and the Middle East ) . ( paradigm : Enver Pasha ( wikimedia commonality ) )
Turkey became necessitate under German pressure , but also owing to War Minister Enver Pasha ’s expedience . After three months of conflict he seize that Germany was going to acquire . Pasha figured that the spoils of warfare would be a good way to avoid the imminent disintegration of the Ottoman Empire — a rather unretentive - sighted and risky scheme as it rick out . But warfare was also a way to deal with Russia , a country that threatened its interests in the Turkish Straits .
Italy: Sacred Egoism
Italy also contribute to the widening of the war ( as did Romania , Bulgaria , and others ) . Technically mouth , Italy was ally with the Central Powers before the state of war . But when war broke out , its political science declared its disinterest and began negotiating with both sides — a insurance its Foreign Minister name as “ consecrated egoism . ”
The Triple Entente made a more generous offer than the Central Powers , predict Trentino , South Tirol , Trieste , Gorizia , Istria , and northern Dalmatia . The Italians accepted this offering in the clandestine Treaty of London during April 1915 and joined the war against Austria - Hungary a month later on , hoping for major territorial gain . Italy ’s entrance into the war opened up a primary young dramatics along its northern border with Austria - Hungary .
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Final Thoughts About the American Entry Into the War
The United States did their good to stay out of the Great War , lastly joining the conflagration in 1917 . Prior to that , most Americans sneered at the engagement , arguing that it was the product of antiquated and uncivilized European value .
But U.S. “ neutrality ” on the matter only went so far . American businesses thrive during the state of war , and it was n’t until Germany ’s resolution of full submarine warfare — and the grand loss of merchandiser shipping — that the United States finally declare that enough was enough ; the U.S. decided to become a global power and to propagate its elevated moralism around Europe and beyond .
Sources : G. J Meyer ’s A World Undone | Matthias Strohn ’s World War I Companion | Hew Strachan ’s The First World War | Ian Beckett ’s The Making Of The First World War
Historymilitary historywarsworld warfare i
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