The British skillfully divided and played off. If Berlin was fooled, they gave hope for neutrality, then Petersburg was encouraged, hinting at help. Thus, the British skillfully led the great powers of Europe into a great war. Berlin was shown a desire for peace. And France and Russia were supported, inspired her courage, pushed her to actively oppose the Austro-German bloc.
Potsdam negotiations
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused confusion in Vienna. The chief of the Austrian General Staff, Konrad von Goetzendorff, demanded an immediate attack on Serbia. He was supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Berchtold. The head of the Hungarian government, Count Tisza, expressed a more cautious position. The aged Emperor Franz Joseph hesitated. He was afraid of harsh action.
Vienna requested Berlin's opinion. Austria-Hungary proposed to eliminate Serbia from the Balkans. The German government and the General Staff decided that the moment for the start of the war was the most favorable. The Russian empire is not yet ready for war. If St. Petersburg decides to defend Serbia, it will be defeated. A big war will begin, but in favorable conditions for the German bloc. If Russia does not intervene in the Austro-Serbian conflict, then Serbia will be destroyed, this will be a win for Vienna and Berlin. The positions of the Russians in the Balkan Peninsula will be completely destroyed.
On July 5, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II received the Austrian ambassador at the Potsdam Palace and gave him a direct answer: "Do not delay with this action" (against Serbia). Berlin promised support if Russia opposes Austria. The German government also promised aid to the Austrian ally. This led to the "war party" in Vienna gaining the upper hand. Supporting the Austrians, the German emperor called a military conference. He reported on the likelihood of war. And I received the answer that the army was ready for war.
On July 7, a government meeting was held in Vienna. Almost everyone adhered to the position that a purely diplomatic success, even in the face of complete humiliation of Belgrade, has no value. Therefore, it is necessary to present the Serbs with such demands in order to force them to refuse and get a pretext for military action. However, the head of the Hungarian government, Tisza, objected to this. He expressed fear that defeat would lead to the death of the empire, and victory led to the capture of new Slavic lands, the strengthening of the Slavic element in Austria-Hungary, which undermined the position of Hungary. With great difficulty, the count was persuaded. This was done by the middle of the month. All this time Berlin was hurrying Vienna, the Germans feared that the Austrians would retreat.
How London gave the go-ahead to war
The British Foreign Office, backed by the best intelligence in the world, was well aware of the state of affairs in Vienna, Berlin and Petersburg. British Foreign Minister Sir Gray knew that the assassination of the Archduke would be used by Austria-Hungary to launch aggression against Serbia, and that Germany supported the Austrians. Also, London knew that this time Russia would not yield. How was London supposed to act if it wanted to stop the war? The answer can be found in the recent past. When, in 1911, during the Second Moroccan Crisis, the threat of a pan-European war arose, the British government publicly and through secret diplomatic channels, warned Germany that Britain would side with France. And Berlin retreated. The same situation arose at the end of 1912: England's announcement that it would not remain neutral caused Germany's moderating influence on Austria-Hungary.
England could have done the same in the summer of 1914. To keep the peace in Europe, London had only to dispel Berlin's illusion that Britain would be left on the sidelines. On the contrary, British policy in 1913-1914. supported the belief in the German elite that England would be neutral. How did the head of the British Foreign Office behave these days? In fact, Sir Gray encouraged Austro-German aggression. In conversations with the German ambassador in London, Prince Likhnovsky, on July 6 and 9, Gray convinced the Germans of Russia's peacefulness and promised to "prevent a thunderstorm." He assured that England, not bound by any allied obligations to Russia and France, has complete freedom of action. He said that if Austria does not cross a certain limit with respect to Serbia, then it will be possible to persuade Petersburg to tolerate.
With regard to St. Petersburg, Gray pursued a different policy. In a conversation with the Russian ambassador Benckendorff on July 8, Gray painted everything in dark colors. He spoke about the likelihood of a move by Austria-Hungary against Serbia and emphasized the hostility of the Germans to Russia. Thus, the British warned Petersburg about the war, and did not do the same with regard to Berlin. The fact was that in London, as well as in Berlin, they believed that the moment for the start of the war was ideal. Only the Germans were wrong, but the British were not. London was happy with the fact that Russia was not yet ready for war. England relied on the death of the Russian Empire. The big war in Europe was supposed to be a bomb that would blow up Russia. In addition, the British military was ready for war. “Never in the last three years have we been so well prepared,” wrote the First Lord of the Admiralty Churchill. The British still relied on supremacy at sea, and the English fleet was still the most powerful in the world. And maintaining naval superiority became more difficult for England every year. Germany was rapidly catching up with Britain in naval weapons. The British needed to crush Germany while they retained dominance at sea.
Therefore, the British did everything to make the war start, thwarted all attempts to resolve the matter peacefully. Shortly before the Austrian ultimatum was handed over to Belgrade, St. Petersburg proposed that Russia, England and France together influence Vienna. Gray dismissed the idea. Although London knew very well what provocative document Austrian diplomats had prepared for Belgrade. On July 23, the day the Austrian ultimatum was delivered to Serbia, the Austrian ambassador to London Mensdorf held a conversation with Gray. The British minister spoke about the damage that the war between Austria, Russia, Germany and France would cause to trade. He kept silent about the possibility of England's participation in the war. As a result, Vienna decided that London was neutral. It was an encouragement for aggression.
The position of St. Petersburg
In the first days after the murder in Sarajevo, Russia was not alarmed. The situation seemed stable. The situation was changed by the arrival of alarms about the aggressiveness of Austria from the Ambassador in London Benckendorff and the Italians. Foreign Minister Sazonov suggested that Belgrade act with extreme caution. He also warned Berlin and Vienna that Russia would not be indifferent to the humiliation of Serbia. Italy was also told about the same. Thus, the Russian government showed that this time it would not yield to the threat of war, as it did in 1909, 1912 and 1913.
On July 20, 1914, the French President Poincare and the head of the Council of Ministers Viviani arrived in Russia. The French assured that in the event of a war with Germany, Paris will fulfill its allied obligations. This strengthened the resolve of St. Petersburg.
Austrian ultimatum and the outbreak of war
On July 23, 1914, Vienna delivered an ultimatum to Belgrade with a 48-hour deadline for a reply. It was a provocation. Austrian demands violated Serbia's sovereignty. Belgrade immediately turned to Russia for protection. On July 24, after reading the ultimatum, Sazonov said: "This is a European war!" In the event of the Austrian invasion, the Russian government suggested that the Serbs should not be able to defend themselves by their own forces, not to resist and declare that they are giving in to force and entrusting their fate to the great powers. Serbia was recommended all kinds of moderation. It was also decided, if necessary, to begin the mobilization of four military districts in the west.
Petersburg felt insecure. They are not ready for war, the position of England is not entirely clear. Sazonov was nervous. Either he offered the great powers to exert a collective diplomatic influence on Austria-Hungary, then he suggested that England or Italy become mediators in the settlement of the Austro-Serbian conflict. However, it was all in vain.
On July 25, Serbian Prime Minister Pasic responded to Austria-Hungary. The Serbs made maximum concessions and accepted nine out of ten demands with reservations. Belgrade only refused to allow Austrian investigators into its territory. On the same day, the Austro-Hungarian diplomatic mission left Serbia.
At the same time, London again made it clear to Berlin that it would remain on the sidelines. On July 24, Gray received Likhnovsky again. He said that the conflict between Austria and Serbia does not concern England. He spoke about the danger of a war between the four powers (without England), about the damage to world trade, the exhaustion of countries and the threat of revolution. Gray suggested that Germany should influence Vienna to show moderation. For Austria-Hungary to be satisfied with the Serbian response to the ultimatum. On July 26, King George of England talked with the brother of the German Emperor, Henry of Prussia. He said that he will make every effort to "not be involved in the war and remain neutral." This was what Berlin needed in order for England to be neutral at the beginning of the war. The German plan was a blitzkrieg - a few weeks of war to crush France. The short-term neutrality of Britain suited the Germans completely.
The British skillfully divided and played off. If Berlin was fooled, they gave hope for neutrality, then Petersburg was encouraged, hinting at help. Thus, the British skillfully led the great powers of Europe into a great war. Berlin was shown a desire for peace. And they supported France and Russia, inspired courage, pushed them to actively oppose the Austro-German bloc. The policy of the British Cabinet of Ministers (primarily its head Asquith and Foreign Secretary Gray) was dictated by the interests of British capital and the struggle against Germany, which was rapidly striving for a leadership position in the Western world. Liberal imperialists, conservatives, the City (finance capital) and the military were in solidarity on the defeat of Germany. At the same time, the balance of forces at sea, the development of the arms race (including naval ones), the associated huge expenses and internal political difficulties did not make it possible to delay the start of the war. England could not let Germany defeat France and become the leader of the West. In London, they themselves claimed world domination, for this it is necessary to crush a competitor - the Second Reich.
Interestingly, at first, most members of the British government tended to be neutral. On July 27, the question of what Britain would do in the event of war was raised. Russia requested military support from Britain. Most of the members of the government, led by Lord Morley (11 people), who was the leader of the neutralists, who wanted to stay away from the war and cash in on it, spoke in favor of neutrality. Gray was supported by only three - Premier Asquith, Holden and Churchill. Part of the cabinet took a wait-and-see attitude. Gray had to go to great lengths to convince the majority to go to war. The Germans even helped him in this when they raised the question of the movement of the German army through Belgium. On July 31, Gray asked Berlin and Paris if they would respect Belgium's neutrality. The French gave such assurances, the Germans did not. This became the most important argument of the supporters of the war with Germany.
The German emperor belatedly, only on July 28, got acquainted with the Serbian response to the ultimatum. I realized that the reason for the war was bad and suggested Vienna to start negotiations. However, this advice was belated. On this day, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The war has begun.
Britain hid its true position until July 29th. On this day, Gray held two meetings with the German ambassador. During the first conversation, he did not say anything important. During the second meeting, the British minister for the first time presented to Lichnovsky the true position of England. He said Britain can stay on the sidelines as long as the conflict is limited to Austria and Russia. Berlin was shocked. The Kaiser did not hide his anger: “England opens her cards at the moment when she considered that we were driven into a dead end and were in a hopeless situation! The low huckster bastard tried to deceive us with dinners and speeches … Disgusting son of a bitch!"
At the same time, it became known about the neutrality of Italy (an ally of Germany and Austria in the Triple Alliance) and Romania. Rome referred to the violation by Austria-Hungary of the terms of the union agreement. Berlin tried to play back. On the night of July 30, the Germans suddenly began to persuade the Austrians to accept the peace mediation proposed by Britain. However, it was too late. The trap slammed shut. The war with Serbia began and Vienna refused to go to peace.
Chain reaction
On July 30, late in the evening, Berlin stopped pressure on Vienna. The generals spoke in favor of the war. The strategy of the German Empire was based on the rapid defeat of France and the slowness of mobilization in Russia - over 40 days. After this period, Russia, in the opinion of the Germans, would no longer be able to save France. Having finished with the French, the Germans and Austrians had to strike at Russia with all their might and withdraw it from the war. Therefore, every day of Russian military preparations was viewed as extremely dangerous for the Second Reich. He shortened the time when it was possible to calmly beat the French. Therefore, Berlin acted on the basis of mobilization in Russia.
On July 28, mobilization began in Austria-Hungary. The Russian government also decided to start mobilization. German diplomacy tried to prevent this. On July 28, Kaiser Wilhelm II promised Nicholas II to influence Vienna to reach an agreement with Russia. On July 29, the German ambassador to Russia, Pourtales, conveyed to Sazonov Berlin's demand to stop mobilization, otherwise Germany would also begin mobilization and war. At the same time, Petersburg learned about the Austrian bombing of Belgrade. On the same day, under pressure from Chief of General Staff Yanushkevich, the tsar approved a decree on general mobilization. Late in the evening, Nikolai canceled this decree. The Kaiser again promised him that he would try to reach an agreement between Petersburg and Vienna and asked Nicholas not to carry out military measures. The king decided to confine himself to partial mobilization directed against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Sazonov, Yanushkevich and Sukhomlinov (Minister of War) worried that the tsar had succumbed to the influence of the Kaiser, on July 30 tried to persuade Nicholas II. They believed that every day of delay could be fatal for the army and the empire. In the end, Sazonov convinced the king. In the evening of July 30, general mobilization began. At midnight on July 31, the German ambassador informed Sazonov that if Russia did not abandon mobilization by 12 o'clock on August 1, then the German Empire would also begin mobilization. On August 1, the Second Reich began a general mobilization. On the same day in the evening, the German ambassador again appeared to Sazonov and asked for an answer on the question of mobilization. Sazonov refused. Pourtales handed over the declaration of war. This is how the Russian-German war began. A war in which the Russians and the Germans were not interested. Great war in the interests of England.
On August 3, in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Tsushima, the German light cruiser Emden began pursuing the Russian Volunteer Fleet steamer Ryazan (in case of war, the ship could be converted into an auxiliary cruiser). The Russian ship tried to hide in Japanese waters, but the Germans opened fire to kill and the Ryazan stopped. This ship was the first trophy captured by the Germans from Russia.
The French elite had long decided to go to war, longing for revenge for the military catastrophe of 1870-1871. But at the same time, Paris wanted Berlin to be responsible for the outbreak of the war. Therefore, on July 30, 1914, the French withdrew their troops 10 kilometers from the border in order to prevent possible border incidents that could give the Germans a reason for war. On July 31, the German ambassador handed a note to the French, France was to give the obligation to be neutral. The answer was given 18 hours. If the French had agreed, Berlin would have demanded the fortresses of Tulle and Verdun as a pledge. That is, the Germans did not need France's neutrality. Paris refused to be bound by any obligations. On August 1, Poincaré began mobilization. On August 1-2, German troops occupied Luxembourg without a fight and reached the French border. On August 3, Germany declared war on France. The Germans blamed the French for attacks, air attacks and violating Belgium's neutrality.
On August 2, Germany delivered an ultimatum to Belgium. The Germans demanded to withdraw the Belgian army to Antwerp and not to interfere with the movement of the German corps to the borders of France. Belgium promised to maintain integrity and independence. Germany, along with other powers, was the guarantor of Belgium's independence and used information that France was preparing an army on the Meuse for an attack on Namur to violate the country's neutrality. Belgium rejected the ultimatum and asked England for help. On August 4, the German army violated the Belgian border and on August 5 reached Liege. The Belgian question helped Gray defeat his opponents, supporters of England's neutrality. The security of the Belgian coast was of strategic importance to Britain. London got a pretext to intervene in the war.
On August 2, London promised Paris the protection of the French coast. On the morning of August 3, the British cabinet decided to participate in the war. In the afternoon, Gray addressed parliament. He said that peace in Europe could not be maintained, since some countries were striving for war (Germany and Austria-Hungary were meant). That England should intervene in the war to defend France and Belgium. Parliament supported the government. On August 4, London issued an ultimatum to Berlin, demanding unconditional respect for the neutrality of Belgium. The Germans had to give an answer before 11 pm. There was no answer. The German plan for the war with France was based on an invasion through Belgium, the Germans could no longer stop the flywheel of the war. Britain has declared war on Germany. This is how the world war began.
On August 4, the United States declared neutrality, and maintained it until April 1917. Neutrality allowed the United States to cash in on the war. The states from the debtor became the world creditor, the financial center of the planet. On August 5, Latin American countries declared their neutrality. On August 6, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Russia, and Serbia and Montenegro - on Germany. On August 10, France declared war on Austria.
On August 7, two German armies crossed the Mass and began to move towards Brussels and Charleroi. The Belgian army was concentrated to defend Brussels and Antwerp, where the Belgians held out until 18 August. On August 8, the British Expeditionary Force began landing in France. The French were preparing for the offensive. Stubborn battles were going on in the Balkan theater. The Serbs abandoned the defense of Belgrade and moved the capital to Nis. On the Russian front, the first skirmishes between Russian and Austrian troops took place in southern Poland. Russia was preparing an offensive in the Warsaw direction. On August 17, the East Prussian operation of the Russian army began. The 1st and 2nd Russian armies were to occupy East Prussia and defeat the 8th German army. This operation was supposed to secure the offensive of the Russian army in the Warsaw-Berlin direction from the northern flank.
On August 12, England declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Japan decided to seize the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. On August 15, Tokyo issued an ultimatum to Berlin demanding the withdrawal of troops from the German-owned port of Qingdao in China. The Japanese demanded that the Shandong Peninsula and the German colonies in the Pacific Ocean be transferred to them. Receiving no answer, Japan declared war on Germany on August 23. On August 25, Japan declared war on Austria. This event was a favorable factor for Russia, as it secured the rear in the Far East. Russia could concentrate all its forces on the Western Front. Japan supplied weapons to Russia.
