The Growth of Tension in Europe, 1905-14 » From Sarajevo to War: The July Crisis of 1914

25 to 28 July: a local war begins

The days from the ultimatum to the outbreak of war are known as the July Crisis. On 25 July, just before the time limit ran out, Serbia gave its answer. It accepted most of the demands. It would not let Austro-Hungarian officials take part in an inquiry on Serbian soil. That was enough for Austria-Hungary. Its ambassador left Belgrade the same evening.

Britain tried to stop the slide. On 26 July the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, proposed a meeting in London of Britain, France, Germany and Italy to settle the quarrel. Germany turned it down the next day.

On 28 July Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary and Germany still hoped the war would stay local.

Key terms:

• July Crisis: the weeks of threats and decisions between the Sarajevo murder and the outbreak of war in early August 1914
• Neutrality: staying out of a war and helping neither side
• Treaty of London (1839): an agreement in which the great powers, including Britain, France and Prussia (later part of Germany), promised to respect Belgium as a neutral country

29 July to 1 August: Russia and Germany

Russia had no treaty with Serbia. It chose to act anyway. It saw itself as the protector of the Slavs, and it had backed down in the Bosnian Crisis. The Tsar would not be humiliated twice.

• 30 July: Tsar Nicholas II ordered general mobilisation, calling up the whole Russian army.
• 31 July: Germany gave Russia 12 hours to stop. It also asked France to say whether it would stay neutral.
• 1 August: Russia did not reply, so Germany declared war on Russia. France, Russia's ally since 1894, would only say it would act in its own interests, and began to mobilise.

Why did Germany move so fast? Its war plan was built on the alliances. Germany expected to fight France and Russia together, so the plan was to beat France quickly before Russia's huge army was ready. Every day of Russian mobilisation wasted that head start. To Germany's generals, Russian mobilisation meant war, and war meant attacking France first. The plan itself is explained in the lesson The Schlieffen Plan and Why It Failed.

2 to 4 August: Belgium and Britain

The quickest way into France was through Belgium. On 2 August Germany demanded that Belgium let its army pass. Belgium refused. On 3 August Germany declared war on France, and on the morning of 4 August German troops crossed the Belgian border.

This broke the Treaty of London of 1839. Britain had been unsure what to do. The Triple Entente was not a military alliance, and the Cabinet was divided about fighting for France or Russia. Belgium settled the argument. Britain sent Germany an ultimatum: leave Belgium alone or face war. It ran out at 11 pm on 4 August. Germany had not agreed. Britain was at war.

The German Chancellor, Bethmann Hollweg, was amazed. The British ambassador reported him saying that Britain was going to war for 'a scrap of paper'.

Britain had other reasons too. It did not want Germany to crush France and control the Channel coast. The treaty gave it a clear reason that united the country.

What part did international agreements play?

Italy declared its neutrality on 3 August. The Triple Alliance was defensive, and Austria-Hungary had attacked Serbia without consulting Italy. Italy also knew that its long coastline would be at the mercy of the British navy. So an alliance on paper counted for little when it did not suit a country's interests.

The roles of the great powers

• Austria-Hungary started the fighting by declaring war on Serbia, and was determined to refuse any compromise.
• Germany backed its ally, rejected Grey's meeting, and turned a Balkan war into a European one by declaring war on Russia and France and invading Belgium.
• Russia was the first great power to order general mobilisation.
• France stood firmly by Russia and did nothing to hold it back.
• Britain tried to make peace, but did not make clear until very late that it would fight.

On 6 August Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia. Five great powers were now at war.

Exam-style question

Source A: From a speech by Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, to the House of Commons, 3 August 1914.

'We are not parties to the Franco-Russian Alliance. We do not even know the terms of that Alliance ... If, in a crisis like this, we run away from those obligations of honour and interest as regards the Belgian Treaty, I doubt whether, whatever material force we might have at the end, it would be of very much value in face of the respect that we should have lost.'

Source B: From a telegram sent by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, 29 July 1914. The 'weak country' is Serbia.

'An ignoble war has been declared to a weak country. The indignation in Russia shared fully by me is enormous. I foresee that very soon I shall be overwhelmed by the pressure forced upon me and be forced to take extreme measures which will lead to war ... I beg you ... to do what you can to stop your allies from going too far.'

Extract C: A practice extract written for this lesson, in the style of a modern history textbook.

'In 1914 the great powers were prisoners of their own promises. A quarrel between Austria-Hungary and Serbia became a European war because alliances and treaties pulled in one country after another. Germany was tied to Austria-Hungary, France to Russia, and Britain to Belgium. Yet promises were not everything: Italy ignored its alliance and stayed neutral.'

Study Extract C. Extract C suggests that international agreements were the main reason why the crisis of July 1914 became a European war. How far do you agree with this interpretation? Use Extract C, Sources A and B and your own knowledge to explain your answer. [16 marks]