#28: 26 July 1914 I - Austria Delays Again

#28: 26 July 1914 I - Austria Delays Again

The ultimatum had expired, and yet somehow, Austria had not declared war on Serbia. What was going on?


Well, despite pushing the crisis forward with reckless abandon, the Austrian chief of staff Conrad von Hotzendorff now seemed awake to the dangers facing the country. The army would not be ready for war until 12 August, he said. This was a shock to the Germans, who continued to expect a lightning Austrian strike at Belgrade. But it did give the diplomats time to do their work.


From Britain, Sir Edward Grey believed a mediation scheme involving four uninvolved powers was the answer. He encouraged Berlin to push this idea, and the Germans did so, but only reluctantly, and out of fear of offending Britain if they did not. But the question of Russia was arguably the most important of all, and the Tsar was apparently now willing to exercise his military muscle by approving the period preparatory to war, and the mobilisation of key military districts.


This should have shown Austria that Russian intervention was highly likely, yet her statesmen continued to forge ahead. They had lost the diplomatic initiative, and they had failed to present Europe with a fait accompli. Instead, the sluggish, conditional Austrian response seemed ideally suited to diplomatic mediation. But would Austria take the easy way out? Incredibly, from Vienna, the answer was still no.


Support the July Crisis series, join the conversation, and find out more through these links:

  1. Do you want ad-free episodes with scripts attached, and bonus content? Support us on Patreon and you can suggest July Crisis episodes!
  2. Join our Facebook group as we make our way through this fascinating series!
  3. Click here to see our July Crisis workspace in Perlego, you'll find every source you need!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(744)

#51: 1 August 1914 III - The Kaiser's Rollercoaster

#51: 1 August 1914 III - The Kaiser's Rollercoaster

We open with the shattered dreams of Kaiser Wilhelm II, as the British claim a 'misunderstanding' must have occurred to make Berlin believe Britain and France could remain neutral. The rollercoaster o...

17 Maalis 202542min

#50: 1 August 1914 II - 'There Must Be Some Misunderstanding'

#50: 1 August 1914 II - 'There Must Be Some Misunderstanding'

In the final hours of peace, the German government was led to believe that a miracle had occurred. Incredibly, Britain had affirmed its intention not only to remain neutral, but to guarantee the neutr...

10 Maalis 202552min

Trump Betrays Ukraine - What is America Doing?

Trump Betrays Ukraine - What is America Doing?

After that disgraceful display in the White House, I couldn't stay silent any longer. Three years on from when I first offered my thoughts on the situation, in this very personal and raw episode, I co...

9 Maalis 20251h 55min

#49: 1 August 1914 I - Rolling The Iron Dice

#49: 1 August 1914 I - Rolling The Iron Dice

We're in the endgame now, but somehow, not everyone got the message.There was plenty of waiting to be done. Berlin was waiting on Russia's reply to its ultimatum, and France was also expected to reply...

3 Maalis 202539min

#48: 31 July 1914 V - Britain On Defence

#48: 31 July 1914 V - Britain On Defence

In our final JULY episode of the July Crisis, we return to Britain, where the pressure was building to make a decision. Russian mobilisation was clearly in the air, and if the news was true, German mo...

24 Helmi 202544min

#47: 31 July 1914 IV - 'A Finger's Breadth From War'

#47: 31 July 1914 IV - 'A Finger's Breadth From War'

Now that Berlin had accepted that war with Russia was inevitable, it remained to prepare the diplomatic ground.German diplomacy had worked behind the scenes to court Romania and the Ottoman Empire, bu...

17 Helmi 202534min

#46: 31 July 1914 III - 'We'd Like Those Chaps To Be In It Too'

#46: 31 July 1914 III - 'We'd Like Those Chaps To Be In It Too'

As the news of Russian mobilisation and Germany's Kriegsgefahr spread across Europe, urgent telegrams followed.Whether in London, Berlin, or Paris, the picture was becoming clearer, but that did not m...

10 Helmi 202540min

#45: 31 July 1914 II - From Russia with Lies

#45: 31 July 1914 II - From Russia with Lies

Russian general mobilisation was underway, and with red imperial posters announcing this grave new step, it could hardly be kept a secret. Yet, somehow, Germany seemed the only power truly in the loop...

3 Helmi 202539min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
rss-ikiuni
mystista
tsunami
konginkangas
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rouva-diktaattori
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
apinan-vuosi
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-peter-peter
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
tiedetta-ja-sirkushuveja-vanhojen-aikojen-podcast
matakuu