#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)

WDF Xtra Teaser: July 2017

WDF Xtra Teaser: July 2017

For the month of July the Xtra feed is lit up with five installments of Louis XIV's Arms & Armies, a very exciting and fascinating 10 part series (with the tenth part released in September) looking at...

23 Heinä 201722min

WDF Rem*: Epilogue

WDF Rem*: Epilogue

Sick of me yet? Honestly history friends, I wouldn't blame you by this stage! Listen in here for my rundown on how I feel this whole crazy project went. Five Weeks To Run Wild - was it all worth it, w...

25 Kesä 201738min

WDF Rem* 19: Benjamin Ashwell Collab

WDF Rem* 19: Benjamin Ashwell Collab

To wrap up our coverage of the First Italo Ethiopian War and to serve as our final word on the Remastered project (sniff sniff) we have none other than Mr Italy himself, Benjamin Ashwell. Benjamin's a...

24 Kesä 201759min

WDF Rem* 19: The First Italo-Ethiopian War II

WDF Rem* 19: The First Italo-Ethiopian War II

As the war is provoked between Italy and Ethiopia, Francesco Crispi attempts to bring about a victory overseas which would bolster Italian unity at home and Italian prestige in the world concert of po...

24 Kesä 201727min

WDF Rem* 19: The First Italo-Ethiopian War I

WDF Rem* 19: The First Italo-Ethiopian War I

The cursed episode returns, as we do our best to improve upon the howlers we made first time around. A revamped episode is your reward, and here we examine the complexities of Italian unification, and...

24 Kesä 201731min

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 III

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 III

By bringing the war to an end, much of what Bismarck had striven to achieve in Europe fell to pieces. Yet, Bismarck's careful alliance system was far from the only casualty of the peace - the Ottoman ...

23 Kesä 201731min

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 II

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 II

As the revolts in their Balkan territories casts a shadow over the Ottoman Empire's ability to conduct itself on the world stage, the other powers weigh in on the debate. Disraeli attempted to ignore ...

23 Kesä 201731min

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 I

WDF Rem* 18: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 I

A conflict which should be eerily familiar to you guys, as we've sallied forth into its events and impact on Britain for our Britain Goes To War series. Why should you listen in here? Mainly because t...

22 Kesä 201731min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
konginkangas
tsunami
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rouva-diktaattori
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
maailmanpuu
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-peter-peter
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
historian-nurkkapoyta
hippokrateen-vastaanotolla