#59: 3 August 1914 III - House on Fire
When Diplomacy Fails Podcast12 Touko 2025

#59: 3 August 1914 III - House on Fire

Finally, Sir Edward Grey was ready to make his case to the House of Commons. Parliament had been starved of news for a week, and the press had done their best to fill in the gaps, but the whole country was desperate for an update. What would the government do if the rumours were true, and Germany had invaded France? Was neutrality on the table? And what of Belgium, who was protected by a treaty? How would Grey rally the House to his side, and did it even matter if he could not, since the Cabinet had already been convinced of the need to act thanks to various pressures?


Grey was tasked with answering many of these questions, but there were many that he did not answer, and a surprising amount that he did not say. In this episode we give Grey's speech in the Commons - and the subsequent reactions - their proper attention. In a day suffused with monumental, watershed moments, not limited to Germany's declaration of war on France, Grey's speech represented the public culmination of a struggle which had gone on in private for several weeks. His seventy minute speech set the tone for what was to come, and effectively spelled out that Britain was bound to transform this European war into a world war.


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#24: 1912-1914 - Anglo-German Relations III

#24: 1912-1914 - Anglo-German Relations III

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#23: 1911-1912 - Anglo-German Relations II

#23: 1911-1912 - Anglo-German Relations II

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#22: 1905-1911 - Anglo-German Relations I

#22: 1905-1911 - Anglo-German Relations I

Everyone knows the story of Britain and Germany before 1914. Or at least, they think they do.Anglo-German relations following the Russo-Japanese War seemed bound to enter a period of hostility, enable...

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#21: 23 July 1914 - The First Ultimatum

#21: 23 July 1914 - The First Ultimatum

Austria-Hungary finally delivered its ultimatum to Serbia nearly four weeks after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The journey had been incredibly slow, and the outcome was nothing like the fait ...

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#20: 20-22 July 1914 - France In Russia

#20: 20-22 July 1914 - France In Russia

On 20 July, the French President, Premier, and other statesmen docked at Kronstadt, aboard the fittingly named France.It began a tremendous spectacle of Franco-Russian cooperation, just as rumours wer...

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#19: 19-22 July 1914 - Finalising Fatalism

#19: 19-22 July 1914 - Finalising Fatalism

As the French sailed for St Petersburg, the Austro-Hungarian government gathered in Vienna for a meeting of historic importance. It was here on 19 July 1914 that the infamous ultimatum to Serbia was f...

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#18: 16-20 July 1914 - France at Sea

#18: 16-20 July 1914 - France at Sea

As the French President and Premier made their way to Russia, on board the France, they tried their best to keep up to date with what was happening outsides the confines of their vessel. Troubling rum...

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#17: 15-18 July 1914 - Secrecy and Haste

#17: 15-18 July 1914 - Secrecy and Haste

With the Austro-Hungarian government on the same page at long last, it remained to follow through with the ultimatum. To Berchtold, this meant moving as quickly and as secretly as possible, so that on...

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