#60: 3 August 1914 IV - Who Turned Out The Lights?
When Diplomacy Fails Podcast19 Mai 2025

#60: 3 August 1914 IV - Who Turned Out The Lights?

In the evening of 3 August, Germany finally declared war on France. The war, Berlin insisted, was caused by hostile French acts, but most knew better. The Italians certainly did. In a series of painful communications between Berlin, Vienna, and Rome, Italian neutrality was crystallised. Austria could not give her the concessions she required, and the Italian people would fly to revolt rather than fight for the hated Habsburgs. But the Austrians had at least begun to reckon with the consequences of their actions - they accepted the German argument, that the war with Serbia would have to take a back seat to the showdown with Russia.


But the news was not all bad. The Ottoman Empire was moments away from finalising its commitment to the Central Powers, and Bulgaria was also amenable to the idea. Through this unlikely coalition, Germany prepared to take on the rest of the world. In London the signs were clear - Germany was planning something at Constantinople, and there was no time to lose. And yet, everyone had already lost. The failure of diplomacy is surely etched into our minds by now, but it does no harm to stress that what happened in the July Crisis was something much more, and much worse, than this.


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Episoder(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 Mar 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 Mar 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...

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#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 Mar 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 Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 202539min

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