#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.

Avsnitt(744)

Poland Is Not Yet Lost: Introduction 2

Poland Is Not Yet Lost: Introduction 2

Where did the inspiration to tackle this project come from, what sources have we devoured, and what can you expect from this series? These questions and so many more besides will be addressed here, so...

16 Sep 201933min

Poland Is Not Yet Lost: Introduction 1

Poland Is Not Yet Lost: Introduction 1

FINALLY! After several years, countless teases, numerous changed plans, and no shortage of research, one of the most anticipated series we have ever tackled lands at long last. Poland Is Not Yet Lost ...

16 Sep 201930min

30YearsWar: 17th Century Warfare Episode 8

30YearsWar: 17th Century Warfare Episode 8

After covering the adoption of a revolutionary new musket drill by Maurice of Nassau in the late 1590s, in this episode we come to the point where all of these innovations would be put to the test, so...

9 Sep 201949min

30YearsWar: NEW Introduction

30YearsWar: NEW Introduction

We're back! At long last, after a lot of confusing scheduling and weird decisions, WDF is finally ready to introduce to you what we have planned for the next few years. It is an investigation of the T...

9 Sep 201940min

WDF Collab: Diplomacy Games

WDF Collab: Diplomacy Games

What a lovely surprise! I sat down with Kaner [Ken] and Amby [Gavin], two Ozzies with a love of the game Diplomacy, which I have name dropped many times on this show. The three of us chat about a whol...

17 Aug 20191h 5min

Versailles: Retrospective

Versailles: Retrospective

The Versailles Anniversary Project consumed 8 months of my life, and 8 months of your attention. It was the largest, most ambitious, and most exhausting project we have ever taken on. What did this 't...

10 Juli 201930min

Versailles: Conclusion

Versailles: Conclusion

After 8 months and 85 episodes, what is left to say? As it turns out, quite a lot, so I hope you'll join me as we wrap up the longest project we've ever tackled here at WDF. The questions of German re...

8 Juli 20191h 8min

Delegation Game: The End

Delegation Game: The End

In this episode, we conclude our story f the delegates who partook in this romp through alternative history and imagination land over the last six months. You are all a credit to history podcast liste...

8 Juli 20191h 37min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
p3-historia
kod-katastrof
historiska-brott
olosta-mord
motiv
rss-historiska-brottslingar
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-massmordarpodden
mannen-utan-spar
militarhistoriepodden
krigshistoriepodden
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-brottsligt
bedragare
obskyr-historia