Pre-War Communications

Introduction

Generally, historians have come to a consensus in terms of the immediate causes of World War I. The two incidents most often mentioned are the Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the July Crisis. Post-WWI, using first-hand accounts, letters and articles, individuals have been able to piece together events between July 1914 and November 1918; however, at the time of the conflict’s start, a number of reasons were suggested to justify the intensification. This article will examine the perspective of 1914’s European leaders in regards to the triggers of World War I. The acts of war were ultimately signed by these individuals – their thought process leading up to the agreements are an essential element to analyze decisions made.

Tough Times

Context, context, context…this term is relevant to the evidence in the following section due to the tone of the individuals involved. Two important points of reference – 1) The “Big Five” in Europe in 1914 constituted of France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany and the United Kingdom. 2) Aside from France, these powers were all a form of monarchy (constitutional or autocratic), and the royalty of each nation was related by intertwining marriages/relationships.

A key form of examining the thought process of European leaders prior to WWI is through communication. Telegrams and letters shall be used as indications of pre-war sentiments.

Between the Big Five, there were two primary opinions to consider when deducing the ultimate cause of World War I. Austria-Hungary supported a theory that the Serbian government plotted the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie; Germany backed its ally, AH, in the event of an attack on Serbia. Meanwhile, the Serbian administration fervently denied any involvement in the assassination; Russia, the third power involved promised to uphold its alliance with Serbia if Germany and AH decided to act militarily.

The Russian government’s open letter to Serbia on July 11, 1914 (13 days after the assassination) demonstrates the conditions of the Russo-Serbian alliance and the ultimatum set by Austria-Hungary against Serbia. “[We advise that you] approve the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to get in touch with the Cabinets of the Great Powers in order to induce the Austro-Hungarian Government to grant a postponement in the matter of the answer to the ultimatum demands presented by the Austro-Hungarian Government. (Golemykin)” This statement made by Russian officials is a reflection of the urgency of the matter. Serbia had 48 hours to respond to the 23 demands set forth by A-H – this was seen as a short amount of time to inspect the document. Otherwise, an act of war would be signed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, bringing Serbia, Germany and Russia into action. 

The back-and-forth between cousins Tsar Nicholas and Kaiser Wilhelm were a signal of Germany and Russia’s stances.
“Willy” justifies the Austro-Hungarian mobilizations by stating “The unscrupulous agitation that has been going on in Serbia for years has resulted in the outrageous crime, to which Archduke Francis Ferdinand fell a victim(..)all the persons morally responsible for the dastardly murder should receive their deserved punishment (Wilhelm II)

According to “Nicky”, “The military measures which have now come into force were decided five days ago(…) I hope from all my heart that these measures won’t in any way interfere with your part as mediator which I greatly value. (Nicholas II)” The Tsar’s perspective refers to A-H advances towards the Russian border. This letter also confirms Nicholas’ wish for continued peace between Germany and Russia, which would be threatened if war ensued.  

Image result for tsar nicholas kaiser wilhelm 

The two cousins, Kaiser “Willy” of Germany and Tsar “Nicky” of Russia.

Image courtesy of BBC

Wilhelm’s penned response addresses Germany’s alliance with Austria-Hungary and its promises to Franz Joseph. “Austria has only mobilized against Serbia & only a part of her army. If (..) Russia mobilizes against Austria, my role as mediator (..) will be endangered if not ruined. (Wilhelm II)”  The German emperor deflects the pressure onto Russia by claiming that Austria-Hungary only wishes to attack parts of Serbia and not Russia as the Tsar indicated. As a result, Wilhelm declares that any Russian offense against A-H will be treated as an infraction. 

The United Kingdom and France, allied through the Entente Cordiale did not voice an opinion concerning the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in their communications. Nonetheless, the UK’s representatives were wary of any mobilization, citing peace and financial security as a justification.

A message sent from UK Foreign Secretary Edward Gray provides insight towards British attitudes and intentions during the July Crisis in a letter to British Ambassador to France, Francis Bertile. “I said that we had come to the conclusion, in the Cabinet today, that we could not give any pledge at the present time. The commercial and financial situation was exceedingly serious (Gray)” Based on this sentence, the government of the United Kingdom would prefer to avoid involvement due to the economic repercussions of participating in a war. “Up to the present moment, we did not feel, and public opinion did not feel, that any treaties or obligations of this country were involved. Further developments might alter this situation and cause the Government and Parliament to take the view that intervention was justified. (Gray) Such a statement from the Foreign Secretary would suggest that up until July 31st, 1914, the British administration had no motive to enter the continental debate. However, if any further arguments or events were to arise, this stance would change. 

The examples presented in these preceding instances are essential first-person sources to enlighten historians and individuals alike about pre-WWI tensions. By analyzing the communications between Europe’s powers in the month before the first battle, one is able to verify the credibility of leaders’ policies.

 

Sources

Goremykin. “Russian Memorandum of Advice to Serbia.” Received by Kingdom of Serbia, 24 July 1914.

Wilhelm II. “Kaiser to Tsar.” Received by Tsar Nicholas II, Germany, 30 July 1914, Berlin

Nicholas II. “Tsar to Kaiser.” Received by Wilhelm II, Russian Empire, 31 July 1914, St. Petersburg.

Grey, Edward. “ British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey to British Ambassador to France, Sir Francis Bertie. .” Received by Francis Bertile, 31 July 1914.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Pre-War Communications

  1. I like how you referenced the family connections between the emperors because it made things more clear. That explanation showed why the letters sounded friendly. One thing you could work on is describing the Serbian ultimatum more because you only made a brief mention of it.

  2. Very good detail and perspective showing Austria-Hungary’s thoughts and frustrations. I Think you added some great details but there were some aspects that could have been put in less words/ maybe a little bit less confusing. For example when you are discussing the assassination of Archduke Franz you have a bunch of sentences that all point to the statement that he was assassinated. Other than some of these details you did a good job explaining clearly what was going on between Russia and Serbia and Austria Hungary. The last comment I have is that you could have gone slightly more into detail about how The rest of Europe was very shocked at the ultimatum. (Also going into more detail about the ultimatum,) Great use of photography!

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