Read July 1914: Countdown to War Online
Authors: Sean McMeekin
Tags: #World War I, #Europe, #International Relations, #20th Century, #Modern, #General, #Political Science, #Military, #History
July 1914: Countdown to War (2 page)
Giesl von Gieslingen, Baron.
Austrian minister in Serbia, 1913–1914.
Hoyos, Alexander, Count.
Berchtold’s secretary and special envoy to Berlin, July 1914.
Krobatin, Alexander, General.
Common imperial war minister.
Mensdorff, Albert, Count.
Austria-Hungary’s ambassador to England, 1904–1914.
Potiorek, Oskar.
Austrian military governor of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Ritter von Storck, Wilhelm.
Austrian chargé d’affaires in Belgrade.
Stürgkh, Karl, Count.
Austrian minister-president.
Szapáry, Friedrich, Count.
Austria-Hungary’s ambassador to Russia, 1913–1914.
Szögyény, Ladislaus, Count.
Austria-Hungary’s ambassador to Germany, 1892–1914.
Tisza, Stefan, Count.
Minister-president of Hungary, 1903–1905, 1913–1917.
Belgium
Albert I.
King of Belgium, 1909–1934.
France
Barrère, Camille.
France’s ambassador to Italy, 1897–1924.
Bienvenu-Martin, Jean-Baptiste.
French Minister of Justice and acting director of foreign affairs at the Quai d’Orsay in July 1914.
Boppe, Jules August.
French minister to Belgrade, 1914.
Caillaux, Joseph.
French prime minister (1911–1912) and finance minister, 1899–1902, 1906–1909, 1913–1914.
Cambon, Jules.
France’s ambassador to Germany, 1907–1914.
Cambon, Paul.
France’s ambassador to Britain, 1898–1920.
Dumaine, Alfred.
France’s ambassador to Austria-Hungary, 1912–1914.
Joffre, Joseph.
Chief of staff of the French army, 1911–1916.
Laguiche, Pierre de, General.
French military attaché in St. Petersburg.
Messimy, Adolphe.
France’s minister of war, 1911–1912 and June–August 1914.
Paléologue, Maurice.
France’s ambassador to Russia, 1914–1917.
Poincaré, Raymond.
President of France, 1913–1920.
Robien, Louis de.
French embassy attaché in St. Petersburg.
Viviani, René.
France’s premier and foreign minister at various points in 1914 and 1915, including both offices in June–July 1914.
Germany
Below-Selaske, Klaus von.
German minister at Brussels, 1913–1914.
Bethmann Hollweg, Theobald von.
Chancellor of Imperial Germany, 1909–1917.
Bülow, Bernhard von, Prince.
Chancellor of Imperial Germany, 1900–1909.
Chelius, Oskar von, General.
German military attaché in St. Petersburg and aide-de-camp to Tsar Nicholas II, 1914.
Falkenhayn, Erich von.
Prussian minister of war, 1913–1915.
Griesinger, Julius Adolph, Baron.
Germany minister to Belgrade, 1911–1914.
Jagow, Gottlieb von.
State secretary of Imperial Germany, 1913–1916.
Lichnowsky, Prince Karl Max von.
Germany’s ambassador to Britain, 1912–1914.
Moltke “the Younger,” Helmuth von.
Chief of staff of the German army, 1906–1914.
Müller, Georg Alexander von, Admiral.
Chief of German naval cabinet, 1906–1918.
Plessen, Hans G. H. von
, General, adjutant to Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Pourtalès, Friedrich.
Germany’s ambassador to Russia, 1907–1914.
Riezler, Kurt.
Private secretary to Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg, 1909–1914.
Schlieffen, Alfred von, Count, Field Marshal.
Chief of German General Staff, 1891–1906.
Schoen, Wilhelm von, Baron.
Germany’s ambassador to France, 1910–1914.
Stumm, Wilhelm von.
Political director of the German Foreign Office, 1911–1916.
Tirpitz, Alfred von.
Secretary of state of the German Imperial Naval Office, 1897–1916.
Tschirschky, Heinrich von, Count.
German ambassador to Austria-Hungary, 1907–1914.
Wilhelm II.
Emperor (“Kaiser”) of Imperial Germany, 1888–1918.
Zimmermann, Arthur.
Undersecretary of state of Imperial Germany, 1911–1916.
Great Britain
Asquith, Herbert Henry.
Liberal British prime minister, 1908–1916.
Bertie, Sir Francis.
Britain’s ambassador to France, 1905–1918.
Buchanan, Sir George.
Britain’s ambassador to Russia, 1910–1918.
Churchill, Winston.
Britain’s first lord of the Admiralty, 1911–1915.
Crackanthorpe, Dayrell.
British chargé d’affaires in Belgrade, 1912–1915.
Crowe, Sir Eyre.
Senior clerk in the British Foreign Office.
De Bunsen, Sir Maurice.
Britain’s ambassador to Austria, 1913–1914.
George V.
King of England, 1910–1936.
Goschen, Sir W. Edward.
Britain’s ambassador to Germany, 1908–1914.
Grey, Sir Edward.
His Majesty’s foreign secretary, 1905–1916.
Morley, Lord John.
Lord President of the Council, 1910–1914.
Nicolson, Sir Arthur.
Permanent undersecretary in the British Foreign Office, 1910–1916.
Wilson, Sir Henry, General.
Director of military operations in British War Office, 1910–1914.
Russia
Artamonov, Viktor A., General.
Russian military attaché in Belgrade, 1912–1914.
Bark, Peter.
Russian minister of finance, 1914–1917.
Benckendorff, Alexander K., Count.
Russian ambassador to England, 1903–1917.
Dobrorolskii, Sergei, General.
Chief of Russian army’s mobilization section, 1914.
Goremykin, Ivan L.
Chairman of Russian Council of Ministers, 1914–1916.
Grigorevich, Ivan K., Admiral.
Russian naval minister, 1911–1916.
Hartwig, Nikolai.
Russia’s minister in Serbia, 1909–1914.
Izvolsky, Alexander.
Russia’s ambassador to France, 1910–1917.
Krivoshein, A. V.
Russian minister of agriculture, 1906–1915.
Nicholas II (Romanov).
Tsar of Russia, 1894–1917.
Nicholas Nikolaevich (Romanov).
Grand Duke and commander in chief of the Russian Imperial Army, 1914–1915.
Sazonov, Sergei.
Foreign minister of Russia, 1910–1916.
Schilling, Moritz F., Baron.
Head of Chancery (i.e., chief of staff) of the Russian Foreign Ministry, 1912–1914.
Shebeko, Nikolai.
Russia’s ambassador to Austria-Hungary, 1913–1914.
Stolypin, Peter.
Chairman of Russian Council of Ministers, 1906–1911.
Sukhomlinov, V. A.
Chief of Russian Army General Staff, 1908–1909, and Russian war minister, 1909–1915.
Yanushkevitch, N. N.
General, chief of Russian Army General Staff.
Serbia
Chabrinovitch, Nedjelko.
Bosnian Serb terrorist and co-conspirator of Gavrilo Princip, trained in Belgrade.
Ciganovitch, Milan.
Bosnian-born Serb; liaison between Black Hand leaders and Gavrilo Princip in Belgrade. Furnished arms to the terrorists plotting to assassinate Franz Ferdinand.
Dimitrijevitch, Dragutin (“Apis”), Colonel.
Head of Serbian Military Intelligence and the Black Hand.
Grabezh, Trifko.
Bosnian Serb terrorist and co-conspirator of Gavrilo Princip, trained in Belgrade.
Ilitch, Danilo.
Recruiter of local terrorists in Sarajevo, in order to camouflage Serbian involvement in the assassination plot in Belgrade.
Paĉu, Laza, Dr.
Serbian Minister of Finance, 1912–1915.
Pašić, Nikola.
Prime minister of Serbia, 1912–1918.
Princip, Gavrilo.
Bosnian Serb terrorist, trained in Belgrade.
Spalaiković, M.
Serbia’s ambassador to Russia, 1914.
Tankositch, Voja, Major.
Co-founder of Black Hand.
28 June 1914 | assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo |
5–6 July 1914 | Count Hoyos mission to Berlin leads to the “blank check” |
10 July 1914 | Berlin first learns of Austrian plans for a Serbian ultimatum |
14 July 1914 | Tisza converts to the Austrian “war party” |
18 July 1914 | Sazonov returns from vacation and learns of Austrian ultimatum plans |
19 July 1914 | the Ministerial Council in Vienna approves text of Serbian ultimatum |
20–23 July 1914 | the French presidential summit in St. Petersburg |
21 July 1914 | Sazonov threatens Berchtold: “There must be no talk of an ultimatum” |
23 July 1914 | France and Russia try to warn Vienna not to issue a Serbian ultimatum; Vienna issues its ultimatum to Serbia anyway |
24–25 July 1914 | Russia’s Council of Ministers decrees “partial mobilization”; Tsar Nicholas II ratifies this; France’s ambassador gives imprimatur |
26 July 1914 | Russia begins its “Period Preparatory to War” |
28 July 1914 | Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia |
29 July 1914 | Tsar Nicholas II orders general mobilization, then changes his mind |
30 July 1914 | Russian general mobilization is ordered |
31 July 1914 | Germany issues ultimatum to Russia to halt its mobilization |
1 August 1914 | first France and then Germany orders general mobilization; Germany declares war on Russia |
3 August 1914 | Grey gives speech to the Commons, making case for war if Germany violates Belgian neutrality; Germany declares war on France |
4 August 1914 | German troops enter Belgium; Britain issues ultimatum to Germany; it expires at eleven |
O
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UNDAY MORNING
, 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand awoke in the Hotel Bosnia with a sense of relief that he would soon depart. His suite, located in the spa town of Ilidža ten kilometers (about six miles) west of Sarajevo, had a certain garish charm, adorned with Persian carpets, Arabesque lamp figurines, and Turkish scimitars. But three days of Oriental-Muslim kitsch had been plenty for this proper Catholic archduke. After arriving Thursday afternoon, the heir to the Habsburg throne had attended two full days of Austrian military maneuvers. On Friday evening, Ferdinand had accompanied his wife, Sophie, on what was intended to be an informal shopping expedition in the bazaars of Sarajevo. The Muslim mayor, Fehim Effendi, had instructed his multifaith constituents to show these illustrious guests their best “Slavic hospitality,” and they did not disappoint, mobbing Ferdinand and Sophie everywhere they went. The archduke had then repaid this cumbersome hospitality by hosting the mayor, along with Bosnian officials and religious leaders (Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim), at his Ilidža hotel for a “sumptuous banquet” on Saturday night. The menu was mostly French, but, in a nod to the locals, the aperitifs included
žilavka
, a white wine from the Mostar region in Herzegovina.
“Thank God,” Ferdinand was heard to remark as his guests at last began returning to Sarajevo, “this Bosnian trip is over.” Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, who, as chief of the General Staff, had presided over the military exercises, slipped off quietly at nine
PM
, following the last toasts. Ferdinand would have liked to leave with Conrad, and nearly did—only to be warned by
advisers that breaking off the Sunday program would damage Austrian prestige in Bosnia. Still, it would all be over in several hours. All that remained on the Sunday program was a town hall photo op, a brief museum visit, and lunch at Konak, the governor’s mansion. After dressing and attending an early Mass “in a room specially converted to a chapel” in the hotel, Ferdinand dashed off a telegram to his children, telling them that “Papi” and “Mami” could not wait to see them on Tuesday.
1
Source: Bain News Service, Library of Congress.