The Ultimatums that Led to War

Austria-Hungary was the first nation to issue a diplomatic ultimatum to Serbia. An ultimatum represents a demand, whose rejection will bring about a strong action. In the case of Serbia, the rejection brought about a declaration of war upon her. The ultimatum triggered a number of events that could not be stopped.

Austria-Hungary Mobilizes

The term mobilization means the process that an army uses to get ready for war. In general, reserves are called up, equipment and ammunition are drawn from stores, and last minute training is conducted. Austria-Hungary was quick to realize that she did not need her entire army to crush the small state of Serbia. Furthermore, she understood that if the entire army was mobilized, other countries would become very upset. Thus, the decision was made to mobilize only a small part of her army for war with Serbia.

The Russian Response

The partial mobilization of the Austrian-Hungarian Army put Russia in an awkward position. Russians believed that they were the protectors of Slavic people in the Balkans. Most of the people in Serbia were Slavic in ethnic descent. In this self-appointed position of protector, Russia could not allow herself to look weak. So, in a show of support for Serbia, the Russian ambassador to Serbia suggested that the Czar (king of Russia), also partially mobilize.

Czar Nicholas II took the recommendation of the ambassador, and consulted with the General Staff of his army. The Czar instructed the army to partially mobilize as a show of force to Austria-Hungary. Unfortunately, the army informed the Czar that they could not partially mobilize; they could only mobilize the entire army or nothing. Unable to back down, the Czar signed the orders to fully mobilize on 30 July 1914.

The German Ultimatum

The Russian mobilization was quickly reported to the German Kaiser, who stated that there exists " a state of danger of war." At midnight, 31 July, the Kaiser sent an ultimatum to the Russians demanding that they stop all mobilization activities or face war. William II believed that he must support Austria-Hungary and did not want his army to be at a disadvantage if the Russians were mobilizing. The Russian response to his ultimatum was a refusal. The Kaiser then declared war upon Russia on 1 August 1914.

William II also took the step of contacting the French government to ask what they planned to do during this dangerous situation. The Kaiser wanted to know what France planned to do for two key reasons. One, France was Russia's ally. Two, the German army had not developed war plans to fight Russia first. All German planning was based upon the idea of Von Schlieffen's to destroy France first, and then fight Russia. The new situation did not involve France, so the Kaiser was forced to push France for an answer.

The Kaiser needed to know what were the intentions of the French. If they were not going to aid Russia, William II was also going to request that part of the German army be directed against France as an insurance policy. That way, France could not stab Germany in the back while fighting Russia. France responded by saying that she would do what was best for France, which in effect was to support her allies. France began to mobilize.

The German response was to move ahead with Von Schlieffen's plan. On 2 August, the German army began pushing into Luxembourg. An ultimatum was sent to Belgium. The ultimatum demanded free passage of the German army through Belgium, or else she would be at war with Germany. The Belgians were given twelve hours to decide. In addition, on 3 August, Germany formally declared war upon France.

Belgium had signed a major treaty with several nations stating that they would protect her. Germany, France and England had all signed the treaty. When the twelve hours were up, Belgium refused Germany's demand and called upon nations like England, France and Russia to assist her.

England Enters the Game

Most people in England were not interested in events developing in the Balkans, or the rest of Europe for that matter. It took the German threat to Belgium to cause a massive outcry to become involved. The British government quickly sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding it respect Belgium's independence. There was to be no answer from the Germans. Therefore, on 4 August 1914, England declared war upon Germany. When England declared war, she also brought the full weight of the British Empire to bear upon the situation. Countries like Canada, South Africa, Australia and India were all to play an important role in the allied war effort.

Italy and the Triple Alliance

Italy stayed true to its promise to France. The Italian government told the German government that they did not have to adhere to the Triple Alliance because Germany had started an offensive war. The conditions of the Triple Alliance stated that Italy had to fight if two or more countries attacked Germany or Austria-Hungary. In this case, Germany declared war on Russia and France not the other way around. Therefore, Italy did not have to go to war and declared herself neutral.