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The First World War, 1914-1 8 I. The Outbreak and the Stalemate of 1914 A. The Outbreak of War. The Great War, as the generation between 1914 and 1939 would call it, was precipitated by the assassination of the Archduke Francis-Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28,1914, while he was making a state visit to Sarajevo in Bosnia. After arrest of the assassin and investigation of the crime, the AustroHungarian government placed responsibility on Serbia, and succeeded in getting German support for a punitive policy against the Balkan state. In lateJuly, Vienna issued an ultimatum to Belgrade, which, had all its points been agreed to by the Serb government, would have jeopardized Serbia’s independence and sovereignty.When Belgrade refused to comply with all the Austro-Hungarian terms, Austria-Hungary declared a state of war with Serbia on July 28. Tsar Nicholas 11’sgovernment viewed Austria-Hungary’sactions toward Serbia as unwarranted, and resented Germany’s support of AustriaHungary ’s actions. On July 30, the Tsar ordered general mobilization of the Russian army against Austria-Hungary and Germany. Berlin demanded that Russia cease mobilization on pain of war, and inquired of Paris where France stood in the quarrel. The French government replied ambiguously that it would consult its own interests, but ordered general mobilization of the French army on the afternoon of August I as a precautionary measure. Within the hour of the French order, Kaiser William I1 ordered German mobilization against both Russia and France. By the night of August I, a state of war effectivelyexisted between Germany and Austria-Hungary on the one hand and Russia and France on the other. At the outbreak of war, General Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, Chief of the German General Staff, ordered the implementation of his revised version of the pre-war Schlieffen Plan. On August 2, German 4 The First World War, 1914-18 I. The Outbreak and the Stalemate of 1914 A. The Outbreak of War. The Great War, as the generation between 1914 and 1939 would call it, was precipitated by the assassination of the Archduke Francis-Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914, while he was making a state visit to Sarajevo in Bosnia. After arrest of the assassin and investigation of the crime, the AustroHungarian government placed responsibility on Serbia, and succeeded in getting German support for a punitive policy against the Balkan state. In late July, Vienna issued an ultimatum to Belgrade, which, had all its points been agreed to by the Serb government, would have jeopardized Serbia's independence and sovereignty. When Belgrade refused to comply with all the Austro-Hungarian terms, Austria-Hungary declared a state of war with Serbia on July 28. Tsar Nicholas II's government viewed Austria-Hungary's actions toward Serbia as unwarranted, and resented Germany's support of AustriaHungary 's actions. On July 30, the Tsar ordered general mobilization of the Russian army against Austria-Hungary and Germany. Berlin demanded that Russia cease mobilization on pain of war, and inquired of Paris where France stood in the quarrel. The French government replied ambiguously that it would consult its own interests, but ordered general mobilization of the French army on the afternoon of August 1 as a precautionary measure. Within the hour of the French order, Kaiser William II ordered German mobilization against both Russia and France. By the night of August I, a state of war effectively existed between Germany and Austria-Hungary on the one hand and Russia and France on the other. At the outbreak of war, General Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, Chief of the German General Staff, ordered the implementation of his revised version of the pre-war Schlieffen Plan. On August 2, German ‘35 The First World War, 1914-18 troops occupied Luxembourg, and on August 3 special German units at the frontier launched attacks on the Belgian forts around Liege, gateway to the Belgian plains. Germany’s violation of Belgium’s neutrality provoked a strong protest from the British government, which, under the Treaty of 1839,was a guarantor of Belgian neutrality and independence. London warned Berlin that Britain could not fail to take action if the Germans persisted with their invasion of Belgium. Berlin rejected the British demand for withdrawal of German troops, pleading the excuse of “military necessity” and expressing the hope that Britain would not go to war over a “scrap of paper.” The tactless German reply did much...

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