#64: 4 August 1914 IV - The Final Countdown

When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Zack Twamley

19th Century, 20th Century, International Relations, Politics, Thirty Years' War, Korean War, 18th Century, First World War, Phd, 17th Century, European History, History, War

4.8 • 773 Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With only hours left until the ultimatum expired, the mood in London and Berlin was anxious and excited. Was this truly it? Was the Anglo-German relationship now destined to die in a war over Belgium? Some could not bring themselves to believe it, but in London, the Cabinet was at least agreed. Once the clock struck 11PM, a war which had been impossible to imagine scarcely a few weeks ago was now the only possible policy. By now it was too late to stop the war, but who would declare it? Would Germany pre-empt Britain's ultimatum, and rip the bandage off herself? As the cheers rang out around Buckingham Palace, all that truly mattered was that, for the first time since perhaps 1815, the world was at war, and nothing would ever be the same again.

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Transcript

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0:38.9	In summer 1914, the world
0:41.4	went to war. Now
0:43.0	110 years later, we go back
0:46.2	to those figures, to those debates,
0:48.9	to those questions, in the greatest
0:51.2	failure in the history of diplomacy.
0:54.4	I am Dr. Zach Twomley.
0:56.8	You're listening to When Diplomacy Fails,
0:59.2	and this is the July crisis.
1:01.8	Thank you. The It is a terrible catastrophe, but it is not our fault.
1:39.2	King George V reflects on the decision for war, 4th of August 1914.
1:48.4	There was no time to lose.
1:50.4	The German government could safely bet that Britain was about to enter the fray alongside the Entente,
1:56.0	and in this feverish atmosphere, diplomacy was a critical instrument for preparing the ground.
	...

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