When Diplomacy Fails

The July Crisis Anniversary Project

A day-by-day account of the events that occurred 100 years ago.

The Last Day of Peace.

Today is the 31st of July 2014, and on this day in history 100 years ago

occurred the following events. At 7pm in the evening of the 30th of July 1914, commanders in

Russia's border areas with Austria received telegrams to begin their mobilization.

An hour later, they replied back that the mobilization process was underway.

Russia was mobilizing its frontier regions to prepare for an attack against Austria and Germany.

They were doing this after Russian statesmen had finally persuaded the Tsar

that mobilization

was needed against the central powers, despite the fact that this would cause a chain reaction

of mobilizations in Germany and France, and thus make war inevitable.

France had in fact already begun its own measures on the night of the 30th of July.

A false report that Germany was moving

covering forces to the frontier was enough to persuade the chief of Staff Joffrey that France had to

begin its own procedures. And three and a half hours after Russian mobilization, at 7.30pm Russian

time, the order came through to begin the covering of the border with Germany.

Rene Viviani, in a letter to the ambassador in London, outlined why the French were preparing for a war, but not willing to yet attack. In doing so, we have no other reason than to

prove the British public opinion and the British government that France, like Russia, will not fire the first shot.

The First World War, it seemed, was only days away from beginning, but the lesser-known

battle for British neutrality or belligerents, waged by the central powers and on

...