July Crisis

Causes of July Crisis

There is one primary cause of the July Crisis: the assassination of the Archduke of Austria and the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1924. Franz Ferdinand, along with his wife Sophie, had decided to visit Sarajevo in June 1914 to observe the Austro-Hungarian imperial armed forces stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 28 June 1914, seven Bosnian Serb nationalists, employed by a secret Serbian military organisation called "The Black Hand", were tasked with the assassination of the Archduke. Out of the seven, the youngest member of the group, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip got lucky and shot the Archduke and his wife at point-blank range. The Archduke and his wife were sitting in a car, but their driver had taken a wrong turn, and they ended up in front of Gavrilo Princip by coincidence.

Fig. 1 - The mugshot of Gavrilo Princip

Princip and his accomplices were all arrested. He was of the lucky few who weren't hanged. His age restricted the Austro-Hungarians from sentencing him to hang. Instead, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, where he would die of tuberculosis after only four years.

The assassination of the Archduke and his wife were blamed on Serbia. This, in turn, began a month in which diplomatic relations between numerous states failed, ultimately leading to the outbreak of The Great War.

July Crisis 1914

The July Crisis was a period of extreme diplomatic tension in Europe. It followed the assassination of the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, on 28 June 1914. Needless to say that Europe was shocked. Let's look at a summary of the July Crisis.

July Crisis Summary

Seeking to fully subjugate the Balkans, Austria-Hungary needed both a reason and justification to wage war against Serbia. After the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated by Serbian nationalists in Bosnia, they had a reason to declare war on Serbia.

However, Austria-Hungary was too weak both financially and militarily. It could not wage war alone. Germany's "Blank Cheque" on 5 July 1914 came to Austria-Hungary as a guarantee of protection from any and all threats. Any form of aggression towards Austria-Hungary would be seen as aggression against Germany.

Fig. 2 - The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo

The Blank Cheque gave Austria-Hungary confidence. Thus, Serbia received an ultimatum from the Austro-Hungarians and was given only 48 hours to respond.

Serbia initially sought Russian aid, but the Russians, not yet involved in the conflict, initially turned a blind eye. This was chiefly done in order not to drag Russia into a conflict. The Austro-Hungarian demands proved too humiliating for Serbia to uphold. For Serbia, the ultimatum practically threatened Serbian independence.

Austria-Hungary knew this quite well. Invading Serbia directly, without diplomatic intervention, would make Serbia look like the victim of war, and as such Austria-Hungary as the clear aggressor. This is why Austria-Hungary's ultimatum was written so that Serbia would never accept it.

The Blank Cheque required Germany to prepare for possible aggression, but Germany itself had imperial goals. It yearned to establish itself as the hegemon in Europe and fuelling conflict could provide opportunities for the expansion of German influence.

Initially, Britain sought to intervene and put an end to the July Crisis, but both Austria-Hungary and Germany were preparing for war. Britain's offer was never heard. Serbia anxiously responded to all but one of the Austro-Hungarian demands.

Even with Serbian acquiescence, on 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Wanting control in the Balkans for itself, by Tsar Nicholas II's orders, Russia decided to finally stand up for its smaller informal ally Serbia and began mobilising its military.

Fig. 3 - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

Only two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium, prompting France and the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany. Soon Austria-Hungary too declared war on Russia. And so, the chain reaction was complete. The stage was set for the dawn of the First World War.

July Crisis Consequences

Much like the cause of the July Crisis, the consequence was simply put, just one. The start to the bloodiest and largest conflict not only Europe but the world had seen, the First World War.

Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II's "Blank Cheque" to Austria-Hungary directly hinted at the expansion of the terms of the Dual Alliance, in that Germany would not only aid Austria-Hungary in case of Russian aggression but Germany would virtually stand with and stand up for any of Austria-Hungary's political decisions.

As historian Hew Strachan posits, Germany believed that an alliance with Austria-Hungary would eventually aid in securing its place as the leading power in Europe. This belief was also supported by nationalistic public sentiment in Germany. Germany did not want war, but it would seem that it was necessary for Germany to become the power it sought to become.¹

Fig. 4 - Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany

This was the encouragement that Austria-Hungary needed. By declaring war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, exactly a month after the assassination of the Archduke, Russia began mobilising its troops. What did mobilisation of troops mean if not war? This was reason enough for Germany to, in turn, declare war on Russia.

Soon Germany activated the Schlieffen Plan and invaded neutral Belgium to gain a foothold away from its border, and so the chain reaction of the July Crisis evolved into the First World War.