Today, Germany sends Russia an ultimatum threatening to begin its own mobilization in twelve hours unless Russia stands down against Austria-Hungary’s punitive march on Serbia. There will be no response.
In France, General Joffre formally requests the President of France to order general mobilization, warning that each day of delay will result in giving up fifteen to twenty-five kilometers of French soil to the oncoming Germans.
The interlocking alliances that have maintained the balance of power in Europe are now propelling the continent towards destruction. The cold logistical realities of mobilization, and the tremendous momentum of armies on the move, now replace all thoughts of peace. Plans formulated in secret are now unsealed, and apocalypse has become inevitable.
In Vienna one hundred years ago today, Austria-Hungary declares war on the recalcitrant Kingdom of Serbia. Exactly one month has passed since the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but events are only just now spinning out of control. No longer restraining…
In 1867, the Empire of Austria and the Apostolic Union of Hungary became coequal partners in a new confederated constitutional union. The Hapsburgs may have nominally ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but most governmental functions were divided between the two monarchies, with the other territories acting autonomously in the…
After a full day of badgering from his Foreign Minister, War Minister, and Chief of Staff at his Summer palace on the Baltic Sea, the Emperor of Russia commits to full mobilization. Tonight, posters announcing the order will go up all over Russia; reservists…
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