July 1914 : Soldiers, Statesmen, and the Coming of the Great War - A Brief Documentary History

by Williamson, Samuel R., Jr.; Van Wyk, Russel

• ISBN13: 9780312120108
• ISBN10: 0312120109
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-06
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Historians have long sought to explain how the world descended into war in the wake of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914. Focusing on the interactions between two key leaders--one civilian and one military--in each of the Great Powers and Serbia, this documentary history explores how individuals, not monolithic governments and impersonal forces, contributed to the rapidly escalating crisis leading to World War I. A brief introduction outlines the background for July 1914, followed by seven chapters on events in each of the major nations involved, interwoven with over 70 documents--including memoirs, diaries, telegrams, press reports, and private letters--to illustrate how the crisis developed. An epilogue addresses the relative roles and influence of civilian and military leaders in leading the nations inexorably along the path to war. The volume also contains 14 images and two maps, a chronology, a glossary of key figures, Selected Bibliography, Questions for Consideration, and an index.

Author Biography

SAMUEL R. WILLIAMSON, JR. is Professor of History and Vice-Chancellor and President Emeritus of the University of the South. His most recent books include Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the First World War (1991) and with Steven L. Rearden, The Origins of U.S. Nuclear Policy, 1945-1953 (1993). He writes frequently about the causes of the First World War, while offering courses on intelligence and foreign policy in the 20th century. He is currently working on a two-volume study of Austria-Hungary before the Great War. Williamson has held administrative and teaching positions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as the University of the South.

RUSSEL VAN WYK teaches at Cary Academy, a college preparatory school, and is an adjunct faculty member in the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as the U.S. editor for the War and Society Newsletter published by the Military History Research Office in Germany and has written on German-American relations during and after World War I as well as intelligence operations during the Great War. He is currently editing Russian and German documents related to Kurt Jahnke, a German intelligence agent active in the United States and Western Europe.

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
Preface	vii
List of Maps and Illustrations	xix
Introduction: Civil-Military Relations and July 1914	1	(8)
July 1914: The Crisis	9	(6)
Pasic, Apis, and the Battle for Serbia	15	(28)
The Emergence of the Conspirator	18	(5)
The Conspirators' Oath, 1902	18	(2)
Description of Apis, 1923	20	(1)
Stanoje Stanojevic
Assessment of Apis, 1937	20	(1)
Milan Zivanovic
The Oath of the Black Hand, 1911	21	(2)
Apis's Implacable Enemy: Nikola Pasic	23	(2)
The Plot to Assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand	25	(6)
On Belgrade's Knowledge of the Conspiracy, 1924	26	(1)
Ljuba Jovanovic
Letter to Nikola Pasic, June 15, 1914	27	(1)
Stojan Protic
Apis, Reply to the Army Commander, June 21, 1914	28	(2)
Report to Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf, June 21, 1914	30	(1)
Otto Gellinek
Pasic after the Assassination: The Confrontation with Vienna	31	(6)
Serbian Press Comment, The Pijemont, July 1, 1914	32	(2)
Telegram to All Serbian Missions Abroad Except Vienna, July 18--19, 1914	34	(2)
Nikola Pasic
The Habsburg Ultimatum to Serbia, July 23, 1914	36	(1)
Serbia after the Ultimatum	37	(6)
Telegrams to Belgrade, July 24--25, 1914	37	(2)
Miroslav Spalajkovic
The Serbian Response to Vienna's Ultimatum, July 25, 1914	39	(4)
Berchtold and Conrad Push Austria--Hungary to War	43	(30)
The Complex Habsburg Inheritance	43	(3)
Conrad and Berchtold before Sarajevo: The Struggle for Control	46	(9)
Letter to Gina von Reininghaus, December 26, 1908	49	(3)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
Letter to Leopold Berchtold, December 23, 1912	52	(1)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
Extract of Ministerial Meeting, October 13, 1913	53	(2)
Vienna Resolves to Act	55	(13)
Letter to Gina von Reininghaus, June 28, 1914	56	(1)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
Notes on His Meeting with Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf, June 29, 1914	57	(1)
Leopold Berchtold
Notes on His Meeting with Leopold Berchtold, June 29, 1914	58	(1)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
Notes on His Audience with Emperor Franz Joseph, July 5, 1914	59	(4)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
Minutes of the Common Ministerial Council, July 7, 1914	63	(3)
Minutes of the Common Ministerial Council, July 19, 1914	66	(2)
The Last Steps to War	68	(5)
Bethmann, Moltke, and German Support for Vienna	73	(37)
Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Germany's Weltpolitik	74	(4)
Constitution of the German Reich, Articles 60 and 63, 1871	75	(2)
Comments on Weltpolitik, 1900	77	(1)
Wilhelm II
Military Influence in Pre-1914 Germany	78	(4)
Politics, 1897--1898	79	(1)
Heinrich von Treitschke
Germany and the Next War, 1914	80	(2)
Friedrich von Bernhardi
Bethmann Hollweg and the Struggle to Control the Military	82	(3)
Memoirs, 1922	83	(2)
Wilhelm II
Moltke Prepares for War	85	(11)
Memorandum, December 28, 1912	89	(2)
Alfred von Schlieffen
Letter to Eliza von Moltke, August 19, 1911	91	(1)
Helmuth von Moltke
Letter to Prince Lichnowsky, June 16, 1914	92	(2)
Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Letter to Berlin, June 24, 1914	94	(1)
Prince Lichnowsky
Letter to Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, June 27, 1914	95	(1)
Arthur von Zimmermann
Berlin and the July Crisis	96	(14)
Telegram to Vienna, July 5, 1914	97	(1)
Ladislaus Szogyeny-Marich
Letter to Helmuth von Moltke, July 5, 1914	98	(1)
Erich von Falkenhayn
Telegram to Vienna, July 6, 1914	99	(2)
Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Diary Entries, July 7, 1914	101	(2)
Kurt Riezler
Memorandum to Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, July 29, 1914	103	(3)
Helmuth von Moltke
Memoirs, ca. 1920s	106	(1)
Hermann von Santen
Memoirs, 1929	107	(3)
Philip Scheidmann
Sazonov, Sukhomlinov, and the Russian Escalation of the Crisis	110	(39)
Reform and Reaction in Russia	112	(1)
Strategic Policy before 1914	113	(4)
Letter to His Mother, March 18, 1909	114	(1)
Nicholas II
Memoirs, 1928	115	(1)
Serge Sazonov
Memoirs, 1928	116	(1)
Serge Sazonov
Governmental Structure and Public Expectations	117	(4)
Letter to London, March 18, 1914	118	(3)
George Buchanan
Civil-Military Decision Makers in 1914	121	(7)
Memoirs, 1912	121	(2)
Sergei Witte
Features and Figures of the Past, 1939	123	(1)
Vladimir Gurko
Memoirs, 1924	123	(1)
Vladimir Sukhomlinov
Memoirs, 1928	124	(1)
Serge Sazonov
Memoirs, 1912	125	(2)
Sergei Witte
Civil-Military Conflict in Imperial Russia, 1985	127	(1)
William Fuller
Saint Petersburg after the Sarajevo Assassinations	128	(21)
Memoirs, July 20, 1914	129	(4)
Maurice Paleologue
Journal of the Russian General Staff Committee, July 25, 1914	133	(1)
Diary, July 25, 1914	133	(1)
Nicholas II
Memoirs, 1924	134	(3)
Vladimir Sukhomlinov
Memoirs, July 29, 1914	137	(1)
Maurice Paleologue
Telegram to Wilhelm II, July 29, 1914, 1:00 A.M.	138	(1)
Nicholas II
Telegram to Nicholas II, July 28, 1914, Sent July 29, 1:45 A.M.	138	(1)
Wilhelm II
Telegram to Nicholas II, July 29, 1914, 6:30 P.M.	139	(1)
Wilhelm II
Telegram to Wilhelm II, July 29, 1914, 8:20 P.M.	140	(1)
Nicholas II
Telegram to Wilhelm II, July 30, 1914, 1:20 A.M.	140	(1)
Nicholas II
Telegram to Nicholas II, July 30, 1914, 1:20 A.M.	140	(1)
Wilhelm II
Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Diary, July 30, 1914	141	(2)
Telegram to Wilhelm II, July 31, 1914	143	(1)
Nicholas II
Telegram to Nicholas II, July 31, 1914, Berlin	143	(1)
Wilhelm II
Memoirs, November 21, 1914	144	(3)
Maurice Paleologue
Rasputin, A Warning, 1914	147	(2)
San Giuliano, Cadorna, and Italian Neutrality	149	(32)
The Triple Alliance and Italian Politics	150	(3)
Letter to Saint Petersburg, June 30, 1914	151	(1)
Anatol Kupensky
Letter to London, July 7, 1914	152	(1)
Rennell Rodd
The Origins of the War of 1914, 1953	152	(1)
Luigi Albertini
Constitutional Arrangements and Civil-Military Relations	153	(3)
Foreign and Domestic Policy on the Eve of War	156	(3)
Fifth Treaty of the Triple Alliance between Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, and Italy, December 5, 1912, Vienna	157	(2)
San Giuliano before the Ultimatum to Serbia	159	(8)
Telegrams to Saint Petersburg and Belgrade, July 14, 1914, 2:30 P.M.	160	(1)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Telegrams to Vienna, Berlin, Saint Petersburg, and Belgrade, July 16, 1914, 3:15 P.M.	161	(1)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Letter to Antonino di San Giuliano, July 8, 1914	162	(2)
Riccardo Bollati
Letter to Berlin, July 14, 1914	164	(3)
Antonino di San Giuliano
The Road to Neutrality	167	(7)
Telegrams to Vienna and Berlin, July 24, 1914	167	(1)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Letter to King Vittorio Emmanuel, July 24, 1914	168	(1)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Telegrams to Vienna and Berlin, July 27, 1914, 3:35 A.M. and 12:10 P.M.	169	(2)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Mussolini and the War, July 1914	171	(1)
George Seldes
My Autobiography, 1928	172	(1)
Benito Mussolini
Letter to Giovanni Giolitti, August 3, 1914	173	(1)
Antonino di San Giuliano
Letter to Antonino di San Giuliano, August 5, 1914	173	(1)
Giovanni Giolitti
General Cadorna's Confused Reaction to the Crisis	174	(7)
Telegram to Antonino di San Giuliano, July 28, 1914, Arrived July 29, 7:15 A.M.	174	(2)
Giuseppe Avarna
Letter to Luigi Cadorna, August 1, 1914	176	(1)
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
The Origins of the War of 1914, 1957	177	(4)
Luigi Albertini
Poincare, Joffre, and the Effort to Protect France	181	(37)
France after the Second Moroccan Crisis	181	(2)
The Impact of Poincare on French Policy	183	(5)
Toast to George V, April 21, 1914	186	(2)
Raymond Poincare
Joffre Moves to Revamp French Strategy	188	(5)
Memoirs, 1932	190	(3)
Joseph Joffre
Sarajevo, France, and Poincare's Trip to Russia	193	(9)
Memoirs, 1927	194	(1)
Raymond Poincare
Austria--Hungary and the Slavs, July 2, 1914	195	(1)
Le Temps
Austrian Nervousness, July 3, 1914	196	(1)
Le Figaro
Before the Sarajevo Investigation, July 10, 1914	197	(2)
Le Temps
Memoirs, 1927	199	(3)
Raymond Poincare
Paris without Poincare: The Civilians Retain Control	202	(4)
Memoirs, 1937	203	(2)
Adolphe Messimy
Memoirs, 1937	205	(1)
Adolphe Messimy
Poincare Takes Charge	206	(12)
Memoirs, 1932	207	(3)
Joseph Joffre
Telegram to London, July 31, 1914	210	(1)
Rene Viviani
Memoirs, 1927	211	(1)
Raymond Poincare
The Assassination of M. Jaures, August 2, 1914	212	(1)
Le Figaro
The Assassination of M. Jaures, August 2, 1914	212	(1)
Le Temps
Orders to the Commanding Generals of the 2nd, 6th, 20th, 21st, 7th Corps and the Cavalry Corps, August 2, 1914, 5:30 P.M.	213	(1)
Joseph Joffre
England Is for Us, August 4, 1914	214	(1)
Le Figaro
The Revolt of Europe, August 4, 1914	215	(3)
Le Temps
Grey, Wilson, and the Struggle to Commit Britain to War	218	(39)
Britain on the Eve of War	218	(3)
Letter to Venetia Stanley, March 30, 1914	220	(1)
Henry Asquith
Grey and Britain's Strategic Interests	221	(5)
Memoirs, 1925	222	(3)
Edward Grey
Statement to the House of Commons, June 11, 1914	225	(1)
Edward Grey
Memoirs, 1925	225	(1)
Edward Grey
Grey's Initial Response to Sarajevo	226	(4)
Letter to Saint Petersburg, July 8, 1914	227	(2)
Edward Grey
The Times, A Fourth Day, July 24, 1914	229	(1)
The Times, Grave News from Ireland, July 27, 1914	229	(1)
Grey after the Habsburg Ultimatum	230	(3)
The World Crisis, 1911--1914, 1923	231	(1)
Winston Churchill
Letter to Paris, July 24, 1914	231	(2)
Edward Grey
Wilson Finally Sees a Chance for War	233	(5)
Diary, March 29, 1914	235	(3)
Henry Wilson
Grey, Cabinet Politics, and the Military Politician	238	(9)
Letter to George V, July 28, 1914	239	(1)
Winston Churchill
Letter to Mrs. Churchill, July 28, 1914, Midnight	239	(1)
Winston Churchill
Diary Entries, July 26 to August 1, 1914	240	(2)
Henry Wilson
The Times, Lowering Clouds, July 30, 1914	242	(1)
The Times, Waning Hopes, July 31, 1914	243	(1)
The Times, Interests and Duty of Great Britain, July 31, 1914	243	(2)
The Times, Europe in Arms, August 1, 1914	245	(1)
Letter to Venetia Stanley, August 1, 1914	246	(1)
Henry Asquith
Belgian Neutrality Becomes the Break Point	247	(3)
Letter to Venetia Stanley, August 2, 1914, Mid-afternoon	248	(2)
Henry Asquith
The BEF to the Continent: Wilson Continues His Political Campaign	250	(7)
Diary Entries, August 2 to August 5, 1914	250	(7)
Henry Wilson
Epilogue	257	(18)
APPENDIXES
A Chronology of the Main Events Leading to the First World War (1870--1914)	261	(3)
Key Participants in the July 1914 Crisis	264	(2)
Selected Bibliography	266	(9)
Index	275