| Chapter 1: | The Struggle For World Order |
|
|
This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
Within a month, Serbia acceded to stringent Austrian demands for the suppression of pan-Slavic agitation in its territory and agreed to the arbitration of other demands (which would have involved the concession of Serbian autonomy). It was not enough. The Austrian government, backed by Germany, declared war on Serbia in late July.
The assassination was the spark, but the powder was ready to burn in any case. Ensnared in a tangled web of military alliances, surfeit with armaments and aroused by nationalist fervor, all of Europe was at war within weeks. Russia had warned Austria that it would come to Serbia’s defense if that country were attacked, and it did. Germany likewise warned Russia that mobilization against Austria would bring it into the conflict: when Russia began to mobilize against Austria, Germany, on August 1, declared war on Russia. Germany had also sent an inquiry to France, demanding to know its intentions in the event of a RussoGerman conflict. When the French replied that they would act in defense of their own national interest, Germany declared war on France.
The German plan, which had been in development for a generation, required cutting through neutral Belgium to achieve an enveloping action that would permit a quick and decisive victory over France.3 The problem of Belgian neutrality had not been considered a serious obstacle by German planners. It proved critical. When Belgium called on the signatories of a 1939 treaty guaranteeing its neutrality, Great Britain came to its defense, declaring war on Germany. The Germans expressed astonishment. “Just for a scrap of paper Great Britain is going to make war on a kindred nation,” the Chancellor complained to Britain’s Ambassador in Berlin.
The conflagration was soon raging out of control. Within weeks, the Allies (Britain, France, and Russia) were joined by Japan and Montenegro while the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary). Ultimately, 32 nations would be directly involved, making it the first truly global war. The declarations of war were met with public exuberance in all the combatant nations.