Massie states that Austria believes it’s fractured and disintegrated state will be cured by annihilating the source of all of its problems, Serbia. (Doc K). What caused the war between Serbia and Austria was no accident, it was the Seven Point Ultimatum passed 24 July 1914. The Seven Point Ultimatum was rejected and war outbroke due to the fact that the seven point ultimatum took away the sovereignty of Serbia by calling for the help of Austria’s forces to investigate for the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand within Serbia. The seventh point enraged Serbia and since the ultimatum was rejected Austria declared war on Serbia 28 July 1914, thus, the war began
Both soldiers and civilians blame the defeats in the war and the growing crises on the home front on Tsar. Even the Tsars only army stated it wouldn’t support him if a revolution occurred. Explain the importance/significance of World War 1 to the downfall of the Tsar WWI was a very significant event on the rule of Tsar Nicholas 11. Although it initially bolstered his position, it then became a large factor that contributed to Nicholas’ downfall. The Country was ecstatic when the Tsar made the announcement that Russia was going to fight against Germany in WWI.
What actually happened: The Schlieffen Plan was a big gamble by the Germans, and it could have well resulted in defeat for France and Russia, however the plan backfired on the Germans. The first problem that the Germans encountered was that the Belgian Army had put up a resistance, which they had not expected which in turn slowed their advances. The next big problem the Germans had not anticipated was that Britain declared war on Germany because of the pledge to protect Belgium, which they had called a ‘scrap of paper.’ Their gamble had not paid off and soon, when the Russian Army was quicker to respond the Germans had to switch troops to the eastern front however the Russians had still invaded Germany 10 days later. Explain why a Stalemate
"The most we can hope for," MacMillan says, "is to understand as best we can those individuals who had to make the choices between war and peace." Can any individual be blamed for the First World War? The Guardian identifies six people who, from a British perspective, had the largest roles in the events leading to the outbreak of war: Kaiser Wilhelm II, the "hot-tempered, military-minded ruler of German empire and kingdom of Prussia" who was "increasingly suspicious of motives" in Britain, France and Russia David Lloyd George, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, who "against his earlier inclinations" ultimately became a leading proponent of military action against Germany Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who found himself caught between Russia's loyalty to Serbia, and his desire to avoid war on the continent Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was "keen to strengthen Austrian army" but wanted not to antagonise Serbia Herbert Asquith, the British Prime Minister who led the nation into war, to be replaced by Lloyd George in December
The Germans started having second thoughts about the war and urged their ally to negotiate with Russia. Russia realized that an agreement would hurt their position in the Balkans. This basically created a stand still and the countries involved could no longer back out, The Germans started their plan to gain European dominance on July 31st. The Germans sent ultimatums to St. Petersburg and Paris telling them that the Russians need to stop mobilizing their troops and demanded a pledge of neutrality from France. They did not receive a satisfactory reply and they declared war on Russia and France.
The opposition against the Tsar grew due to the loss of war and other factors such as; the Tsar controlling the army, the refusal to co-operate with the Dumas and Rasputin being an advisor. To an extent many of these factors are significant to the Tsar’s opposition growing. However,
Clemenceau resented Wilson’s generous attitude towards Germany and Lloyd George’s desire to not treat Germany too harshly. He said “if they British are so anxious to appease Germany they should look overseas and make colonial, naval or commercial concessions”. These disagreements left the big three unsatisfied and ultimately left them with a weak mere shadow of a perhaps great treaty due to their own arrogance and. It contained many faults and weaknesses. The treaty of Versailles greatly humiliated Germany forcing it to accept soul responsibility for the war.
Nicholas II was the last tsar of the Romanov dynasty, and his own arrogance and incompetence was a key factor in what led him to that title. His decision to maintain an autocratic government, fight in the Russo-Japanese war, and, ultimately, drag Russia into World War I, proved he was not fit to rule, and his actions led to the destruction of his dynasty. In these ways, Nicholas II, while faced with many problems, may have survived had he not ruled the way he did. Nicholas II was an implacable autocrat, and his fear of change alienated the Russian people from their leader. When Nicholas was young, he witnessed his grandfather, Alexander II, being assassinated by terrorists.
The Evils of Entering World War I World War I was initiated with the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand. He was murdered by a member of the Black Hand, a nationalist group from Serbia which did not agree with much of Ferdinand’s ideals. In response to the killing, the Austria-Hungary government declared an ultimatum towards Serbia, whom once the expiration of the ultimatum came to pass, was declared war upon. Germany supported Austria-Hungary, while Russia supported Serbia, and they both joined the war to defend their allies. When Russia joined the war, Germany declared war on both them ad their ally, France.
This being the immediate cause of the treaty's failure shows that Wilson truly was to bullheaded to compromise and talk things out. Historian Bailey said that after Wilson decided that he wanted deadlock because he thought it would arouse public opinion, there was a tidal wave of public opinion and was given a second chance. However, his stiff-necked personality caused him to throw that opportunity away. “first by spurning compromise, and then by spurning the Lodge reservations.” Wilson just throws away opportunities to make both sides happy and cares for nothing more than himself. It was not the strength of the opposing forces, both liberal and conservative, but rather the stubbornness of Wilson that led to the defeat in the Treaty of Versailles.