France and Germany have been rivals since the Franco-Prussian War. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoFrance is bent on avenging the Franco-Prussian War. In the same way, Germany wanted to defeat France once again and dominate the European continent.

Immediately after the outbreak of the Sarajevo incident, France felt a great crisis. French President Raymond? Poinkale demanded that the army begin a secret mobilization and be ready for battle. At the same time, the ambassador to Russia was asked to liaise with the Russian side. France and Russia, however, signed a treaty of military alliance, and in the event of an attack by Germany, the other must attack Germany unconditionally.

The French were well aware that Germany's military power was expanding too quickly. If on their own strength alone, they were not at all an opponent of Germany. Therefore, they can only pull other countries together to deal with Germany. Fortunately, Germany has no shortage of opponents. The union of France and Russia was enough to contain Germany on land. Coupled with the support of Great Britain, it was not impossible to defeat Germany.

The attitude of the British on the other side of the channel is a little different. Britain was also ready for war, and believed that it was better to fight late than early, and that it would be detrimental to itself if it delayed any longer. Because Britain saw that Germany was more productive than it could, it would quickly catch up in the naval shipbuilding race, hoping to defeat its dangerous rivals by war in 1914 while still maintaining naval superiority.

However, after the Sarajevo incident, Britain did not show any intention of entering the war at first, because it was afraid of Germany pulling back from the precipice and taking responsibility for starting the war in the first place. At the same time, there was a pro-German faction in the British parliament and cabinet. Twelve members of the British Cabinet were not in favour of going to war. The working class as a whole and the majority of the Liberals were opposed to going to war. Mass rallies in Trafalgar Square demanded that Britain declare neutrality. Under pressure from the vigorous peace movement, British Foreign Secretary Gray told the German ambassador to Britain that Britain had no alliance with Russia and France and was not bound by any obligations, and repeatedly affirmed that Britain's attitude was to "do everything possible to prevent war between the great powers." ”

On 5 July, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Germany, Cho Kiyi, was ordered to take Franz Brown. A handwritten letter from Emperor Joseph I was presented to Wilhelm II. The letter said that the assassination of the Austrian crown prince "was the result of direct agitation by the Russian and Serbian Great Slavists; Their only purpose is to weaken the Triple Alliance and divide my empire. …… If we allow this to continue, it will mean that my court and my territory will be in danger for a long time. …… In the wake of the recent terrible events in Bosnia, you must have thought that it was impossible to demand an amicable settlement to the hostile relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia; As long as this source of incitement to this evil in Belgrade goes unpunished, the peaceful policy of all European monarchies will be threatened. "The so-called punishment of Serbia in the letter is to start a war against Serbia. Franz? Joseph I pleaded with Wilhelm II to support his war operations.

On 5 and 6 July, Kaiser Wilhelm II convened high-ranking generals and government ministers for meetings at the Potsdam Palace. He told his courtiers about the possibility of war. The generals replied to the emperor that all preparations for war were ready. The chief of munitions of the General Staff reported to the emperor: "I have nothing to do after this visit. The mobilization plan was completed on March 31, 1914. The army, as always, is ready. From this it follows that Germany's preparations for war had already been completed. Under such circumstances, Kaiser Wilhelm II gave the order to prepare for war.

On July 20, French President Raymond? Poincaré and Prime Minister Rene? Viviani visits Russia. The two countries assured each other that in the event of war against Germany, they would fulfill their obligations as allies. In the communiqué on the talks between the two countries and on open diplomatic occasions, Russia and France have repeatedly emphasized the "precious friendship" between the two countries, exaggerated the "fraternal naval and army forces," and pledged to each other to "cooperate with their allies loyally and unremittingly." During the summit meeting between the two countries, the Russian Government held a reception banquet at the Winter Palace in Petersburg. In the meantime, Raymond? Poengaret spoke specifically with the Austro-Hungarian ambassador and asked him to convey to the Austro-Hungarian Government that "special caution should be exercised" in its relations with Serbia. "Serbia is a very close friend of the Russian people, and Russia has its ally France, and I don't know how many terrible disputes there are on this issue," he stressed. ”

On July 23, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to the Serbian government. Demanded that the Serbian government comply with the following demands of Austria-Hungary: the seizure of any publications that aroused hatred and contempt for the Austro-Hungarian royal family; immediately ban the National Self-Defense Organizations, as well as other organizations engaged in anti-Austro-Hungarian propaganda; Immediately remove from educational bodies and teaching methods any teaching content that would or might incite anti-Austro-Hungarian propaganda; dismissal of officials in the military or administrative ministries accused of anti-Austro-Hungarian propaganda, the list of which is provided by the Austro-Hungarian Government; acceptance of cooperation with the relevant departments of the Austro-Hungarian government in the suppression of attempts to subvert the territorial integrity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Serbia; To take legal action with the assistance and direction of the relevant authorities appointed by the Austro-Hungarian Government to punish those who planned or carried out the assassination of 28 June in Serbian territory in 1914; Immediate arrest of the two named persons revealed by the preliminary investigation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; maintain cooperation with effective measures to curb arms smuggling within its borders; explain to Austria-Hungary the remarks of high-ranking Serbian officials who are hostile to them and who are in or outside Serbia; Take these measures immediately and inform Austria-Hungary.

Serbia was willing to accept the ultimatum put forward by Austria-Hungary, with the exception of the fourth and fifth points. However, this was clearly not the result that Austria-Hungary wanted.

After the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum, Russia informed Austria-Hungary that an attack on Serbia would provoke a general mobilization of Russia, and that Russia would not allow Austria-Hungary to defeat Serbia and become the hegemon of the Balkans. On July 26, British Foreign Secretary Gray proposed that Germany, Britain, France, and Italy mediate the discord between Austria and Serbia. However, Britain secretly encouraged France and Russia to fight against Germany and Austria, and promised to support them, which emboldened France and Russia.

The true face of Britain was revealed only the day after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On July 29, Gray met with the German ambassador and made it clear that Britain could remain neutral if the conflict was limited to Russia and Austria; If Germany and France were involved, "the situation would immediately change, and the British government, under certain conditions, would be forced to make an urgent decision." In this case, you can't sit on the sidelines for a long time."