Re:Seven Hanged: The Book That Started World War One
by Svip on Tuesday March 08, 2016 @08:47AM
(#11245148)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on 28 June. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July. That's a month.
And it's the period between 28 June and 28 July that real negotiations and build up happened.
And yes, Germany was ready. After the second Balkans War, Austria was interested in a war with Serbia. But while Germany supported Austria, Germany insisted that it would not be ready for such a war (anticipating a Russian response) until mid-1914, and responded to Austria (in 1911) to that effect.
Re:Seven Hanged: The Book That Started World War One
by acqq on Tuesday March 08, 2016 @08:49AM
(#11245163)
> Germany insisted that it would not be ready for such a war (anticipating a Russian response) until mid-1914 and responded to Austria (in 1911) to that effect.
And mid-1914 it was.
> it's the period between 28 June and 28 July that real negotiations and build up happened
And obviously all that buildup on German side was not only that month, but planned and executed for years, per your 1911 reference.
Not a month, it was only 3 days between: 28 July, 1 August. And the war of Austria was against Serbia. But Germany was fully ready to both declare the war on Russia and attack France, in 4 and 5 days (first Luxembourg). No country is so prepared and ready by accident. Germans were obviously waiting for that too.