23rd July 1914: Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia specifically designed to lead to war

Описание: Austria-Hungary had been concerned about the growing power of Serbia, and was keen to find a way to weaken the government and stop it taking over the Southern Slavic populations of the northern Balkans. Austria-Hungary was particularly concerned about the future of Bosnia amidst the rise of pan-Slavism. To the government officials who favoured war the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on 28 June was the perfect catalyst.

Shortly after the assassination Germany gave Austria-Hungary assurances that it would support military action against Serbia. This is known as the ‘Blank Cheque’ of 5 July. Acting with the knowledge that the strongest army in Europe was on their side, the Austro-Hungarian Crown Council began to discuss how best to justify a war against Serbia. They decided that an ultimatum containing unacceptable demands would be the best course of action, and finally agreed the wording on 19 July.

The ultimatum was delivered at 6pm on 23 July by the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Belgrade, with a deadline of 48 hours within which the Serbian government had to respond. They accepted all but one of the numerous demands, which was for Austria-Hungary to participate in the internal inquiry into the plot.

Serbia’s refusal of this point led Austria-Hungary to declare war. Although it was expected to remain localised, the network of European alliances that had developed from the late 19th Century soon saw the conflict develop into the First World War.