July 5, 1914 The Blank Cheque Austro-Hungarian diplomats meet with Kaiser Wilhelm II and his advisors at Potsdam. They are seeking confirmation from Germany that they would supported if they chose to invade Serbia. What they received must have delighted them: The Kaiser personally gives the Austrian Ambassador carte blanche to undertake whatever action the Austrians felt necessary, Known to history as the Blank Cheque, Wilhelms promise gives Austria-Hungary a free hand in the Balkans and effectively (if unintentionally) silencing the objections of factions in the Austro-Hungarian and German governments who sought diplomatic resolutions. While the assassination of the Archduke was certainly the casus belli of the First World War, the conflict had been building for some time. In the intervening weeks investigations into the assassination established a connection between the conspiracy and elements within the Serbian military. Serbian Military Intelligence, known as APIS, had already been implicated in the 1903 murder of the King and Queen of Serbia, replacing them with the more compliant current king, Peter. Tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia are inflamed by APIS efforts to destabilize Bosnia-Herzegovina, an Austrian possession bordering Serbia. Serbia counts on its close ethnic and cultural ties with Russia (along with a treaty) to forestall open war with Austria-Hungary. Unfortunately for Serbia, and the rest of the World, the German Kaiser also enjoys a close relationship with Czar Nicholas of Russia, and erroneously believes that he can persuade his nephew to sit out the Balkan dispute. His utter detachment from the actual situation and overly optimistic belief in his own powers of persuasion are about to run into the cold reality that significant elements in both the governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary have been looking for an excuse to mobilize and arent going to waste this golden opportunity. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Crisis
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 20:03:43 +0000
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