Lesson 7: The July Crisis

Newspaper headline, image, and report from The Winnipeg Tribune, published June 29th, 1914, the day after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Note the heading, “War May Result”. What kind of war though?

Inquiry Question: To what extent did the assassination of Franz Ferdinand cause WWI?

Inquiry Questions Jamboard Link

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th, 1914, is popularly known as the cause of the First World War. However, this is a gross oversimplification. Historians to this day continue to debate and argue over the causes of the War. With our limited time we will examine the role of the events during June, July and, and early August 1914, here referred to simply as the “July Crisis”.

Viewing Instructions: Why did Germany and Austria-Hungary choose to go to war in July 1914? Record some reasons for each country.

Viewing Instructions

  1. What was Russia afraid might happen to Serbia? How did Russia respond to this?
  2. What did the German fleet do? What was the British response?
  3. “Germany told Britain in a secret message that if Britain remained neutral, Germany would take no territory from France except her _____________. This provoked the opposite effect though, showing Grey once and for all that Germany was committed to going to war.”
  4. Why did the Russians order a full mobilization of its army on July 30th?
  5. “And then, Germany sent Russia an ultimatum to stop all war measures of any kind against __________ and Germany within 24 hours. This was ___________.”
  6. “At the end of July all of the various armies were pressuring their political leaders. Many of the leaders were against the war, but the armies were afraid of being _________ and wanted to move as quickly as possible.”
  7. Why was Belgium so important in the first week of World War One?
  8. “The Kaiser, at first, ordered an attack only on Russia, but Moltke convinced him that this wasn’t really possible since most of the army was already committed in the _____.”

Key Terminology

Archduke Franz FerdinandThe heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne (the next emperor). A generally unpopular figure whose death is widely seen as the “spark” that started the First World War. In fact, his death caused little concern in Europe.
Gavrilo PrincipA 19 year old Bosnian-Serb nationalist who shot Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarejevo on June 28th, 1914. He was supplied weapons by the Serbian terrorist group, the Black Hand.
The “blank check”The assurances or promises Germany made to Austria-Hungary that she would receive German support for any action taken against Serbia, even if it meant war with Russia.
July UltimatumThe Austro-Hungarian list of demands given to Serbia on July 23rd in response to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Serbia accepted 9 of the 10 demands. The ultimatum was likely deliberately written to be rejected, thus giving Austria-Hungary an excuse for war.
The July CrisisFollowing the delivery of the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum, there was a flurry of diplomatic and military activity in Europe as war suddenly appeared likely. There was a mixture of efforts to avoid war, mostly led by Britain, and preparations for war, mostly from military leaders.
Schlieffen PlanThe German war plan for a two-front war with Russia and France. The plan called for a fast and hard attack on France by traveling through neutral Belgium. When France was defeated the German army could focus entirely on Russia in the east.