Austria Formally Declares War on Servia; Russia Moving Troops; Peace of Europe In Kaiser's Hands

NewYorkTimes ^ | July 28, 1914 | Special Cable

[swarthyguy]

Austrian Emperor to Take Command at Vienna Headquarters War Fever at Capital

Crowds Cheer Outbreak of Hostilities and Demonstrate at Friendly Embassies Outbreak of Food Riots

Prices Soar as Hostilities are Declared and the Government Steps in to Regulate There

Manifesto From Emperor

Forced to Grasp the Sword, He Says, to Defend the Honor of His Monarchy

France Fears a Great War

Army Moves to the Frontier - Belief in Paris That Russia Will Not Desert Servia

VIENNA, July 28- Upon the issue of the formal declaration of war against Servia today Emperor Franz Josef gave orders for the removal of the Summer Court from Ischl to the capital. His entourage tried to persuade him that Vienna air would not suit him, but the aged Emperor replied:

"I do not want the air of Vienna. I want the atmosphere of headquarters." The opening of the war has caused the imposition of all kinds of restrictions upon public business. All the railways, of course, are under military control, and the telegraphs are being reserved entirely for the service of the State. The hope is still entertained here that the war will be confined to Austria-Hungary and Servia. The report that Russia and France have intervened in Vienna is incorrect. In official circles here it is maintained that any action by those powers must be supported by the third party to the Triple Entente, namely, Great Britain. It is known that Great Britain and France do not want a European war. Peace among the great powers or war among the great powers must depend on the action of St. Petersburg.

At the Foreign Office here it is freely stated that now that war has begun Austria-Hungary will be bound to no more conditions such as she propounded prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

Food Prices Up in Vienna.

There was an abnormal rise in the price of provisions today, which caused great indignation on the part of the public, who flocked to the markets to lay in stores in anticipation of a possible scarcity. Vegetables in many cases trebled in price. Feeling ran so high that in many instances stallkeepers in the markets were mobbed or assaulted, and the police and to be called out to restore order. The authorities declare that the sudden increase in the prices of provisions and vegetables is totally unwarranted.

A permanent committee appointed to deal with the question of provisioning the country, sat today to discuss the regulation of prices in order to prevent the public being cheated. A similar meeting with the same object also was held in the Diet.

It was officially asserted that there was no reason for apprehension with regard to the food supply, and that it was needless for citizens to start the accumulation of stores of provisions. The only effect of such procedure, it was added, would be to still further raise prices.

Official arrangements have been made to take care of families of reservists called to the colors. In the event of a reservist being killed or reported missing an allowance of about 25 cents per day for each adult and 12 1-2 cents a day for children will be continued for six months.

RELATED HEADLINES

Notice Sent to the Powers of the Opening of Hostilities: Servian Vessels Seized:

Sharp Fighting, Begins Along the River Drina on the Bosnian Frontier:

Counter Invasion Plan: Montenegrin and Serb Armies to Invade Bosnia and Start a Rebellion There:

Grey's Peace Plan Fails: Kaiser Declines to Join in Conference to Exert Pressure on Austrian Ally: But Reply Is Conciliatory: And London Still Has Faith That His Influence Will Avert General Conflict

Czar's Forces Mass on Eastern Border: His Capital Expects War and Counts Confidently on England's Aid: Mobilization Order Ready: German, Official Says Its Issue Would Mean Launching of Kaiser's Army

Text of Austria-Hungary's Declaration of War

Russia Announces Its Wish to Remain at Peace Yet Is Determined to Guard Its Interests

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[Smile-n-Win]

Es lebe das Haus Hohenzollern!
Hoch, Habsburg!

Boooooo from Hungary! ;-)

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

". . . 3 fronts . . ."

At the end of the Seven Years War, one of Frederic's advisors was discussing the proposed peace terms with Sweden, at which the king quipped, "We were at war with Sweden ?"

[aristeides]

If my suspicions are correct, and there was a conspiracy, I wonder who was at the center of it. It seems unlikely to have been Berchtold, who was initially restrained in his reaction after the assassination (although maybe he was just acting.) Could it have been Conrad?

[weikel]

Sweden was huge in the time of Fredrick's father( who though perhaps more principled kidnapped all the really tall people in Europe and shanghaied them into his regiment of tall soldiers LOL) but was left with the small sliver of territory after falling to a coalition of Denmark, Prussia, and Russia.

[weikel]

There were 3 fronts right? They were facing Russia to the East, Austria to the South, and France to the West right?

[swarthyguy]

Frederic Morton's Thunder at Twilight: Vienna 1913/1914,

Thanks.

[aristeides]

By the way, speaking of Count Berchtold, an anecdote from the memoirs of Harry Graf Kessler speaks volumes about the frivolity of people in the government in Vienna at the outbreak of the Great War:

Paris, 11. Juni 1933, Sonntag. Georg Bernhards, Valeriu Marcu und Anton Kuh frühstückten bei mir im Hotel. Kuh liess ein Brillant-Feuerwerk von Witzen und Anekdoten los. Eine Geschichte, die er erzählte, war fast shakespearisch. Am 31. Juli 1914, in Wien, als alles auf die serbische Antwort auf das österreichische Ultimatum wartete, hat er Berchtold im Wurstl-Prater gesehen an einem Karussell, das als Treffplatz für Strichjungen bekannt war. Ein bildhübscher Junge in weissen Hosen und weissem Pullover fuhr auf dem Karussell und zwinkerte mit einem Auge einem eleganten Herrn zu, der ihn immerfort anschaute. Als das Karussell Pause machte, stieg der Junge ab und ging auf den Herrn zu, der ihn begrüsste und mitnahm. Der Herr war Berchtold. Im Augenblick, wo die beiden zusammen fortgingen, kamen unter grossem Geschrei die Zeitungsjungen mit Extrablättern gelaufen: "Serbische Antwort auf das Ultimatum. Krieg mit Serbien, österreichischer Einmarsch in Serbien!" Der Beginn des Weltdrieges, den Berchtold herbeigeführt hatte.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

In The SYW, it seems inadequate to speak of quantities of fronts, since Prussia was literally surrounded by enemies at all compass points.

Affairs in the west were made easier, however, by the Duke of Brunswick's army of Hannoverians, Hessians, Brunswickers and British, which pretty much kept the French and Imperials at bay. The Prussians put in a cameo appearance at Rossbach, and then went back to dealing with the real war.

[aristeides]

Weltkrieges, not Weltdrieges.

[aristeides]

It was also the anniversary of his wedding, and his morganatic wife could be honored in a way that was not possible in Vienna. So it was easy to persuade him to have the ceremonial visit on that day.

[weikel]

The "Imperial" forces were actually Austrian forces and vassals of the Austrian Hapsburgs though right.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

Actually, no -- they were the army of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. This was the penultimate instance of a mobilisation of the Imperial estates. The last time was in 1795 against the Jacobins. There were echt Austrians present with the Imperial army, sent either as part of Austria's Matrikul for the Bohemian, Burgundian, and Austrian Circles, or as "stiffening" (Dragoon regiments v.Trautmasdorf & v.Pretlach), but in this instance "Austrian" and "Imperial" are not synonymous.

Each of the Creyse ("circles" according to archaic imperial orthography) was responsible for contributing its share of manpower in horse, foot, and guns. While some regiments were on a par with the best of Prussian regiments (notably the Hessen-Darmstadt Leibregiment) most of them would make modern re-enactors look like Green Berets in comparison.

Their first embarassment was at Rossbach, when, in a curious (but not entirely untrue) reversal of national roles, the French commander blamed his German troops for the defeat.

After the amateurs had fled to their respective villages, the remainder comported themselves reasonably well -- or certainly no worse than the French -- for the duration of hostilities

[getoffmylawn]

Gavrilo Princip bump.

[wimpycat]

Why isn't this in Breaking News?

[weikel]

I was under the impression that the last real Imperial army was during the reign of Barbarossa.

[Consort]

Servia

[DestroyEraseImprove]

Czar Nicholas was responsible for WWI the Serbs then were like the Palestinians now. If Russia hadn't interfered Austria would have moved in and killed a bunch of terrorist then left.

What a load of BS....

[weikel]

The comparison to Pallies is a bit extreme but there were a lot of terrorist in Serbia.