Russia and France Enter the War
"Russia . . . weakened by the war with Japan, had been forced to acquiesce by a German ultimatum followed by the Kaiser's appearance in "Shining armor," as he put it, at the side of his ally, Austria. To avenge that humiliation and for the sake of her prestige as the major slav power, Russia was now prepared to put on the shining armor herself."
~ Barbara Tuchman 71
~ Barbara Tuchman 71
Tsar Nicholas II and President Poincaré of France reviewing
Russian sailors, Cronstadt |
On July 24, Tsar Nicholas II "order[ed] the mobilization of the four military districts of Kiev, Odessa, Moscow, and Kazan, and the Baltic and Black Sea fleets" (Russian Memorandum of Advice to Serbia) in response to Austria's ultimatum. Several factors, including Serbia's strategic importance, growing tensions between Russia and Germany, "the hope of preventing war while protecting Serbia" and the French determination to maintain "an alliance . . . deemed essential to French interests" justified Russia's entrance (Stevenson 22). |
"From the moment the dispute ceases to be one between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and becomes one in which another Great Power is involved, it cannot but end in the greatest catastrophe that has ever befallen the continent of Europe."
~ Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary - July 28, 1914
(The First World War: The Complete Series, 'To Arms 1914')
Upholding her pledge to Austria-Hungary, Germany declared war on Russia on August 1. But this meant that France, according to the Schlieffen plan, would have to be invaded via Belgium. "The alliance between France and Russia meant that Germany faced a war on two fronts. Her only hope was to deal with France in the west before the main Russian armies could invade from the east. That left no time to wait and see. For Germany, Russian mobilization meant war" (The First World War: The Complete Series, 'To Arms 1914'). Then, on August 1, "France mobilised in support of its Russian ally, and on 3 August Germany declared war on France" (Strachan 47).
Russia on the eve of the First World War