Austria's 1914: Turning The Tide Against Russia

The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914, is often viewed as the 'spark' that ignited the First World War. Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, declared war on Serbia on 28 July, knowing that conflict with Serbia would likely involve Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector. Russia rapidly mobilised its forces, resulting in huge losses and contributing to revolutions at home. Germany and Austria-Hungary defeated Russian forces in Galicia and Poland, causing Russia to abandon the Polish salient, parts of Belarus and the Baltic region, and Galicia.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated by a Serbian-backed terrorist. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand stoked old tensions beyond the Balkans, and the crisis spread as other powers pledged support for either Austria or Serbia. Austria accused Serbia of plotting and backing the assassination and threatened invasion. Austria knew that conflict with Serbia would likely involve Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector.

Austria-Hungary turned to its own ally, Germany, which promised full support for a severe response against Serbia. Austria-Hungary's aggression towards Serbia and Russian support for Serbia in the aftermath of the assassination stemmed from fears that, if either backed down, they would lose credibility and prestige as great powers. Russia rapidly mobilised its forces, resulting in huge losses and contributing to revolutions at home. The Eastern Front was a 'war of movement' where the Central Powers, with over 2.5 million troops, faced a much larger, but disorganised, force of 4 million Russians.

Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia

On 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, marking the beginning of the First World War. The declaration came one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, by a Serbian-backed terrorist in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of plotting and backing the assassination and threatened invasion. The Austro-Hungarian government, in a statement signed by Count Leopold Berchtold, announced that it 'finds it necessary itself to safeguard its rights and interests, and to have recourse for this purpose to force of arms'.

Austria-Hungary's aggression towards Serbia was driven by fears of losing credibility and prestige as a great power if it backed down, as well as concerns about Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region of Europe. After securing the unconditional support of its powerful ally, Germany, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum on 23 July 1914, demanding, among other things, that all anti-Austrian propaganda within Serbia be suppressed and that Austria-Hungary be allowed to conduct its own investigation into the archduke's killing.

Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector, rapidly mobilised its forces in response to the declaration of war, resulting in huge losses and contributing to revolutions at home. The conflict escalated with the invasion of Serbia, and on 31 July, Germany demanded that Russia demobilise. When Russia did not comply, Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914, bringing France into the conflict as well.

Russia's support of Serbia

Russia and Serbia shared a notable cultural resemblance, embedded in Slavic identity and Eastern Orthodoxy, making them almost natural allies and unconditional mutual supporters. Russia was widely respected and admired in Serbian society, with a considerable majority of Serbs believing that Russia was Serbia's "greatest friend". In addition, energy cooperation, an aversion to the West, and shared opposition to Kosovo's independence contributed to the strengthening friendship between Russia and Serbia.

Russia also supported Serbia through its influence in the media and disinformation. Russian propaganda penetrated Serbia through Russian-funded portals, local media, and social media. Russia's support for Serbia was not purely altruistic, however. Serbia secured a three-year uninterrupted flow of gas from Russia under preferential terms, which brought political points to the ruling leadership for securing domestic energy needs.

Germany's declaration of war on Russia

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian-backed terrorist. Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of plotting and backing the assassination and threatened invasion. Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector, rapidly mobilised its forces in response. Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement, declared war on Serbia on 28 July. Russia's support of Serbia brought France into the conflict.

Russia commenced mobilising its reserve army along the border of Austria-Hungary. Consequently, on 31 July, Germany demanded that Russia demobilise. When Russia did not comply, Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914. According to its war plan, Germany prioritised its offensive against France, declaring war on 3 August. Germany deployed its main armies through Belgium with the aim of encircling Paris. Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality and British fears of German domination in Europe brought Britain and its empire into the war on 4 August.

The Eastern Front

Russia rapidly mobilised its forces, resulting in huge losses and contributing to revolutions at home. The Eastern Front was a 'war of movement', with the Central Powers deploying over 2.5 million troops against a much larger, but disorganised, force of 4 million Russians. Germany and Austria-Hungary defeated Russian forces in Galicia and Poland, causing Russia to abandon the Polish salient, parts of Belarus and the Baltic region, and Galicia. However, the campaigns of 1914–15 failed to achieve Germany's objective of taking Russia out of the war.

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