The Balkan Powder Keg: Serbia, Austria-Hungary, And Russia's Conflict

The conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia escalated into what is now known as World War I, drawing in Russia, Germany, France, and the British Empire. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, after securing the support of its ally, Germany. Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector, responded by ordering mobilisation in the four military districts facing Galicia, its common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

A week after Franz Ferdinand's assassination, Germany promised Austria-Hungary its full support for a severe response against Serbia. Austria-Hungary then presented Serbia with an ultimatum, demanding 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. Serbia accepted all of Austria-Hungary's demands except one, but the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations and began military preparedness measures.

Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector, began its own initial steps towards military mobilisation against Austria-Hungary. Within a week, Austria-Hungary faced a war with Russia, which had the largest army in the world at the time. The result was that Serbia became a subsidiary front in the massive fight that started to unfold along Austria-Hungary's border with Russia.

Russia's support of Serbia

Russia saw itself as Serbia's protector, and so when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, Russia began to mobilise its troops. Russia had the largest army in the world at the time.

Serbia had an experienced army, but it was exhausted from the conflicts of the Balkan Wars and poorly equipped. Despite this, Russia's support meant that Serbia was able to hold out against Austria-Hungary for longer than the Austro-Hungarians had anticipated.

Germany's support of Austria-Hungary

Germany's decision to issue the "blank cheque" was guided by several strategic calculations. Firstly, they believed that a swift Austro-Hungarian victory over Serbia would strengthen the Central Powers and deter Russia, which they assumed was not ready for a full-scale war. Additionally, Germany sought to contain the growing influence of Russia in the Balkans and assert its dominance on the European stage.

With Germany's backing, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with a rigid ultimatum on July 23, 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 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which had occurred on June 28, 1914. Serbia effectively accepted all of Austria's demands except for one, but the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations and began military preparedness measures.

Germany's support for Austria-Hungary continued even as the conflict escalated. On July 28, 1914, after pressure from Germany for quick action, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia, Serbia's ally, responded by ordering mobilisation in the four military districts facing Galicia, its common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia

On the evening of 23 July 1914, nearly a month after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a young Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, ambassador of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Serbia, delivered the ultimatum to the Serbian foreign ministry.

Austria-Hungary had the full support of its allies in Berlin and had determined to pursue a hard-line policy towards Serbia following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The plan, developed in coordination with the German foreign office, was to force a military conflict that would end quickly and decisively with an Austrian victory before the rest of Europe, particularly Serbia's powerful ally Russia, had time to react.

Upon receiving the ultimatum, Serbia appealed to Russia, whose council of ministers met on 24 July to determine a course of action. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Sazonov believed that Germany was using the crisis over the archduke's death as a pretext for starting a preventive war to defend its interests in the region. Russia ordered a secret, but noticed, partial mobilisation of its armed forces. This increased Serbia's willingness to defy the threat of an Austro-Hungarian attack and alarmed the German leadership, who had not anticipated the idea of needing to fight Russia before France.

While the world waited for Serbia's response, Germany worked diplomatically to contain the effects of the ultimatum, but none of the other great powers were inclined to see Austria-Hungary as acting alone. By 1914, the battle lines had been drawn in Europe: if Germany stood with Austria-Hungary against Serbia (and by extension, Russia) then Russia's allies, France and Britain, would be likely to step into the fray as well.

The Serbian campaign

Russia, which saw itself as Serbia's protector, began mobilising its military in response to the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum. On 28 July, the same day that Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia ordered a partial mobilisation of its troops, concentrating forces along its border with Galicia, the common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This prompted Germany to declare war on Russia on 1 August, and two days later, Germany's ally Turkey closed the Dardanelles to Allied shipping, drawing Britain into the conflict.

The campaign was marked by heavy fighting and significant casualties on both sides. The Austro-Hungarians launched a series of offensives, but the Serbs counter-attacked and managed to push them back. The Serbs also launched a number of raids into Austro-Hungarian territory, disrupting supply lines and capturing prisoners. However, by the end of 1914, the Serbian army was running low on supplies and ammunition, and they were forced to retreat to the south and west of the country.

In October 1915, combined Austro-German forces launched a new offensive against Serbia, and this time they were successful in breaking through the Serbian defences. The Serbian army was forced to retreat again, and by the end of the year, the Central Powers had occupied most of the country. The Serbian campaign ended with the capture of Belgrade in November 1915, although guerrilla resistance continued in the mountains until the end of the war.

Frequently asked questions