Serbia's Rejection: The Clauses Of Austria's Ultimatum

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914, was the catalyst for a series of diplomatic and military escalations among the major powers of Europe that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I. Austria-Hungary, believing that the Serbian government was complicit in the assassination, delivered an ultimatum to Serbia on 23 July 1914, comprising ten demands designed to be unacceptable and to provoke a war.

The ultimatum demanded that Serbia:

1. Formally and publicly condemn the dangerous propaganda against Austria-Hungary, which aimed to detach territories belonging to the Monarchy.

2. Suppress all publications that incite hatred and contempt for the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and are directed against its territorial integrity.

3. Dissolve the Serbian nationalist organisation Narodna Odbrana and all other such societies.

4. Eliminate from schoolbooks and public documents all propaganda against Austria-Hungary.

5. Remove from the Serbian military and civil administration all officers and functionaries whose names the Austro-Hungarian government will provide.

6. Accept in Serbia representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government for the suppression of subversive movements.

7. Bring to trial all accessories to the Archduke's assassination and allow Austro-Hungarian delegates to take part in the investigations.

8. Arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and civil servant Milan Ciganović, who were named as participants in the assassination plot.

9. Cease the cooperation of the Serbian authorities in the traffic in arms and explosives across the frontier; dismiss and punish the officials of Šabac and Loznica frontier service, guilty of having assisted the perpetrators of the Sarajevo crime.

10. Provide explanations to the Austro-Hungarian government regarding Serbian officials who have expressed themselves in interviews in terms of hostility to the Austro-Hungarian Government.

Serbia accepted all but two of the demands, agreeing to comply with the ultimatum in so far as is compatible with the criminal procedure and the constitution. Serbia rejected demands 5 and 6, which would have allowed Austro-Hungarian officials to operate within Serbia with impunity, effectively compromising Serbian sovereignty.

Serbia was accused of being the centre of a criminal agitation against Austria-Hungary

On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student and member of an organisation of national revolutionaries called Young Bosnia, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This assassination triggered a chain of events that embroiled Russia and the major European powers. This began a period of diplomatic manoeuvring among Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain called the July Crisis.

Austria-Hungary delivered the July Ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands intentionally made unacceptable to provoke a war with Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian government waited three weeks following the assassination before issuing its formal response to Serbia, which comprised a harsh ultimatum despatched on 23 July 1914. The ultimatum demanded that Serbia formally and publicly condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, the ultimate aim of which, it claimed, is to "detach from the Monarchy territories belonging to it". Moreover, Belgrade should "suppress by every means this criminal and terrorist propaganda". Most European foreign ministries recognised that the ultimatum was formulated in terms so harsh that the Serbs would be unable to accept it. Additionally, Serbia was only given 48 hours to comply.

Serbia was also accused of employing a large number of agents to carry on by every means the agitation against Austria-Hungary and corrupting the youth in the frontier provinces. The Austro-Hungarian government further claimed that since the recent Balkan crisis there had been a recrudescence of the spirit of conspiracy inherent in Serbian politicians, which had left such sanguinary imprints on the history of the kingdom. The letter also claimed that individuals belonging formerly to bands employed in Macedonia had come to place themselves at the disposal of the terrorist propaganda against Austria-Hungary.

Serbia was accused of employing a large number of agents to carry out anti-Austria-Hungary propaganda

On 23 July 1914, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum, giving them 48 hours to respond. The ultimatum was formulated in harsh terms, and most European foreign ministries recognised that the demands were so stringent that Serbia would be unable to accept them. The ultimatum was a response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

The ultimatum demanded that Serbia:

• Condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, which it claimed was aimed at detaching territories from the Monarchy.
• Suppress all publications that "incite hatred and contempt" of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
• Dissolve the Serbian nationalist organisation Narodna Odbrana.
• Eliminate references to Austria-Hungary from schoolbooks and public documents.
• Remove from the Serbian military and civil administration all officers and functionaries whose names the Austro-Hungarian government will provide.
• Accept in Serbia "representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government" to suppress subversive movements.
• Bring to trial all accessories to the assassination and allow Austro-Hungarian delegates to take part in the investigations.
• Arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and civil servant Milan Ciganović, who were named as participants in the plot.
• Cease the cooperation of Serbian authorities in the "traffic in arms and explosives" across the frontier.
• Provide "explanations" regarding "Serbian officials" who expressed themselves in interviews in terms of hostility to the Austro-Hungarian Government.
• Notify the Austro-Hungarian Government of the execution of the above measures.

Serbia's response to the ultimatum was vague and did not directly address many of the demands. While they agreed to some of the terms, they also included qualifications and reservations that essentially rejected the majority of the ultimatum's clauses. For example, while they agreed to suppress publications that incite hatred and contempt, they also stated that they would do so only if Austria-Hungary provided them with facts and proof.

Ultimately, Serbia's response was not enough to satisfy Austria-Hungary, and war was declared shortly afterwards.

Serbia was accused of not taking any steps to prevent the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On the 28th of June, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. This event triggered a chain of diplomatic manoeuvring among Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain, known as the July Crisis.

Austria-Hungary believed that the Serbian government was complicit in the assassination and, on the 23rd of July, delivered an ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands intentionally crafted to be unacceptable and provoke a war. The ultimatum was issued three weeks after the assassination and included the following:

• A formal condemnation of anti-Austrian propaganda.
• The suppression of all publications that incite hatred or contempt for the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
• The dissolution of the Serbian nationalist organisation, Narodna Odbrana.
• The removal of all Serbian military and civil officials who carried on propaganda against Austria-Hungary.
• The acceptance of representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government in Serbia to suppress subversive movements.
• A joint investigation into the assassination plot, with the participation of Austro-Hungarian officials.
• The arrest of Major Vojislav Tankosić and civil servant Milan Ciganović, who were named as participants in the assassination plot.
• The cessation of the cooperation of Serbian authorities in the trafficking of arms and explosives across the frontier.
• The provision of explanations regarding Serbian officials who expressed themselves in interviews in terms of hostility to the Austro-Hungarian Government.
• Notification to the Austro-Hungarian Government of the execution of the measures demanded in the ultimatum.

Serbia agreed to eight of the ten demands but rejected demands 5 and 6, which would have allowed Austro-Hungarian officials to operate in Serbia with unlimited powers, compromising Serbian sovereignty. Serbia's rejection of these demands and its acceptance of the others with qualifications and conditions was seen as a rejection of the ultimatum, and Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on the 28th of July, 1914.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand heightened tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia and led to a series of diplomatic manoeuvrings and military escalations that ultimately resulted in the outbreak of World War I.

Serbia was accused of not appreciating Austria-Hungary's friendship

The Austro-Hungarian government waited three weeks following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne – before issuing its formal response to Serbia. The response took the form of a harsh ultimatum, sent on 23 July 1914. The Austro-Hungarian government was aware that the terms of the ultimatum might appear designed to prompt an inevitable Serbian rejection and, thus, provide a plausible excuse to go to war against Serbia. As such, an explanatory letter was sent to each of the major European powers, attached to a copy of the ultimatum.

The letter accused Serbia of failing to appreciate Austria-Hungary's friendship and goodwill. It claimed that, since the recent Balkan crisis, there had been a "recrudescence of the spirit of conspiracy" in Serbian politics, which had left "sanguinary imprints" on the history of the kingdom. The letter also alleged that Serbia had become the centre of a "criminal agitation" and that Serbian journalism was almost entirely given over to anti-Austrian-Hungarian propaganda.

The letter went on to claim that Serbia had failed to take any steps to curb the anti-Austrian-Hungarian sentiment within its borders and that this was in direct opposition to the will of Europe and the undertakings given to Austria-Hungary. It stated that the patience of the Imperial and Royal Government had been inspired by the territorial disinterestedness of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the hope that Serbia would, eventually, come to appreciate Austria-Hungary's friendship.

In reality, the Austro-Hungarian government had been plotting war with Serbia for some time. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was simply a convenient excuse. The ultimatum was intentionally drafted to be unacceptable to the Serbs, in order to provide a pretext for war.

Serbia was accused of not taking steps to suppress the incendiary movement threatening Austria-Hungary

The Austro-Hungarian government waited three weeks after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, before issuing an ultimatum to Serbia. The ultimatum was sent on 23 July 1914 and was accompanied by an explanatory letter addressed to the major European powers. The letter accused Serbia of failing to take steps to suppress the "incendiary movement threatening Austria-Hungary".

The letter stated that, since the Balkan crisis, Serbia had become the centre of a "criminal agitation" against the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It accused Serbia of forming societies and groups whose members included government officials, judges, generals and diplomats, with the aim of creating disorder on Austro-Hungarian territory. It also accused Serbian journalism of stirring up hatred and contempt for the Monarchy.

The letter further claimed that Serbia had failed to take any steps to curb the agitation, and that this failure went against the will of Europe and the undertakings given to Austria-Hungary. It said that the patience of the Austro-Hungarian government was inspired by its territorial disinterestedness and the hope that Serbia would eventually appreciate its friendship. However, Serbia's continued tolerance of the propaganda on its territory demonstrated to the whole world that Serbia was not a friend to the Monarchy.

The letter concluded by stating that the Austro-Hungarian government felt compelled to take urgent steps to induce the Serbian government to stop the incendiary movement threatening the security and integrity of the Monarchy. It expressed confidence that it would find itself in full agreement with the sentiments of all civilised nations, who could not permit regicide to become a weapon employed with impunity in political strife.

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