Sarajevo murder or murder in Sarajevo is one of the most high-profile murders XX century, stands practically alongside the assassination of US President J. Kennedy. The murder happened 28 june 1914 years in the city of Sarajevo (now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina). The victim of the murder was the heir to the Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand, and with him his wife, Countess Sophia Gogenberg, was killed.
The murder was committed by a group of six terrorists, but only one person, Gavrilo Princip, fired the shots.

Reasons for the murder of Franz Ferdinand

Murder planning

Murder

Consequences of the murder

On June 28, 1914, as a result of a terrorist operation in Sarajevo, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, was killed. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the apotheosis of a provocation, thanks to which Russia managed to drag the whole world into war.

The war was necessary for Russia, which, as always, was looking for an excuse to realize 3 good goals:

1. Take back Ukrainian Galicia
2. Return East Prussia.
3. Take back Constantinople and establish control over the Straits

Everything for this war was developing as well as possible. Germany, which owned Prussia, was in a military alliance with Austria-Hungary, which owned Galicia, and both of these countries, in fact, became allies of Turkey, which controlled the straits.

Russia, by that time, was an ally of France and Great Britain, the last of which any flirtation with Turkey was contrary to its economic interests.

All that remained for Russia was to somehow blow up the situation, find a pretext for war, and I must say that it was found very correctly.

They decided to play on the rules of knightly ethics. On, one might say, the romantic ideas of the monarchs about honor and dignity, and therefore decided to kill the future heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Which was extremely dangerous for the defender of all Slavs, Mother Russia.

The Archduke was going to reform the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the direction of expanding the rights of the Slavs living in it, which would destroy the myth of Pan-Slavism, Yugoslavism, and Pan-Rusism created over the years. In fact, after his reforms, Russia had no chance of gaining power over the region.

The assassination of the archduke did not get people from the street. This terrorist act was carried out by the Bosnian organization Mlado Bosna, which was created, trained, armed and set on the path of the true foreign intelligence of Serbia, supervised and financed from Russia.

The notorious Apis Colonel Dragutin Dmitrievich was in charge of Serbian intelligence.

Apis has already managed to prove himself, serving for the good of Russia. It was under his leadership that representatives of the royal couple of the then ruling Obrenovic dynasty were brutally killed in 1903, as well as the Prime Minister of Serbia Dimitrie Tsintsar-Markovic and Defense Minister Milovan Pavlovic.

In fact, under the leadership of Apis, Russia managed to overthrow the government uncontrolled by her and put her puppets in power, who unquestioningly carry out all her orders.

The heroic act of Apis was perfectly described by the Russian journalist V. Teplov:

The Serbs covered themselves not only with the shame of regicide, which in itself does not allow two opinions, but also with their truly brutal manner of actions in relation to the corpses of the Royal Couple they killed.

After Alexander and Draga fell, the assassins continued to shoot at them and chop their corpses with sabers: they struck the King with six shots from a revolver and 40 blows of a saber, and the Queen with 63 blows of a saber and two revolver bullets. The Queen was almost completely chopped off, her chest was cut off, her stomach was opened, her cheeks, her arms were also cut, the cuts between the fingers were especially large - the Queen probably grabbed the saber with her hands when she was killed, which apparently refutes the doctors' opinion that she was killed immediately.

In addition, her body was covered with numerous bruises from the blows of the heels of the officers who trampled on her.

I prefer not to talk about other abuse of Draghi's corpse, to such an extent they are monstrous and disgusting.

When the murderers made fun of the defenseless corpses, they threw them through the window into the palace garden, and Draghi's corpse was completely naked

After a very successful coup, Dragutin Dmitrievich headed the intelligence of Serbia, and was the curator, founder and ideological inspirer of the Black Hand terrorist organization, he also supervised the terrorists from Mladá Bosna.

The black hand, which was headed by Dmitrievich, Mlada Bosnu, and other nationalist organizations, was supervised and financed by the military intelligence of Russia, and personally by the Russian ambassador to Belgrade, Nikolai Genrikhovich Hartwig. The fact that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the work of Colonel Dmitrievich is understandable, if only because immediately before the assassination attempt, Colonel Dmitrievich met with Hartwig, from whom he received the last instructions for carrying out the terrorist attack.

The mission of Mlado Bosna, and the Black Hand, was the unification of all South Slavic peoples: Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, Montenegrins, into Great Serbia, a kind of Great Russia in miniature.

The financing of Serbian terrorists and many other terrorist organizations was beneficial only to Russia, since it was with the hands of local nationalists that it cleared the way for its army to occupy the region, while remaining, as it were, out of work.

After the terrorist attack in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary had no choice but to present an ultimatum to Serbia.

Serbia was tasked with rejecting the ultimatum in any case, so that Austria-Hungary, acting in accordance with knightly etiquette, had no choice but to declare war on Serbia.

Russia played on the knighthood of the House of Habsburgs, for which fair retribution became a matter of honor.

And since, according to a previously developed plan, France and Russia have unequivocally declared that in the event of war they will side with Serbia, Germany has no choice but to side with an ally. Again, for Germany it was a matter of honor.

What did such a skillfully planned provocation lead to, you know

On June 28, 1914, in the center of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife were killed. The assassination attempt led to a chain of events that a month later plunged all the leading states of the world into a protracted war that buried the old patriarchal Europe. Despite the fact that the details of the murder of Franz-Ferdinand are thoroughly known to researchers, a huge number of "blank spots" are associated with it. It is still unclear who was pushing the "Black Hand", for what reason minimal security measures were not taken in Sarajevo, and, finally, who would benefit from disturbing the peace of "old Europe".

Murder June 28, 1914

Sarajevo was the capital of Bosnia for about 500 years and still remains its main city. It is squeezed into a narrow valley at the foot of high hills. In the center of the city there is a small river Milyaka, which half dries up in summer. In the old part of the city, near the cathedral, the streets are crooked and narrow. But Appel Embankment, now called Stepanovich Embankment, is a wide street with houses on one side and a low barrier on the side of the Milyaki River embankment. The embankment leads to the town hall and is connected by several bridges to the other side of the city, where the main mosques and the residence of the governor or Konak are located. On the Appel embankment, where the Archduke and his wife were supposed to pass, Ilic placed the assassins, to whom he had distributed bombs and revolvers a few hours earlier.

Mehmetbashich, Vazo Chubrinovich and Gabrinovich stood by the river, near the Kumurya bridge. Ilic and Popovich were on the opposite side of the street, near the Austro-Hungarian bank. Further along the embankment was Princip, who first took a place at the Latin Bridge. After Gabrinovich's assassination, when the archduke was in the town hall, he crossed the embankment and stood at the corner of the narrow, winding Franz Josef Street, now called King Peter Street, where the murder took place. Farther in the direction of the town hall Grabets walked, looking for a convenient place where the police would not interfere with him.

On Sunday 28 June 1914, St. Vitus's Day, the weather was wonderful in the morning. At the request of the mayor, the streets were decorated with flags in honor of the Archduke, and his portraits were displayed in many windows. Large crowds of people stood in the streets to watch his passage. The public was not pushed aside, and the streets were not cordoned off by soldiers, as was done in 1910, when Franz Joseph visited the city. Some loyal newspapers greeted the Archduke's arrival, but the main Serbian newspaper Narod contented itself with a simple announcement of his arrival and devoted the rest of the issue to patriotic articles on the significance of St. Vitus and the Battle of Kosovo. In addition, the newspaper published a portrait of the Serbian king Peter, painted in national Serbian colors.

Franz Ferdinand and his retinue arrived in Sarajevo from Elidze at about 10 am. After reviewing the local troops, they went by car to the town hall, where, according to the program, a solemn reception was to take place. The heir to the throne was in full dress, with all orders, his wife was in a white dress and wide-brimmed hat and sat next to him. On the bench opposite them sat the military governor of Bosnia, General Potiorek, pointing out the sights they passed by. The mayor and the chief of police were driving ahead in another car. Behind there were two more cars, in which sat different persons belonging to the suite of the Archduke and to the headquarters of General Potiorek.

Just as they were approaching the Kumurya bridge and Potiorek drew the archduke's attention to some new, recently erected barracks, Gabrinovich hit the bomb head off with a blow on the pole, took a step forward and threw the bomb into the archduke's car. The chauffeur, who noticed him, drove quickly, the bomb fell on the folded top of the car and slid down onto the pavement. According to another version, Franz-Ferdinand grabbed the bomb with extreme composure and threw it into the street. It exploded with a terrible roar, damaging the car following the Archduke, seriously injuring Lieutenant Colonel Moritz and several bystanders.

Gabrinovich jumped over the parapet of the embankment into the river, which almost dries up at this time of year. He tried to escape, but police agents quickly grabbed him and took him for interrogation. Meanwhile, a fourth car, which had just broken its front glass, drove around the damaged car and quickly drove up to the Archduke's car. No one was hurt there, and only the Archduke had a scratch on his face, apparently from a blown off bomb cover. The Archduke ordered all cars to stop in order to find out the extent of the damage caused. Upon learning that the wounded had already been sent to the hospital, he said with his usual composure and courage: “Let's go, it was crazy. Gentlemen, we will carry out our program. "

The cars drove towards the town hall, at first quickly, and then slower by the order of the archduke so that the archduke could be better seen. At the town hall, the wife of the archduke was greeted by a deputation of Mohammedan women, while the archduke was to receive civilian officials. The mayor, who wrote his greeting, began to read it as if nothing had happened. But the speech he had composed was not very appropriate for the moment. It spoke of the loyalty of the Bosnian population and the exceptional joy with which it welcomes the heir to the throne. Franz Ferdinand, by his nature easily excitable and unrestrained, abruptly cut off the mayor: “Enough! What is it? I come to you, and you meet me with bombs. " But, despite this, he nevertheless allowed the mayor to read his welcoming speech to the end, and with this the formal reception in the town hall ended.

The question arose whether it was necessary to follow the previously established program, according to which it was supposed to drive along the narrow Franz Josef Street to a densely populated part of the city and visit the museum, or, in order to avoid a new possible assassination attempt, go directly to the governor's palace on the other side of the river, where breakfast was awaiting guests. The Archduke expressed an insistent desire to visit the hospital to inquire about the state of health of the officer who had been wounded by Gabrinovich's bomb. General Potiorek and the chief of police considered it very unlikely that a second assassination attempt would follow on the same day. But as punishment for the first attempt and out of caution, it was decided that the cars should not follow the original route, along the narrow Franz Josef Street, but should quickly drive to the hospital and museum along the Appel embankment. After that, the Archduke, his wife and the others got into the car in the same order as before, and only Count Harrach stood on the left step of the Archduke's car to protect him in the event of an attack on the embankment from Milyaki. When we approached Franz Josef Street, the mayor's car driving in front turned into this street, following the original route. The Archduke's chauffeur followed him, but then Potiorek shouted: "We went wrong, go straight along the Appel embankment!" The driver braked the car in order to turn back. Just at the very corner where the car stopped for one fatal moment, there was Princip, who crossed there from the embankment, where he had stood before. This coincidence of circumstances created extremely favorable conditions for him. He took a step forward and fired twice. One bullet hit the Archduke's neck, causing blood to flow from his mouth like a fountain; another (probably intended for Potiorek

The twentieth century began exactly one hundred years ago. In the hot summer of 1914, the Peace Palace opened in the Netherlands, and in August the cannons began to speak. The immediate reason for this was that on June 28, 1914, the heir to the crown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand, was killed in Sarajevo.

Archduke was to replace the Habsburg throne Franz Joseph I, who ruled the empire for 68 years. It was under him in 1867 that Austria became a dualistic monarchy - Austria-Hungary (that is, the emperor began to be crowned in Budapest as a Hungarian king). The country was divided into Cisleitania and Translatedia (along the Leite River) between the Austrian and Hungarian possessions.

However, many unresolved national issues remained in the monarchy, the main of which remained the Slavic one. Poles, Ukrainians, Rusyns, Croats, Slovenes, Czechs, Slovaks and Serbs did not have their own statehood.

Some peoples, in particular the Poles, strove to create their own state, some - Czechs and Croats - were ready to be content with broad autonomy.

This issue was especially topical in the Balkan Peninsula, where radical changes took place in the last quarter of the 19th century. Independent Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania appeared, immediately entering into territorial disputes between themselves and with the former metropolis of Turkey. In Vojvodina, Krajina and northeastern Croatia, Serbs constituted a significant percentage of the population and sought to reunite with young Serbia (which became independent after the Russian-Turkish war in 1878 by decision Berlin Congress).

The problem of Bosnia and Herzegovina also added sharpness. These two provinces were occupied by Austria-Hungary after Berlin, and annexed in October 1908. The local Serb population, however, did not accept the annexation. Moreover, then the world stood on the brink of war: Serbia and Montenegro announced mobilization in the October days, and only the mediation of five countries (Russia, Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy) did not allow the conflict to start.

The Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire then understood that Russia was not ready for war. As a result, by March 1909, St. Petersburg and Belgrade recognized the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Vienna.

The Bosnian crisis was not the only harbinger of global conflict. Since 1895, when the conflict between Japan and China began, there have been local wars or armed incidents in the world. Russia in January 1904 began a war with Japan, which ended in a devastating defeat. By 1907, two blocs had formed in Europe: the Entente ("Hearty Accord") - the military-political alliance of Russia, England and France and the "Central Powers" (Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary). Traditional Marxist historiography viewed the Entente as a force seeking to preserve the order of things existing in Europe and the world, seeing in Germany and her allies young wolves wanting to get their share.

However, in addition to this, each country had its own local geopolitical interests, including in the explosive Balkan region. Russia has repeatedly reaffirmed its desire to seize the Black Sea straits of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. Austria-Hungary sought to prevent irredentist sentiments among Serbs and Croats in the lands of the crown. Germany wanted to advance to the Middle East, which needed a strong rear in the Balkans. As a result, any excess on the hot peninsula led to a new round of tension.

Peculiarities of the National Hunt

In addition, it should be noted that the beginning of the 20th century was the golden age of political terrorism.

In almost every country, radical organizations used explosions and gunfire for political struggle.

In Russia, the organizations of the socialist revolutionaries () were especially distinguished on this front. In 1904, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Empire, Vyacheslav Pleve, was killed by a bomber, and in 1905, the governor-general of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, was killed by militants. Terrorists were active not only in Russia: the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucchini in 1898 killed the wife of I Elizabeth of Bavaria (also known as Sissi). Terrorist attacks have become a part of life in southern Europe - in Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Naturally, Serbian activists also used these methods.

Since 1911, the nationalist organization "Black Hand" has been operating in Serbia, striving to unite the Serbian lands into Yugoslavia. It included high-ranking officers of the country, so the authorities were afraid of "black-handed".

It is still unclear to what extent the activities of the Black Hand were controlled by the special services, but it is clear that no consent was given in Belgrade to actions in Bosnia.

Anti-Austrian activists in this province were partly part of the Young Bosnia organization. It originated in 1912 and aimed to liberate the provinces from Vienna. Sarajevo student Gavrila Principle became one of its members.

Fireworks and bomb

It should be added that Franz Ferdinand spoke from the standpoint of trialism, that is, he believed that Austria-Hungary should also become a state of the South Slavs under the Habsburg crown - first of all, this would hit the positions of the Hungarians and the numerous Hungarian nobility who owned lands in Croatia, Slovakia and Transcarpathia.

It cannot be said that the heir to the throne was a "hawk" and a supporter of war - on the contrary, he tried to look for peaceful ways out of the crisis, understanding the difficult internal situation in the country.

It is believed that both Serbia and Russia were aware of the desire of the terrorists to shoot the Archduke during his visit to Sarajevo. For them, his arrival on June 28 was an insult: after all, on this day, the Serbs celebrated the anniversary of the defeat by the Turks in battle on the field of Kosovo ... However, the heir to the throne decided to show the power of the Austrian army and conduct maneuvers in Sarajevo. The first bomb was thrown at him in the morning, but it did no harm.

The already mentioned Principle, having learned about the failure of the assassination attempt, went to the center of Sarajevo, where, seizing the moment, shot Franz Ferdinand at close range. He also killed his wife Sophia.

The reaction to the murder was riots in Sarajevo. In addition to Serbs, representatives of other peoples lived in the city, in particular, Bosnian Muslims. During the pogroms in the city, at least two people were killed, cafes and shops belonging to the Serbs were destroyed.

The world community reacted actively to the death of Ferdinand. The front pages of the newspapers were dedicated to this event. However, there were no direct consequences after the murder - only in mid-July, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia. According to this document, Serbia had to close down the anti-Austrian organizations operating on its territory, dismiss officials involved in anti-Austrian activities. However, there was one more point in it - on the admission of the investigation team from Vienna to investigate the murder.

Belgrade refused to accept it - and this was the beginning of the great war.

The question of who exactly could be behind the murder in Sarajevo is still being discussed. Some, noting the strange relaxation of the archduke's guards, believe that the radicals from the Viennese court could have killed the potential federalist monarch. However, the most popular theory is about the Serbian bombers.

The war began only a month later, in late July - early August 1914. However, after the fact, the assassination of Ferdinand became a symbol of the end of peaceful pre-war European life. "They killed our Ferdinand" , - with these words the anti-war "Adventures of the gallant soldier Švejk" by Jaroslav Hasek begins.

On June 28, 1914, the Austrian Archduke (heir to the throne) Franz Ferdinand was killed in Sarajevo (Bosnia). The attempt on his life was carried out by the Serbian youth revolutionary organization Young Bosnia (Mlada Bosna), led by Gavrila Princip and Danil Ilic.

This murder became a formal pretext.

Why did the war start?

Three shots, which led to the death of the heir to the Austrian throne, together with his wife Sofia, could in no way lead to such a catastrophic result as the beginning of a European war. The big war could have started much earlier. There were two Moroccan crises (1905-1906, 1911), two Balkan wars (1912-1913). Germany openly threatened France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to mobilize several times. However, Russia has always taken a restraining position. She was also supported by Britain, not yet ready for a big war. As a result, the Central Powers hesitated to start a war. Conferences of great powers were convened, conflicts were resolved politically and diplomatically. True, from crisis to crisis, Germany and Austria-Hungary became more and more impudent. Berlin's readiness to make concessions and seek compromises began to be perceived in Berlin as proof of Russia's weakness. In addition, the German Kaiser believed that the armed forces of the empire, especially the navy, were not ready for war. Germany adopted a large-scale naval program, challenging the British. Berlin now wanted not only to defeat France, but to seize its colonies, and this needed a powerful fleet.

In Berlin, they were confident of victory on the land front. The Schlieffen plan, based on the difference in the timing of mobilization in Germany and Russia, made it possible to defeat the French troops before the Russian armies entered the battle. Given the highest readiness of the German army for war (the command of the fleet asked for more time), the date for the start of the war - the summer of 1914, was outlined in advance. This date was announced at a meeting of Emperor Wilhelm II with the military leadership on December 8, 1912 (the topic of the meeting: "The best time and method of deploying a war"). The same period - the summer of 1914 - was indicated in 1912-1913. in the reports of Russian agents in Germany and Switzerland Bazarov and Gurko. German military programs, originally calculated up to 1916, were revised - with completion by the spring of 1914. The German leadership believed that Germany was the best prepared for war. Considerable attention in the plans of Berlin and Vienna was given to the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkans were to be the main prizes of Austria-Hungary. Back in 1913, the German Kaiser noted in the margin of his report on the situation in the Balkan region that a "good provocation" was required. Indeed, the Balkans were a true "powder magazine" of Europe (as it is now). The reason for the war was easiest to find here. Back in 1879, after the Russian-Turkish war, all the prerequisites for future armed conflicts were created. The Balkan states, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia and England were involved in the conflict. In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which formally belonged to Istanbul. However, Belgrade also claimed these lands. In 1912-1913. two Balkan wars thundered. As a result of a series of wars and conflicts, almost all countries and peoples were dissatisfied: Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Austria-Hungary. There were great powers behind each side of the conflict. The region has become a real breeding ground for the games of special services, terrorists, revolutionaries and outright bandits. One after another, secret organizations were created - "Black Hand", "Mlada Bosna", "Freedom" and others.

Gavrila Princip, the nineteen-year-old Serb who killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, Duchess Sophia

Yet Berlin only thought about provocation; the real reason for the war for the Germans was created by the terrorist-nationalist organization "Black Hand" ("Unity or Death"). It was headed by the head of the Serbian counterintelligence, Colonel Dragutin Dmitrievich (pseudonym "Apis"). The members of the organization were patriots of their homeland and enemies of Austria-Hungary and Germany, dreamed of building a "Great Serbia". The problem was that Dmitrievich, Tankosic and other leaders of the Black Hand were not only Serbian officers, but also members of Masonic lodges. While Apis was directly planning and directing operations, there were other leaders who remained in the shadows. Among them is the Serbian minister L. Chupa, a prominent hierarch of "free masons". He was associated with Belgian and French Masonic circles. It was he who stood at the origins of the organization, oversaw its activities. The propaganda was carried out with purely patriotic, Pan-Slavist slogans. And to achieve the main goal - the creation of "Great Serbia", could only be through war, with the obligatory participation of Russia. It is clear that the “behind-the-scenes structures” of that time (Masonic lodges were part of them) were leading Europe into a big war, which was supposed to lead to the construction of the New World Order.

The organization had a huge influence in Serbia, created branches in Bosnia, Macedonia, Bulgaria. King of Serbia Peter I Karageorgievich and Prime Minister Nikola Pasic did not share the views of the "Black Hand", but the organization was able to achieve great influence among the officers, it had its own people in the government, assembly and at court.

It was not by chance that the victim of the terrorist attack was chosen. Franz Ferdinand was a tough realist in politics. Back in 1906, he drew up a plan for the transformation of the dualistic monarchy. This project, if implemented, could prolong the life of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, reducing the degree of interethnic contradictions. According to him, the monarchy was transformed into the United States of Great Austria - a triune state (or Austro-Hungarian-Slavia), 12 national autonomies were established for each major nationality that lived in the Habsburg empire. The ruling dynasty and the Slavic peoples benefited from the reform of the monarchy from a dualistic to a trialist model. The Czech people received their autonomous state (modeled on Hungary). The heir to the Austrian throne did not like the Russians, and even more Serbs, but Franz Ferdinand was categorically against the preventive war with Serbia and the conflict with Russia. In his opinion, such a conflict was fatal for both Russia and Austria-Hungary. His elimination untied the hands of the "war party".

An interesting fact is that before the actual assassination attempt, terrorists are brought to Belgrade, they are trained in shooting in the shooting range of the royal park, armed with revolvers and bombs (Serbian production) from the state arsenal. As if the evidence that the terrorist act was organized by Serbia is being specially created. On July 15, 1914, as a result of an internal political crisis (a palace coup), the military forced King Peter to abdicate in favor of his son Alexander, who was young, inexperienced and, in part, was under the influence of the conspirators.

Apparently, Belgrade and Vienna also clashed certain circles in Austria-Hungary. The Serbian Prime Minister and the Russian Ambassador to Serbia, Hartwig, through their agents learned about the preparation of the assassination attempt. Both tried to prevent it and warned the Austrians. However, the Austrian government did not cancel Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo and did not take proper measures to ensure his safety. So, on June 28, 1914, there were two assassination attempts (the first was unsuccessful). The bomb thrown by Nedelko Gabrinovich killed the driver and wounded several people. This assassination attempt was not a pretext for strengthening the protection or the immediate evacuation of the Archduke from the city. Therefore, the terrorists got a second opportunity, which was successfully implemented. Berlin took this murder as an excellent excuse for war. The German Kaiser, having received a message about the death of the Archduke, wrote on the margin of the telegram: "Now or never." And he ordered Moltke to begin preparations for an operation against France. England took an interesting position: if Russia and France took diplomatic steps towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, the British were evasive and aloof. London did not besiege the Germans, did not promise support to the allies. As a result, the Kaiser was of the opinion that England decided to stay away from the fight. This was not surprising given London's traditional European policy. The German ambassador to England, Likhnevsky, met with British Foreign Secretary Gray and confirmed this conclusion - Britain will not interfere. However, the British intervened, but with a serious delay. This happened on August 5, when the German corps had already crushed Belgium, and it was impossible to stop the carnage. For Berlin, Britain's entry into the war came as a surprise.