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The first part was signed by German Historian Guido Knopp, assisted by Susanne Stenner and Prof. Klaus Hildebrand. They had
This is, in my opinion, yet another very strong sign of God : either we wake up or we should be prepared to face nuclear holocaust soon.
Below some transcriptions of the film "Hurra! Es ist Krieg!"
- Schicksalstag 1. August 1914
The citizens of Berlin worry little about the eternal
European crisis and do not suspect that the far event of June 28, 1914,
will trigger the initial disaster of the XX century.
Countdown: still 33 days of peace.
The arms race everywhere becomes big business, thanks
to the Industrial Revolution.
General staff boss Von Moltke warns the emperor: " the
speed of russian armament is alarming. It remains no other alternative
then to strike while we are still able to."
1914 : War as a national goal is still justified. The
states stare at each other like predators.
Sarajevo, 28 June 1914. The car column gets lost, it must
turn. The bad star of the young XX century leads the throne successor couple
directly into the revolver of the Bosnian Serb murder.
The murder comes just at the right time for the Falcons
in Vienna. Finally it will be possible for them to
"show [their] power to the Serbs as well as to the Russians,
the ones pulling the strings on the background".
Berlin, July 2. The German Reich government expects an
urgent telegram from the German Ambassador in Vienna. The
text is coded. In Berlin it is decoded and transmitted to the emperor.What
Austria will undertake, will depend on their faithful German ally.
The German Ambassador reports: "In Vienna the opinion
is that the time to eliminate the Serbs has come. To place an unacceptable
ultimatum and then attack them with all means. He (the Ambassador) however,
wants to warn very seriously from the consequences of precipitation."
The emperor writes on the Ambassador report "who authorized
him? None of his business! The Serbs must
(underlined) be eliminated, and soon (underlined)!"
Franz Joseph considered his multiethnical
Empire to be turning always less and less governable. But now a
war against Serbia could change the direction. Yet for the case where Russia
would support Serbia, the backing from Berlin had to be ensured.
5 July, Vienna. The liberating response: Germany will
side with Vienna, in case of war against Russia. But things have to be
done quickly. Only rapid action against Serbia can limit the conflict.In
case of war, the Russians, according to their estimation, will need 6 weeks
for total mobilisation, while the German need only 15 days.
Political Berlin sleeps bad during this July 1914. Fast
victory? Questions avoided during the day, return and torment at night.
Austria delays the attack against Serbia by imposing
an ultimatum. Therefore the conflict threatens
to expand.
Like here on the yacht of the Czar (pictures of people
dancing), the powerful of Europe enjoy summer pleasures. Staged
normality. Dance on top of the volcano.
6 July. Prominent politicians and military are ordered
on vacation, so that it looks as if one pays the
Balkans crisis hardly any meaning. The world shall not suspect that
Germany is behind the revenge intentions of Vienna against Serbia.
July 1914 (pictures of people bathing). In Berlin as
well as elsewhere in Europe life goes its normal pace. How many crisis
took already place, and still peace has nevertheless not been broken.
Still 9 days of peace. Vienna places finally, July 23, an ultimatum, which is unacceptable to the Serbs. Only as a pretext for the attack. But on July 25, Serbia, against all expectations, accepts the ultimatum. July 27 : nevertheless Vienna decides to attack, in order to create accomplished facts. With the German green light.
July 28. Vienna declares war to Serbia and bombs Belgrade. Still 4 days until the first of August, the fatal day.
The Emperor is again in Berlin, hopes
that Russia does not feel enough strong to risk total war because of Serbia.
Even if the military are already dictating the course, William
and the Czar still believe that their family ties will prevent the approaching
tragedy. They call each other Willy and Nicky and telegraph in English.
The Russian Czar: I swear to you, in name of our old
friendship, the Allies will not go too far".
Still the same day, July 28, the emperor answers
the Czar: " Thinking about the intimate friendship which connects us so
firmly for such a long time, I will use all my means and influence, so
that the Austrians will find an agreement with you. Most sinceriously,
your faithful friend and cousin Willy ".
Wilhelm is only now informed that Serbia accepted the
substantial demands of Vienna, one day before. " In that case any reason
for a war ceases to exist! Stop bombing Belgrade!
"
To stop the war machine now? Has Wilhelm lost again his
nerves?
The chancellor wants to go all the way now. The chancellor
censors and falsifies the words of the emperor,
in the telegram transmitted to Vienna. It conceals that the emperor sees
no more a reason for war, that he thinks the poker of power has already
been won without war.
