The Key Decision Makers and their Motives

• Austria-Hungary Decision makers:

  • Emperor Franz Joseph
  • Leopold Berchtold (Foreign Minister)
  • Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf (Chief of Staff)
• Austria-Hungary Motives:

  • Long-held desire to crush Serbia
  • Believed lack of action would expose the decline of their empire
  • Believed full mobilisation was needed or they would be exposed to an attack from Russia
• Germany Decision makers:

  • Kaiser Wilhelm II
  • Bethmann Hollweg (Chancellor)
  • Helmuth von Moltke (Chief of Staff)
• German Motives:

  • They were initially outraged by the assassination which prompted the ‘blank cheque’
  • Military officials wanted a small-scale war against Russia before its armies grew to large
  • Moltke was keen to show his authority in Germany
• Russia Decision makers:

  • Tsar Nicholas II
  • Sergey Sazonov (Foreign Minister)
• Russian Motives:

  • They were determined not to lose their title as ‘Protector of Slavs’
  • Generals asserted themselves onto Tsar and pushed for general mobilisation
  • Concerns over the strength of the Russian army may have convinced officials that mobilisation before the other Powers was better
• France Decision makers:

  • President Raymond Poincare
  • Rene Viviani (Prime Minister and Foreign Minister)
• French Motives:

  • Motivated by fear of a strong Germany and their want of revanche
  • They had to support Russia according to the terms of the Dual Alliance
  • Wanted to persuade Britain to announce support for France and Russia in the hope it would encourage Germany to back down
• Britain Decision makers:

  • Herbert Asquith (Prime Minister)
  • Edward Grey (Foreign Minister)
• British Motives:

  • Grey was mildly anti-German but mainly hoped to not make any commitments
  • Lloyd George was the highest-ranking cabinet member opposed to war, however, his opposition dropped after the invasion of Belgium
  • Defence of Belgium was an excuse not an actual binding