WAR—August 4

King George, Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales after the declaration of war on August 4.

Britain sent a message to Germany repeating, as Prime Minister Asquith said, "the request made last week to the German Government that they should give us the same assurance in regard to Belgian neutrality that was given to us and Belgium by France last week." A deadline of midnight in Berlin (11 p.m. in London) was given for a reply.

It's unlikely that many people on either side thought the British ultimatum would have any effect. Things had gone too far. The ultimatum was a casus belli to justify Britain going to war. Bethmann Hollweg certainly thought so, he believed that the treaty assuring Belgian neutrality had the value of a "scrap of paper," and that Britain was going to war for her own interests.

Sir Edward Grey came very close to confirming this perspective in a conversation with the American Ambassador. He said, "The issue for us is, that if Germany wins, she will dominate France…she will dominate the whole of Western Europe, and this will make our position quite impossible. We could not exist as a first class State under such circumstances."

As 11 p.m. came and went, the British Government issued a statement: "Owing to the summary rejection by the German Government of the request made by his Majesty's Government for assurances that the neutrality of Belgium will be respected, his Majesty's Ambassador to Berlin has received his passports, and his Majesty's Government declared to the German Government that a state of war exists between Great Britain and Germany as from 11 p.m. on August 4, 1914."