A Dawning Realization—July 29

One thing the tsar did when not sending telegrams to the Kaiser.

On July 29, Austrian artillery began bombarding Belgrade. The Tsar ordered partial Russian mobilization and Britain ordered her fleet to their war stations. These were precautions, none of the major powers had yet declared war on another, but the realistic possibility that Europe was standing on the brink seems to have suddenly dawned on several people.

Germany sent a secret message to Britain suggesting that if she remained neutral, Germany would take no territory from France except her colonies. Edward Grey rejected the idea. The Tsar sent a telegram in English to the Kaiser: "To try and avoid such a calamity as a European War, I beg you in the name of our old friendship to do what you can to stop your allies going too far."

That telegram crossed one from the Kaiser to the Tsar, also in English: I am exerting my utmost influence to induce the Austrians to deal straightly to arrive at a satisfactory understanding with you." The Tsar proposed international mediation. The Kaiser offered to help promote Russian/Austrian understanding.

It was too late. Austria had no intention of stopping and the enthusiasm for the war was taking hold. In Berlin, Horace Rumbold noted, "there is an indescribable feeling of excitement in the air."