100 years since The Great War

On this day a century ago started the First World War, a month after the assassination in Sarajevo, which killed throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. 

Austria-Hungary was the 28th of July  2014, declared war to Serbia, and thus, as it turned out, he started the First World War. A declaration of war was sent to Belgrade in the morning, an ordinary telegraph post. The telegramcontained three sentences. 

The first stated that the Serbian government is not "satisfactorily responded to the letter" in Vienna, submitted on 23 July, that the ultimatum. Then followed the view that hence the Austro-Hungarian Empire "forced to rely on the forceof arms," and the third, the last sentence was: "Austria-Hungary believe that as of this moment is at war with Serbia." 

The next day, Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, released a declaration of war "people" of his country, in which he stated that he was forced "to tackle the sword in defense of honor", and that "the imperial-royal government attempted to calm way to resolve the dispute, "but without success, and to someone else's guilty".The goverment officials in Vienna were assassinated in Sarajevo used them as an excuse to go to the showdown with Serbia, convinced that Serbia would be quickly defeated, and it would be a "small war "that will very soon to be completed successfully. 

Therefore the text note or ultimatum Baron Giesl delivered the Serbian government on July 23, was worded so that meant it is almost impossible that any sovereign country to accept what it is required. The goal, certainly, was it to be rejected, as evidenced by the fact that Baron Giesl, when he was on July 25, Nikola Pasić, gave a veryconciliatory response serbian government immediately responded that he was "not satisfactory". 

This was followed by an official letter to the Austrian Minister Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of identical content, and embassy staff and Baron Giesl soon after that night left the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia. As to this act took the severance of diplomatic relations, the government of the Kingdom of Serbia announced, also in a veryconciliatory tone, a manifesto in which he stated: 
"Trusting in the help of God, in his justice and friendship in the great country that we are convinced they want also tokeep the peace, we hope that it will end the conflict peacefully, but as the Austro-Hungarian Minister said tonight on behalf of his government was not satisfied with our response, and finally breaks off diplomatic relations, the government of the Serbian forced to, just in case, just take the most necessary military measures to defend the country. considered a duty to invite the people to defend the homeland, believing that our patriotic call each happy tooblige. If we were attacked, the military will do my duty ... ". 

The following day, on July 26, followed by the mobilization, on the same day it announced the mobilization. Actaully decree on the mobilization of the entire army was issued on July 25 to 22 hours, and for the first day of mobilization was determined after 26 jul. Promptly formed the Supreme Command of the serbian army led by general found Stepa Stepanović, as agent currently absent Duke Radomir Putnik; team immediately moved into the interior of the country, in Kragujevac, as Belgrade was located right on the border line. 

At the same time came the order is that the court, the government, state government offices, the vaults of the National Bank, State Archives and Press office, operating inside of country. A decision of the government in Viennato go to war was preceded by the support of Germany, such as the 7 July at the ministerial meeting Vienna decided to send a note with Serbia would be unacceptable content, which is then worked out at a meeting. It was supposed that Berlin and Vienna was that they be able to instantly make the mobilization and concentration of power, beforethe French, especially the Russians. 

It was intended to be a lightning thrust through Belgium, broke France. The German goverment believed to be repeat scenario of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. when France defeated tremendously. Only then they were going to get all the power to direct Russia. A day after the declaration of war, on July 29, regent Aleksandar Karadjordjević issued a proclamation to the people:

 
"In our Serbia assaulted is a great evil. Austrougarska has declared war (...) I am compelled to call all my dear andbrave Serbs under the Serbian flag ..." That on July 29, the Russian Tsar Nicholas II issued a partial mobilization. The next day, 30 July, Germany has introduced a general mobilization on 1 August declared war to Russia. Already on August 2, Germany invaded Luxembourg, andon August 3, declared war to France. Because Belgium rejected the German request for transit through its territory, Germany declared war on August 4 and Belgium, then immediately United Kingdom, due to non-compliance withthe German neutrality of Belgium, on August 4, 1914. declared war to Germany. The Great War begins, later known as the First World War.

We must remember the 18 million dead and morn them but in the same voice denounce all those that started it, all those that escalated it and perpetuated it and all those who would glorify it.

Indeed! The Dutch really got nailed in WW2 though! 

BTW 2 great prog albums on the subject of the Great War

Xang- The Last of Lasts

Freedom to Glide- Rain

All the horrors and negative things that were associated with it, well sounds quite familiar even now in 2014. 

I reckon physical things and motives change, so much comes and goes...but human nature is immutable 

Yes, I grew up with a lot of WW2 stories, both from books as from my grandfather.

I later heard that both my parents were into the resistance.

There's another prog album on WW1: 1914 by Dutch (!) neo prog band Arkus.

The album is musically not very challenging but it has good melodies.