On July 25, 1914, in Russia, measures were decided for a partial mobilization of four districts (the "preparation period for war"), which came into force early on July 26.
Much has been talked about this initial decision by historians who attribute responsibility for the war on Russia. However, as Russian military commanders struggled to emphasize, this mobilization did not make war inevitable, although it is fair to say that the decision to start the preparation period for war "was the first Russian movement down [the] slippery slope" to war.
At the same time, the Russian government was willing to support Britain's mediation proposals and also pressured the British to decide whether they would participate in a possible war on the side of the Franco-Russian alliance.
The prospect of Russia's support was a great relief to Prime Minister Nikola Pašić in Belgrade, and it has been argued that Serbia's rejection of parts of the ultimatum may have been made on the basis of this support.
However, it would have been impossible for Pašić to accept all Austria-Hungary conditions, not only because of Serbia's recent military successes, but also because, as we have seen, they were deliberately designed to be unacceptable to a sovereign state. It could be said that the public would not have tolerated such a visible expression of weakness, even if the Prime Minister was inclined to accept it.
In addition, an investigation into the history of the murder would have led the Austrians to Dragutin Dimitrijević, the chief of Serbian military intelligence, and the organization "Mano black that had been behind the murder. The demand for an Austrian-led investigation was unacceptable because it would have revealed that the Serbian government, while not the instigator of the conspiracy, had prior knowledge of it and failed in its attempt to prevent the murder from occurring.
Just in the last minute, when it becomes clear that Britain would also be involved if war broke out, German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg tries to contain the Austrians, but her mediation proposals will come too late and, in any case, won't be overwhelming.
Meanwhile, German military commanders continue to encourage their peers in Vienna to take a quick step...

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