#64: 4 August 1914 IV - The Final Countdown

With only hours left until the ultimatum expired, the mood in London and Berlin was anxious and excited. Was this truly it? Was the Anglo-German relationship now destined to die in a war over Belgium? Some could not bring themselves to believe it, but in London, the Cabinet was at least agreed. Once the clock struck 11PM, a war which had been impossible to imagine scarcely a few weeks ago was now the only possible policy. By now it was too late to stop the war, but who would declare it? Would Germany pre-empt Britain's ultimatum, and rip the bandage off herself? As the cheers rang out around Buckingham Palace, all that truly mattered was that, for the first time since perhaps 1815, the world was at war, and nothing would ever be the same again. Support the July Crisis series, join the conversation, and find out more through these links: Do you want ad-free episodes with scripts attached, and bonus content? Support us on Patreon and you can suggest July Crisis episodes! Join our Facebook group as we make our way through this fascinating series! Click here to see our July Crisis workspace in Perlego, you'll find every source you need! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to #64: 4 August 1914 IV - The Final Countdown online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

#64: 4 August 1914 IV - The Final Countdown is an episode from When Diplomacy Fails Podcast by Zack Twamley.

This episode is 36:19 long.

This episode was published on Jun 16, 2025.

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