" (No. 38.)
Austria, in other words, believed that to let the murder of her
heir-apparent pass unpunished would have meant a deathblow to her
prestige, and consequently, as any one familiar with her conditions will
agree, to her existence. Russia, on the other hand, on July 25 said (see
No. 17, report from Sir G. Buchanan) that she could not "allow (note the
word) Austria to crush Servia and become the predominant power in the
Balkans, and if she feels secure of the support of France, she will face
all the risks of war."
These two dispatches to Sir Edward Grey tell the whole story in a
nutshell. Austria believed, rightly or wrongly, that it was a question
of life or death for her, while Russia claimed the right of preventing
Austria from becoming the predominate power in the Balkans, and actually
threatened war. Russia did not claim to be concerned with the justice of
Austria's demands on Servia.
No such definite word of Russia's intention was sent to Germany, for on
July 26 Sir M. de Bunsen reported Germany's confident belief that
"Russia will keep quiet during the chastisement of Servia." (No. 32.
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