Excerpt from War Speeches, 1914-1917
It has long been established on irrefutable evidence that the murder of the Austrian Archduke in June 1914, though ostensibly the breaking of the twig which launched the avalanche of the world-war in the August following, was really but an excuse for the carrying out of plans which had been maturing for at least two previous decades.
Signor Giolitti in his speech before the Italian Chamber of Deputies on the 5th December 1914 disposed, once and for all, of the idea that the murder of the Austrian Archduke and his wife was more than a pretext for Austria"s attack on Serbia, if, indeed, any one remained to be convinced on the point. In the course of his speech he said:
"During the Balkan War, on the 9th August 1913, about a year before the present war broke out, during my absence from Rome, I received from my hon. colleague, Signor di San Giuliano, the following telegram:
""Austria has communicated to us and to Germany her intention of taking action against Servia, and defines such action as defensive, hoping to bring into operation the casus foederis of the Triple Alliance, which, on the contrary, I believe to be inapplicable. [Sensation.]
""I am endeavouring to arrange for a combined effort with Germany to prevent such action on the part of Austria, but it may become necessary to state clearly that we do not consider such action, if it should be taken, as defensive, and that, therefore, we do not consider that the casus foederis arises.""
Apparently the refusal of Italy to be drawn into war on such a pretext caused the conspirators to defer their action for another year, when the position of the Entente Powers seemed less favourable.
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