The July Crisis



Start Date: June 14th, 1914

End Date: August 6th, 1922

A month and a half before World War I

The scenario starts just prior to the Austrian Archduke's assassination, which triggers a series of decisions that threaten war between the Great Powers.

Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy, is a multinational state held together by a Hapsburg Dynasty whose best days are behind it. Unseated as the principal rulers of the German-speaking world by the Hohenzollerns of Prussia, the Hapsburgs have struggled to retain their ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse realm in an age of nationalism and economic dislocation. While the Hungarians gained significant autonomy in the aftermath of the disastrous Austro-Prussian War, Poles, Czechs, and Slavs feel disenfranchised by the Empire's current structure. The Slavs in particular pose a threat: Russia, Austria-Hungary's powerful eastern neighbor, is supportive of Slavic yearnings for independence, and the newly independent nation of Serbia seeks to create a pan-Slavic state out of Hapsburg territories. Austria Hungary is fortunate to have a powerful ally in its old rival Germany, and has recently sought to solidify its position by annexing the disputed territory of Bosnia, but the Hapsburg military is hardly prepared for a serious conflict.

Can you steer this old world dynastic realm through the dangerous currents of the early 20th century? Or are the centrifugal forces currently buffeting the empire too strong to resist?

France
Born of Frances's humiliating defeat at the hands of Prussia in 1871, the Third Republic is still determined to retake Alsace-Lorraine and regain its place as the Continent's most powerful nation. With a large imperial project in Africa and Southeast Asia, France has tremendous resources, but also many reasons to be suspicious of other Great Power's ambitions. Colonial disputes over Morocco have further soured its relations with the German Reich, but they have also strengthened France's ties with the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, its alliance with Russia has ensured that France's next war with the Hohenzollerns with force the German army to fight on two fronts. Still, the French army and its commanders have yet to prove themselves in a major continental conflict.

Can you finally lead the French Republic to a long overdue victory over the Germans, and take back its lost land? Or will the next war merely be a farcical repetition of the debacle in 1870-1871?

Germany
The German Empire is one of Europe's newest and most powerful states, but one in a precarious position. Though an industrial and military powerhouse with a fledgling colonial empire and a growing fleet, Germany is sandwiched between two longtime enemies -- France and Russia -- with only the anemic Austro-Hungarian Empire and the ambitious and unreliable Kingdom of Italy for allies. Germany's military preeminence is also on the wane, as domestic political battles constrain the budgets of the Army and Navy, France and Russia continue to improve their armies, and Britain maintains its enormous fleet.

With the other Great Powers completing your encirclement, can you successfully navigate the Reich through Europe's diplomatic tangle? Or will a two-front war spell the end of Germany's four decade ascent on the international stage?

Kingdom of Italy
Like Germany, Italy is an ambitious and relatively new state whose unification in 1861 left it unsatisfied with its borders. Subsequent wars against Austria and the Papal States won Venice and Rome for Italy's rulers, the House of Savoy, but the nation's military performance has not always inspired confidence, and the eastern edge of the Adriatic remains unconquered. Domestically, linguistic and cultural differences between the industrialized north and the less developed south remain pronounced. Further afield, Italy harbors imperial ambitions; it managed to gain some East African territories, but its army suffered and embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Ethiopians in 1896. Now, Italy is in the midst of an expensive war for the unsteady Ottoman Empire's Libyan provinces, and also finds itself a member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Can you secure Italy's place in the sun and fulfill Mazzini's dreams? Or will the vicissitudes of Great Power politics prove too much for your fledgling empire?

Ottoman Empire
The Sick Man of Europe looked to have a chance at recovery four years ago, but now it seems to be terminally ill. The modernizing Committee of Union and Progress ("The Young Turks") seized power in 1908 promising reform and a reversal of the Empires decades of territorial losses, but a war against Italy in North Africa is now going badly. Meanwhile, new states like Serbia and Bulgaria have been fomenting unrest in the Ottoman's remaining European provinces, where nationalist movements have gained traction. Economically and militarily, the Empire is in dire need of modernization, which could come through the German-sponsored Berlin-to-Baghdad railroad and Germany's military mission to the Ottoman army. On the other hand, Britain's naval mission to the Sublime Porte presents its own opportunities for military cooperation with a Great Power. Domestically, the CUP has struggled to create a sense of Ottoman patriotism that can bind together the Empire's disparate constituencies.

Can you resurrect the power of the once mighty Ottoman Empire and create a viable multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian state? Or will Europe's imperial ambitions and the forces of this new century prove too strong?

Russia
The enormous Russian Empire straddles Europe and Asia, and feels its influence threatened on both continents. 1905 proved an annus horribilis for the ruling Romanov dynasty, as a modernized Japanese navy destroyed Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the East and the ensuing domestic unrest forced the adoption of a new Constitution that limits the Tsar's still nearly absolute power. In the Balkans, Russia's South Slavic proteges are in constant need of protection against the Hapsburgs, whose 1908 annexation of Bosnia was a blow that the battered Russian bear could not counter. Still, all is not lost; Russia's alliance with France puts it in a strong position should it go to war with Austria and Germany, and has also been a financial boon for the Tsar's vast and underdeveloped domain. With French capital funding the development of railways and industry, and a new program of military expansion due to finish in 1917, the Romanovs seem finally to be entering the modern world.

Can you confront Russia's enemies and renew this absolute monarchy's global power? Or will you succumb to the strains of a premature war?

United Kingdom
In 1912, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland possesses the world's largest empire and its most powerful navy. Still, the costs of running its vast and far-flung realms have begun taking a fiscal and political toll, and the naval ambitions of the German Reich and its mad Emperor present a clear challenge to Britain's absolute naval supremacy. Moreover, in its current state the British Army is woefully unprepared to fight a war on the Continent -- though its new alliances with France and Russia may quickly lead the United Kingdom into its toughest military conflict since the Napoleonic era.

Can you maintain and grow Britain's global dominance and ready her military to face her new and dangerous rival? Or will you choose to pursue a policy of "splendid isolation'" and avoid European entanglements?

United States
1912 is an election year in the United States, and Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson seems certain to win because of a split in the Republican Party. The strong campaign of Eugene V. Debs, however, is a sign that many are dissatisfied with the economic status quo. Internationally, the American Republic has seen several recent successes, such as the annexation of Hawaii and a war against Spain that gained it colonies and clients in Asia and the Caribbean. South and Central America, too, have seen an expansion of American diplomatic and military clout, and the U.S. has worked through its initial issues with Britain in these regions. Aside from maintaining its predominance in the Western Hemisphere and maintaining its lucrative trade with Europe and Asia, however, the U.S. is content to stay as un-entangled as possible with world affairs, even as the Old World's empires stand at the precipice of a global conflagration.

Can you keep the U.S. out of a European conflict? Or will you choose this moment to make the world safe for democracy?