... us.' 1 His view was shared by most of the German government that Germany was ready for war now, and waiting too long would only weaken the Prusso-German state. They felt with France and Russia industrializing so rapidly, Germany might be faced with a two-sided war in which they would be encircled. The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was not big enough to cause a continent wide war and according to Fischer was actually a relief to both Germany and Austria-Hungary as the Archduke's monarchy was favorable to Slavonic elements. However it was the perfect opportunity for Austria to end Serbia's existence as a sovereign state with Germany backing them. Austria-Hungary was not prepared to risk war without help from Germany, and so ultimately the final decision was up to Germany. Austria-Hungary's hesitance was also altered by German policy of acting quickly so that they could ' finish the ...

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