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100 years ago today, Germany declared war on Russia, making it a 'great power' war
http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1914_08_01.htmhttp://www.firstworldwar.com/features/declarationsofwar.htm
7pm The German 16th Division was due to move into Luxembourg as part of Moltke’s plan – he knew that Luxembourg’s railways were essential for the route through Belgium to France. Bethmann insisted the invasion could not go ahead while the British offer was pending. But the order did not arrive and an infantry company of the 69th Regiment led by a Lt Feldmann made the first frontier crossing of the war and captured the railway station at Ulflingen.
Meanwhile, in St Petersburg, the German ambassador, Count Friedrich Pourtalès, a cousin of Bethmann Hollweg, had handed Germany’s declaration of war to Sergei Sazonov, the Russian foreign minister. Pourtalès had been informing Berlin during late July that Russia was bluffing; now he was in tears, and the two men embraced.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11002644/First-World-War-centenary-how-events-unfolded-on-August-1-1914.html
Meanwhile, in St Petersburg, the German ambassador, Count Friedrich Pourtalès, a cousin of Bethmann Hollweg, had handed Germany’s declaration of war to Sergei Sazonov, the Russian foreign minister. Pourtalès had been informing Berlin during late July that Russia was bluffing; now he was in tears, and the two men embraced.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11002644/First-World-War-centenary-how-events-unfolded-on-August-1-1914.html
Austria had declared war on Serbia on July 28th, but they were the only two countries at war, until August 1st. Ironically, Austria did not become officially at war with Russia, and Serbia with Germany, until August 6th, by which time France and Britain were already in the war, and Germany had invaded Belgium. The German-Russian declaration of war was because of their mobilizations of troops.
