Italy. A few years hence and Austria might have fallen apart, but Russia, England and France were not likely to grow weaker.
The challenge Austria issued to Russia, then, was Germany's challenge. It was also her own declaration of a determination to fight for her existence. Russia had enlisted Servia and Rumania on her southern boundary. Russia had promoted Slav aspirations and disloyalty in Austria. Now Russia must leave Servia to her fate, abandon her schemes to destroy Austria within and without, she must publicly confess she could not aid her weaker Slav allies, or she must fight. Austria preferred to be destroyed by war rather than by the attrition of intrigue.
If France and Great Britain stood with Russia her decision could not be mistaken. If France and Russia were agreed to resist, the result could hardly be different. But British statesmen were unlikely to run the risk of a German victory which would leave Germany with her hands free to fight for naval supremacy.
The worst phase of the July crisis was that neither Alliance nor Entente could now escape war without tremendous loss of prestige. The challenge of Austria had been made in such fashion that it left Russia no choice between war and dishonor. The German official utterance gave the thing the value of an issue between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.