Giesl: Austrian Response to the Assassination

Thesis: Giesl's discussion of Austrian response to the assassination is a potentially justified verbal attack on the Serbian people, especially its revolutionaries, for their hostility and blatant disrespect of the Habsburg Monarchy. His ultimate conclusion is the inevitability of war between these two parties, which he believes should be begun as soon as possible.

I. "Relations between the Monarchy and Serbia"

• Poisened on the Serbian side by national chauvinism, animosity and an effective propaganda of Great-Serbian aspirations carried on in that part of Austrian territory where there is a Serbian population.
• Austrians, at least Giesl, view increased chauvinism as a paroxysm, the expression of which appears as insanity.
• Serbian policy is built up on the separation of Habsburg territories or former Habsburg territories inhabited by Southern Slavs

II. Serbian expectations

• The assassination of Francis Ferdinand aroused among the Serbians an expectation that in the immediate future the Habsburg States will fall to pieces
• Giesl sees it as "nationalist madness"
• Serbian's see Habsburg states as powerless
• Serbian newspapers are extreme in their insults of Habsburg states. Giesl states that Serbians have spent too long being educated by such propaganda as is found in their press.

III. Electoral campaign

• All parties on a platform of hostility to Austria-Hungary

IV. Giesl's conclusion

• War is inevitable (war for poistion of the Monarchy as a Great Power)
• Requests that no delay be made and that the war be done with to prove Austrian dominance