Austro-Hungarian foreign policy under Berchtold

Count Leopold Berchtold was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat who served as Common Foreign Minister from 1912 to 1915, leading imperial foreign policy through the Balkan Wars and the onset of World War I. Born into a wealthy aristocratic family in Vienna, he gained diplomatic experience in Paris, London, and Saint Petersburg. Following the Sarajevo Incident in 1914, Berchtold advocated a hardline stance against Serbia, securing the vital "blank check" of German support. He drafted the severe July Ultimatum presented to Serbia and advised Emperor Franz Joseph to declare war on July 28, 1914, playing a decisive role in launching World War I before resigning his position in early 1915.

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