Austria-Hungary
Leopold Berchtold
1863–1942 Foreign Minister, 1912–1915
A rich Moravian aristocrat who loved horses and the opera, Berchtold became foreign minister in 1912 after serving as ambassador in St. Petersburg. Contemporaries thought him indecisive and out of his depth. In July 1914, however, he drove events with determination: he persuaded the Emperor and Tisza to accept a harsh ultimatum, insisted on a declaration of war on 28 July to head off mediation, and resisted German appeals to halt at Belgrade. He believed that Austria-Hungary must act against Serbia or lose its standing as a great power. When the war went badly he was dismissed in January 1915. He lived until 1942, mostly out of the public eye.