In Paris, the French cabinet was locked in a fierce quarrel. Time flew by, yet the Moroccan Crisis had still escalated. The German and French governments refused to yield to each other, and it gradually developed into a confrontation between the two great alliances.
Well, France's government had never been stable since the Revolution. From 1906 until now, this was already the sixth administration. Going by this pattern, Joseph Caillaux's government would soon fall as well, even though he had only taken office at the end of June this year!
Although Joseph Caillaux came from the Radical Socialist Party, that did not mean his political views were radical. On the contrary, he appeared rather conservative in this regard. He believed that if France and Germany went to war now, it would be disastrous for France!
To defuse the Moroccan Crisis, Joseph Caillaux advocated secret negotiations with the Germans, making concessions in interests elsewhere in exchange for German understanding.
Clearly, there was almost never a time when the French government stood united. Where there were supporters, there were opponents; quarrelling had always been the theme of this nation.
While the French government was still quarrelling, the Germans had already made their move. Wilhelm II decided to use military threats to force the French into submission.
On October 26, 1911, the German government issued France a warning of war. In response, the two great alliances began moving into action.
On October 27, the French government answered blow for blow by announcing an expansion of five hundred thousand troops to counter the German military threat.
Influenced by this, Ferdinand also announced an expansion of three hundred thousand troops—the same number declared by the Austro-Hungarian Empire—as a practical show of support for France.
Yet unexpectedly, the Russians actually lost their nerve in this