Why did Franz Joseph resist calls for a preventive war against Serbia before 1914?

Between 1908 and 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph consistently maintained a policy of peace, resisting repeated calls from the chief of the general staff, Franz, Graf (count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, to initiate a preventive war against Serbia or Italy.1

Franz Joseph’s resistance to these military pressures was rooted in his long-standing commitment to a dynastic and personal style of foreign policy. Throughout his reign, he sought to forestall conflicts with other powers, particularly Russia, through personal diplomacy and direct communication with fellow sovereigns. Even as the nature of international relations shifted away from dynastic friendships toward irreconcilable conflicts of interest and nationalist propaganda, the emperor remained steadfast in his desire to avoid war.1

While Conrad von Hötzendorf had advocated for a preventive war since 1906, the emperor prioritized maintaining the status quo and avoiding the unpredictable consequences of an aggressive military strike. It was only in July 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, that Franz Joseph was persuaded by his foreign minister, Leopold, Graf (count) von Berchtold, to issue the ultimatum to Serbia that ultimately triggered World War I.12