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Russia, not Germany, mobilized first. Serbia and Russia were backed by France and Britain during the resulting war which was Russia’s anticipated outcome. Although no one nation deserves all responsibility for the outbreak of war, Germany seems to me to deserve the most. It alone had the power to halt the descent to disaster at any time in July 1914 by withdrawing its “blank cheque” which offered support to Austria for its invasion of Serbia. Without Berlin’s encouragement of a strong Austro-Hungarian line against Serbia after Sarajevo, WW1 would not have broken out. Germany does bear responsibility, but not all of it.
War was declared on Serbia by Austria-Hungary after Serbian nationalists assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This was not required as only a few Serbians contributed and the outcome of these assassinations was usually not war. Germany not only backed Austria-Hungary but encouraged them to pursue war with Serbia. Eventually, it became evident that Russia was not prepared to abandon Serbia, the Germans disregarded or even deliberately sabotaged attempts to set up a peace conference where the Great Powers would negotiate or arbitrate a compromise solution. Instead, Germany forced the issue by declaring war on Russia and France. According to the Treaty of Versailles, it was normal for the loser in a war to be forced to pay indemnities to the winner. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that Germany would be made to pay up the moment they lost WWI, they made France pay in 1871 and Russia in 1918. The fact that Germany and her allies had begun the war was self-evident and was all the Allied Powers needed to know to blame them. Germany is not solely blamed for starting the Great War in the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty blames the Central Powers, mostly Germany, for causing the war damages inflicted upon the Allies as a result of the war. The Treaty also says that Germany imposed a war of aggression on the Allies.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenburg, was the direct cause of the First World War. Serbians assassinated the Archduke in protest to Austria-Hungary taking control of this region. The reaction to the assassination on 28 June 1914, was to seek redress from Serbia, which was thought to have been behind the assassination plot and which had been a satirical representation of Spanish imperialism in central South America. Germany declared war on those involved in the mutual defense alliances. The assassination of the Austro–Hungarian Archduke was seen as the perfect excuse by Austria – Hungary’s military to conquer and destroy Serbia, which sought to expand beyond its borders into their country. Serbia played a major role in the two Balkan Wars of 1912-13, and due to their exhaustion, they did not want war in 1914. Austria–Hungary gave Serbia a ridiculous ultimatum that makes one assume they knew Serbia would not accept and the undeniable result would be war. As expected the Serbs rejected some of the demands but balked at other portions. By not accepting all of the demands in the ultimatum, Austria–Hungary declared war on Serbia.
Public policy was greatly influenced by the military establishment of Russia and Germany
The buildup or growth of the capability of a country's military to wage war is what we call militarism. An arms race had commenced by the time the world entered the 20th century. Germany had the greatest escalation in military buildup by 1914. Two nations that greatly increased their navies in this period were Great Britain and Germany. Public policy was greatly influenced by the military establishment of Russia and Germany. The progression in militarism helped push the countries involved into war. An ally is when a country joins an alliance with another country and agrees to defend each other. The Alliance System was an important cause of WWI because it divided the European powers into two rival military camps, the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. The First World War was fought between these two powers. Germany and Austria-Hungary’s alliance was the beginning of the Central Powers. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire later became part of the Central Powers. Important Allied Powers are Russia, Italy, the United States, Serbia, Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom. Imperialism was a cause because building an empire needs manpower such as an army and a navy to conquer and keep the land that they colonized.
Imperialism and imperial rivalry provided both a cause and context for World War I. Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation controls and exploits one or more colonies. In most cases, the imperial nation, euphemistically referred to as the ‘mother country’, establishes control over its colonies by coercion – for example, through infiltration and annexation, political pressure, war, and military conquest. Due to European Imperialism and many countries arguing over the land they each wanted, tensions were formed between them. Following this, many countries sought alliances with each other to feel secure. The tensions from European Imperialism not only caused the entanglement of alliances but also led to countries strengthening their military. Nationalism is an intense form of patriotism or loyalty to one’s country. Nationalists exaggerate the value or importance of their country, placing its interests above those of other countries. Nationalism was a prominent force in early 20th-century Europe and a significant cause of World War I. Many Europeans – particularly those in the so-called Great Powers: Britain, France, and Germany – were convinced their nation occupied a position of cultural, economic, and military supremacy. Politicians, diplomats, and some royals contributed to this mindset with inflammatory remarks and rhetoric. Nationalism caused conflict which caused war.
Europe had entered a new phase in its history before 1914 with the emergence of a group of powerful, industrialized, and heavily armed states, each of which had imperial interests to defend.
It is no accident that the immediate origins of the war of 1914-18 are found in the national patchwork of the Habsburg Empire. The empire seethed with conflicts -- between rival nationalities, between different classes, and between the new democratic parties and the authoritarian monarchy that ran the system. The beliefs that dominated Europe about the 'glory of warfighting' were dispelled by the end of the First World War. There was a strong sense of forlornness and desolation that dominated Europe after WWI.
Germany deserved most of the blame, but not all of it. Other nations were partly responsible. Militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and not to mention the direct cause of World War 1, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. One nation cannot be the cause of a war such as WWI. To declare that Germany alone is responsible for the First World War would be inaccurate.
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