To what extent is it reasonable to blame Germany for the outbreak of World War I

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... an terrorist organisation, whether the Serb government had any knowledge of their actions is unsure, but what is for sure is that Austria blamed Serbia for the attack. However, if Austria was to commence an attack on Serbia, it was almost inevitable that Russia would get involved. For this reason Austria refused to act without the prior promise of support from Germany. On July 5th, one week after the assassination, Austria sent an envoy to Germany requesting permission for a response. It was at this point that war could have been avoided. Had the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, refused the Austrian request for support, it is probable that war would have been avoided. So why did the German Kaiser give the Austrians a 'blank cheque' and promise unconditional support to Austria? It is in this action that Germany's responsibility lies, were they planning war, or did they not expect Austria to actually go to war over the event?

Kaiser Wilhelm II was brought up in a liberal family, but a withered arm and having liberalism spoon fed into him from an early age caused him to blame his mother for his withered arm and rebel against her liberal ideas. The result is that we see Germany turning away from liberal ideas during his reign. He became obsessed with the military and surrounded himself with military advisors, indeed he only saw his Chancellor once weekly, though the Chief of the Military cabinet met with the Kaiser three times weekly. This led to policies such as naval expansion, which invoked the ill will of Britain. In December 1912, the Germans held a war council at Potsdam; the real question is were the Germans planning European war even in 1912 or were they simply preparing for the possibility that European war might occur? It seems to me that the conference did not set a date for war, but simply discussed what Germany should do should the situation arise. However, the war conference shows that Germany was not reluctant to enter into a war, and the Kaiser and his advisors, yearning for expansion of the Empire saw the potential benefits of such a war.

The 'B ...

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