"Germany started World War One". Do you agree?

Germany may have indeed seemed the aggressor in the immediate crisis of relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. However, if we look at international relations between the powers in the prior to July 1914 we can see that there are a number of factors contributing to the outbreak of the war. By the time that war broke out, Europe was divided into two distinct alliance blocs; the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy and the Triple Entente between Britain, France and Russia. It has been suggested by many historians that the powers had manoeuvred themselves into a situation where some sort of conflict was inevitable. Germany had originally allied with Austria-Hungary in 1892 to ensure that Russia attempted closer relations with her but this failed leading Russia to ally with France in the Franco-Russian treaty of? This bought France out of isolation and as France had been viewed as a traditional enemy of Germany especially after she took the territories of Alsace and Lorraine in the 1890 war, Germany had to consider that in the case of conflict she should be prepared for a war on two fronts... Schlieffen plan Germany encircled which was her main defense for going to war, this was her fault refused to have an alliance with Britian (someone argued this think AJP)  Check all of this

 Imperialistic rivalries between the powers were in part responsible for the formation and strengthening of Alliances within the two increasingly hostile camps. After Britian had failed to ally herself to Germany she moved closer to alliance with France and supported her in the first Moroccan crisis where she supported France’s annexation of Morrocco which Germany opposed. Germany was diplomatically isolated at this point. James Joll points out that “ The existence of the alliance system above all conditioned expectations about the form a war would take if it broke out… these expectations laid down broad lines of strategic planning so that general staff were taking decisions which often committed them to irreversible military actions if war threatened.” An example of this military action can be clearly seen in the Schlieffen plan in Germany which prepared for a war on two fronts with Russia and France. France was aware of this plan by 1906 and as she feared an attack from Germany sought closer ties with Britian as an ally whereas tension between Germany and Britian grew. (next para explain growing Anglo-german antagonism leading Germany to fee ar inevitable she should attack now etc etc although does this work as an argument as Germ thought that Britian would remain neutral although Brit said she wouldn’t if Germ violated Belg neutrality.)  By 1914 the powers had manoevered themselves into positions they could not get out of if they wanted to maintain their staus as ‘great powers’. Joll points out that in 1913 the Russians had failed to support Serbia fully in the aftermath of the Balkan wars and ensure that she retained an Adriatic port “in 1914 they were limited by the feeling that failure to support Serbia again would lead to a complete loss in Russian credibility and influence in the Balkans.” Austria-Hungary felt that they had failed to prevent growing Serbian power as she had made considerable territorial gains in the war of 1913 and by 1914 “they must crush Serbia if they were to withstand the internal threat to the monarchy caused by the southern slavs.” Germany felt that they had not given Austria-Hungary full support in the 1913Balkan crisis and therefore needed to make a firm stand by her ally if she were not to lose her and also prevent the Austria-Hungarian Empire from collapsing as Austria was her only reliable ally. A J P taylor argues that France supported Russia and entered the war not only as a defensive gesture against germany but also because if she stayed out of a war then her survival and status as a great power would not survive. Similarly although Britian was reluctant to get involved, she could not stay out of the conflict without a severe loss of status. Joll points out that if Britian stayed out of the war “their entente with Russia could break down and face them with a renewed threat in the middle east and India.” 

These countries would not however have gone to war had public opnion not supported it so strongly. Talk about writing predicting war anti german feeling jingopistic also everyone thought war would be over by Christmas etc

Link public opimion in with the fact that Balkan wars showed war would be quick and decisive and over byu xmas wipe slate clean etc