Most historians blame the beginning of the First World War on the assassination of the Australian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo Bosnia on their fourteen anniversary. Although Austria was not enraged by the assassination, the killing gave them an excuse to build the tension with Serbia that later escalates to war. Very few Serbians participated in the war and assassinations such as that of Ferdinand and his wife did not result in war.

Germany promises to support Austria-Hungary if they went to war with Serbia were received, which consequently lead to the entry of Russia and France. In a pre-emptive move, the German military forces invaded Belgium in an attempt to attack France. Their aim was to secure their interests and intensify the crisis to include Britain in the war (Hewitson). At the beginning of the pre-war crisis Germany seemed to be more eager for Austria to go to war in the Austria-Hungarian and Serbia Conflict of 1912 than the Austrians were themselves. Based on this information, Germany unlike other nations was more accountable for the blame of the start of World War I (Gellman). Furthermore, this ideology is supported by the fact that other nations such as the British Cabinet were reluctant to conform themselves to the defense of France until the final days of the war crisis.

Germany’s activities prove that it was accountable for the First World War. Through their efforts of seeking European domination, the actions taken by German and Austria led to the start of World War I. Although they did not predict the consequences of the war such as the millions of soldiers who died, their actions affected the lives of many people. Germany’s actions went against all other nations through its violation of international legal obligations and invasion of Belgium to attack France.

Works Cited

Gellman, Peter. “Balance of Power “Theory” and the Origins of World War 1.” Cambridge Press 15.2 (2005): pp. 115-182.Accessed 31 October 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20097177.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A15e2919a18e727763f07a0b8bd365398.

Hewitson, Mark. “Germany and the Causes of the First World War.” Oxford Journals Oxford University Press Vol 121.No. 491 (2006): pp. 556-558.Accessed 31 October 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3806165.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Ab8c57ce64b96313c361118ea449c31ac.