Which Country is responsible for beginning WWI ?

Question

Of course there is France, Russia, Britain, Japan, the United States, Austria/Hungary, and Germany..

Answer 1

Oh boy, so many votes against Germany. I will try do give an opposite view.
In July 1914, Germany wanted to help Austria-Hungary, and Russia wanted to defend her interest on the Balkans. Austria-Hungary was a major power and Germany´s only reliable ally. Therefore of vital importance to Germany. But Serbia was a small state, and Russia had several allies. And then, the Austrian prince had been killed by Serbs. So all in all it could seem that Germany had a bit more right to play tough than had Russia.
But of course the overall strategy of Germany and Austria-Hungary was either to humiliate the other group of powers and thereby strengthen one´s own group, or if one would ignite war by that unwillingly, it would be better now because Russia became stronger every year. Everyone thought that sooner or later a general European war was inevitable. This conviction was, by the way, one of the main causes of the war.
And the strategy of the French government was similar: They encouraged Russia to be aggressive because the French longed for an occasion to regaine Alsace-Lorraine.

Answer 2

Lets tack a quick examination of all the major players, listed in the order I feel have the most responsibility;

Austria- Hungary,

yes, they were the one that had the next in line to the thrown killed, but... The Archduke was in Sarajevo on June 28th, a day that marked the anniversary of their greatest military victory. (That day is the equivalent of our July 4th, or this would be like George Bush driving thru Saddam Husain's hometown on Saddam's birthday)
after the assassination Austria Hungary gave a ultimatum to Serbia which they knew the Serbs could not agree to, basically they were demanding that Austria would control the Serbian government.At that point they had decided they were in a win, win situation, either Serbia agrees and they become a puppet state of Austria- Hungary or they refuse to the ultimatum and Austria Hungary takes them over in quick fashion.

Serbia,

They were the ones who supplied the weapons to the members of "Black Hand"and it was the assassination that started the war, but it has never been proven how high up the political ladder there was knowledge.( Its just like during Ronald Reagan's term, Ollie North sold weapons to Iran but claimed Reagan never knew)Still, conspiring in the assassination of a leader of another nation is a rather big cause to be attacked

Germany

They encouraged Austria to push Serbia. Even though they assumed it was just another regional war, they offered their help if Russia got involved. You can also say, they were most responsible for turning it into a larger conflict. The German mobilization plan always assumed a war with Russia would also include France, so when they started mobilization, it was at France that they aimed.

Russia,

They had a pact with Serbia, a fellow Slavic nation, and held firm with that. They were the ones that jumped into what could have been a regional affair, and because of their vast size, they were the first to mobilize on a large scale.

France

Frances only doings with the outbreak was to reassure Russia that they were going to honor their treaty. That treaty is why Germany's plans was to attack France first, but France was basically just dragged into the fight.

England

England actually announced their intention to not get involved in any conflict in the Balkans. They did however let it be known that if Belgium's sovereignty is threatened, they would come to the defense of Belgium.

It really was an minor event when the Archduke was assassinated, he was not even much liked by Franz Joseph, in fact his wife and her children were written out of secession to the thrown. Its amazing how national pride and a hunger for expansion, not to mention diplomats that bungled their jobs, launched all of the European and a good amount of African continants into a four year bloodbath

Answer 3

The country resposible for WWI is France, because of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 which formed a united Germany and set up a whole can of worms to be opened in the 20th century.

If France had not declared a needless war on Prussia and then lost, Prussia and it's client states would not have become a powerful central european country with the acquisition of French lands (Alsace-Lorraine) leaving France bitter and spoiling for a fight for the next 35 years.
France went about pulling allies around it to encircle the newly formed Germany, forcing the Germans to continually look over their shoulder.
Germany in response allied itself with it's closest neighbour Austria. As soon as the situation in Serbia took off it had to support Austria in its Balkan invasion.
Just the excuse France was looking for...

Answer 4

The correct answer is Austria as being most responsible. Serbia had agreed to all but one of Austria's terms of ultimatum. The Kaiser begged Franz Josef to accept Serbia's apology, and he was furious with his ministers entangling Germany in a treaty he had to honor.

Kaiser Wilhelm II indeed did many things to provoke animosity against Germany. England, France and Russia had their triple alliance, and were hardly blameless in the whole affair. Nevertheless, Austria held the key to accepting the Serbian apology, and they rejected it.

Answer 5

It was united states that defeated Germany. Britain and France saved the war, but could not win it. At the beginning of the war France and Britain did two things right. First they settled all labor issues, created the 40 hour work week with overtime pay, gave workers the vote and a say in the war. Germany had a revolution in November 1918. The second thing the allies did right, was shoot any reporter who got with in 50 miles of the front. France and Britain had freedom of the press, who would have thought the press lords of France and Britain would tell such lies. They were so good, so convincing, that allied generals actually believed it. Why did the British keep attacking to break out, because the british newspapers said the Germans were on the ropes. The US believed it too, mostly. French and British factory workers ate american grain, French factories used american steel. At the battle of the somme, half the british enfield rifles (peddler series) were made in america. The americans realized that most French and British generals were butchers. The way to win a war with the least amount of blood, was to attack with three times the forces of the defenders. To break the back of the German army they needed a new 2 million man american army. The americans had to learn from French and British mistakes, and not repeat them. Feeding one division in at a time would have slowed down the formation of the 2 million man army. In desperation the British had been forced to do that in 1915, and as a result the British army was so poorly trained in 1916, getting out of the trenches and marching forward was all they could do. Pershing was a history professor, a school teacher, a master of training large numbers of men, And the US secretary of War Newton Baker backed Pershing up against all the allies. Pershing asked for and received 20,000 experienced allied Sergent's to be drill instructors for the new american army. Pershing super sized the american divisions to four brigades, twice the sized of French and British divisions. That way americans divisions owned their own artillery. Everyone working for the same boss. British and French factories using american steel equipped the new american army. Relying only on american factories would have taken longer. In june 1918 the germans had broken the allied line, and were quick marching to Paris. When they ran into the american 2nd division reinforced by two marine corp brigades. The american attacked and drove the germans back several miles. Then the marine crossed the Marne river to occupy the empty Belleau Wood. After two weeks of savage fighting, what was left of the Marines was replaced with other american troops. Two marine brigades were essentially wiped out, along with four German brigades left for dead in the woods. Every week a new american division would show up and attack. The americans were well trained, did not make the usual mistakes, they fought like Germans. By 1918 the german artillery had mastered counter fire. A british gun would open up, within 30 minutes the Germans would figure out were they were and drop shells on top of the gun. With horror the Germans learned the americans with their one boss had figured it out two, and the americans had twice as much ammunition and shinny french canons. And every week a new division would show up, in an american avalanche. For most of the war two allied soldiers died for every German. Only the US was able to best the Germans, and every week another division would show up.

Answer 6

IT WASNT GERMANY.
If you think it was germany, you need to do more research.
Serbian government officials trained and equipt a group of men to go to "sareavo" and kill arch duke ferdinand of AUSTRIA. Serbia wanted to get rid of the austrian influence in the area to take the area for its self. Germany got sucked in because france mobilized to invade austria and because france mobilized russia did. so now germany has two huge countries on either side ready to invade a neighboring ally. German wasnt necessary forced into the war but the only way to come out alive was to go to war.


SERBIA IS RESPONSIBLE

Answer 7

All european countries were ultra nationalits and hated others. WWI began with a murder. A serbian killed the successor of the emporor of Austria-Hungaria and that is the beginning of the war. Austria-Hungaria declared war to serbia, then England to Germany and so on until all european countries were involved. The cause of the war was principally the nationalism developped by every country who wanted to prove their strenght to others.

Answer 8

The overwhelming responsibility is Germany's, or more accurately, that of elements in the German government.
First of all, the Kaiser assured the Austrians that they could go as far as they liked in putting pressure on Serbia.
Then, when the Kaiser saw what was going to happen, he started to have second thoughts. But he was pushed aside by the General Staff, who saw it as a now or never occasion for war, as the Russian railway building programme in Poland would soon render the Schlieffen plan obsolete.

Answer 9

Many people believe Germany is responsible for World War 1...but so were Britain, France, and Austria

I doubt Russia and US are guilty of begining World War 1 though

Answer 10

Germany, owing to its policy since 1880 and of certain diplomatic moves of Otto von Bismarck in particular, whose possible consequences and interpretations by other states he missed to see (i.e. Russia, France, and England).

The incident of Sarajevo is hardly more than a pretext or relatively little importance when compared to long lasting tension, an abscess.

During the post WWI years Germany wanted a powerful navy, for example; just for the sake of German national prestige. But all other countries around misunderstood that attitude. Especially England who came to believe than Germany attempted to challenge its navy which was the most powerful in the world since long, at that time.