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WW1. Was any country solely to blame?

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

If so, who?

If not, what was the main cause? Does any particular country shield more blame than all the others.

I have always had a slight interest in this, and with WW1 and the centenary being in the news I wanted to get opinions on this.

However, lets keep this thread clean please.

And also "Lest we Forget"

Reply 1

Delusion6

Russia... right?

actually wait i can't remember either...

Reply 2

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

Original post by Delusion6

Russia... right?

actually wait i can't remember either...

Russia is an interesting one, due to the fact they were mobilising heavily before war was declared.

I would say they alliances themselves were more responsible than some of the nations within the alliances.

Reply 3

JMR2021_

Debate & Current Affairs Helper

It’s sad to think about WWI, considering it was completely unecessary, and had no underlying purpose. I think it was to do with the tensions within the alliances, but how could this ever justify such a long and deadly war, and one which lead to an even deadlier war just a few years later? Sometimes I wonder what they felt they were fighting for apart from some nationalist idea of British military might. Just goes to show how dangerous nationalism is, and the senseless loss of life that can result from it.

Reply 4

jackcade

It is surprising to me how few people blame Serbia for starting WWI. Not only did they chronologically start the war, but their action plainly justified Austrian military intervention by any interpretation of international law that would have been openly advanced by any of the great powers at that time.

It was the Russians who then turned it into a great power conflict by backing Serbia, another power that is rarely blamed.

Germany brought about our involvement by its own aggressive acts, but some kind of war had already started without them.

Reply 5

londonmyst

I think Serbia bears a great deal of responsibility for starting off ww1, due to their support and arming of the terrorist revolutionary black hand factions.
Tsarist Russia also bore much responsibility for their alliance with serbia.

However, the two royal cousins ruling Britain and Germany bear the ultimate responsibility for WW1; conducting arms races, mobilizing heavily then forming military alliances with plans to go to war- all based on a mutual childhood dislike that developed into aggressive international rivalry as they grew up.