2. To what extent was Germany to blame for starting WWI? After a massive war, it easy to see why a lot people would point fingers at the country that lost the war. However, is this always correct; or do people jump to conclusions much too quickly? By doing this, do they also create a whole new kind of trouble for themselves to come in later years? Some may suggest that it is more productive to look at the events leading up to the war to determine who was at fault. The blame attached to World War One (WWI) is not exclusively German, but may lie with the concepts of militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and alliances. Militarism played an immense part in the start of WWI and without it, there was a chance WWI would have never have …show more content…

On June 28, 1914, Europe waited for a time bomb to go off.
Alliances often help countries in their time of need. When all hope is lost and it looks like the chance of winning is long gone, a country’s ally will sweep in and save the day. In WWI, however, it had the opposite effect. An alliance is an agreement between countries to come to one’s aid if they are attacked by another country. In 1879 Austria-Hungary and Germany made a pact to protect themselves from Russia, called the Dual Pact. In the year 1881 the Austro-Serbian Alliance was made. Austria-Hungary wanted to make sure Russia would not gain control of Serbia and the Balkans; hence the pact. The following year in 1882 Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary signed a pact that created The Triple Alliance. This pact was to keep Italy from siding with Russia and turning on Austria-Hungary and Germany. Russia finally formed an alliance in 1894 with France called the Franco-Russian Alliance; this was to protect Russia from Germany and Austria-Hungary. The nineteenth century rolled around and four more alliances were made. The first of these alliances was made between France and Britain, and although not formal, when it was made in 1904 it helped play a part in the start of WWI. This treaty was called the Entente Cordiale. Three years later in 1907, two pacts were made. The first pact was