World War I otherwise known as the "Great War," was a devastating war that effected many places and very many lives. Because of the effects of the war, many people are determined to search for the country that was to blame for all the disaster created. At no time in the history of mankind had the inferno of war engulfed the entire globe, but World War I left and indelible mark in history as it shook the elitist monarchist governments of Europe to the core. Many theories have been argued to whom is primarily responsible for the commencement of World War I, but in drafting the Versailles treaty, the triumphant Allies bluntly asserted Germany responsible for this massive war. The outbreak was contingent on a determining number of factors. These factors include: nationalism that was spread throughout Europe before World War I, the arms race, and the alliance system.
Although Germany was not all to blame for the outbreak of World War I, it did contribute more than a fare share in its involvement in the war between countries and colonies. "No nation had been entirely innocent, none criminally guilty. " (Doc. #7) This is just saying that, yeah maybe Germany had a large part in the war, but all the countries surrounding them played a role in the war as well. Previously, before the start of World War I, the dominating powers of Europe (Russia, France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Germany and a few others) (Doc. #4) were experiencing various problems, which caused the relationships between each power to be extremely edgy and undependable. All five powers were just beginning to adapt to the Industrial Revolution within their own country, which did not help the matter of dealing with other countries. At the same time, a strong sense of nationalism was brewing throughout the countries of Europe causing many more problems with how to deal with other countries when one's own citizen's dislikes another's own.
